Boy nameCurrently #83 in the USFalling
Jonathan
JON-uh-thun//ˈdʒɒnəθən//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19888 lettersStarts with J
Meaning & origin
Gift of God, the Lord has given
Jonathan comes from the Hebrew meaning 'the Lord has given', and in the Bible is the loyal friend of David and son of King Saul, celebrated for his deep, selfless friendship. A steady, dignified classic, it has remained popular for centuries.
Jonathan's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Jonathan |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 18 |
| 1881 | 21 |
| 1882 | 27 |
| 1883 | 17 |
| 1884 | 21 |
| 1885 | 30 |
| 1886 | 19 |
| 1887 | 10 |
| 1888 | 17 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1890 | 16 |
| 1891 | 12 |
| 1892 | 13 |
| 1893 | 9 |
| 1894 | 16 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1896 | 18 |
| 1897 | 15 |
| 1898 | 13 |
| 1899 | 8 |
| 1900 | 11 |
| 1901 | 9 |
| 1902 | 22 |
| 1903 | 19 |
| 1904 | 14 |
| 1905 | 14 |
| 1906 | 12 |
| 1907 | 11 |
| 1908 | 12 |
| 1909 | 15 |
| 1910 | 19 |
| 1911 | 24 |
| 1912 | 48 |
| 1913 | 53 |
| 1914 | 77 |
| 1915 | 83 |
| 1916 | 100 |
| 1917 | 96 |
| 1918 | 83 |
| 1919 | 77 |
| 1920 | 111 |
| 1921 | 122 |
| 1922 | 117 |
| 1923 | 97 |
| 1924 | 97 |
| 1925 | 114 |
| 1926 | 106 |
| 1927 | 108 |
| 1928 | 115 |
| 1929 | 91 |
| 1930 | 103 |
| 1931 | 117 |
| 1932 | 118 |
| 1933 | 126 |
| 1934 | 133 |
| 1935 | 167 |
| 1936 | 172 |
| 1937 | 197 |
| 1938 | 235 |
| 1939 | 295 |
| 1940 | 276 |
| 1941 | 359 |
| 1942 | 553 |
| 1943 | 575 |
| 1944 | 639 |
| 1945 | 881 |
| 1946 | 1,102 |
| 1947 | 1,197 |
| 1948 | 1,283 |
| 1949 | 1,432 |
| 1950 | 1,538 |
| 1951 | 1,775 |
| 1952 | 2,063 |
| 1953 | 2,335 |
| 1954 | 2,751 |
| 1955 | 3,034 |
| 1956 | 3,131 |
| 1957 | 3,061 |
| 1958 | 3,090 |
| 1959 | 3,092 |
| 1960 | 3,352 |
| 1961 | 3,503 |
| 1962 | 4,269 |
| 1963 | 4,485 |
| 1964 | 4,665 |
| 1965 | 4,738 |
| 1966 | 4,683 |
| 1967 | 4,940 |
| 1968 | 5,829 |
| 1969 | 7,113 |
| 1970 | 8,229 |
| 1971 | 8,673 |
| 1972 | 9,274 |
| 1973 | 10,334 |
| 1974 | 10,294 |
| 1975 | 10,958 |
| 1976 | 11,397 |
| 1977 | 12,403 |
| 1978 | 12,595 |
| 1979 | 14,413 |
| 1980 | 19,092 |
| 1981 | 22,746 |
| 1982 | 23,282 |
| 1983 | 22,933 |
| 1984 | 23,527 |
| 1985 | 24,297 |
| 1986 | 24,147 |
| 1987 | 23,299 |
| 1988 | 24,512 |
| 1989 | 23,708 |
| 1990 | 24,169 |
| 1991 | 23,062 |
| 1992 | 21,479 |
| 1993 | 20,023 |
| 1994 | 19,144 |
| 1995 | 18,211 |
| 1996 | 18,664 |
| 1997 | 18,584 |
| 1998 | 17,686 |
| 1999 | 17,104 |
| 2000 | 16,937 |
| 2001 | 16,185 |
| 2002 | 15,549 |
| 2003 | 15,025 |
| 2004 | 14,452 |
| 2005 | 14,469 |
| 2006 | 14,414 |
| 2007 | 13,833 |
| 2008 | 12,922 |
| 2009 | 11,398 |
| 2010 | 11,154 |
| 2011 | 10,274 |
| 2012 | 9,379 |
| 2013 | 8,587 |
| 2014 | 8,130 |
| 2015 | 7,667 |
| 2016 | 6,996 |
| 2017 | 6,533 |
| 2018 | 5,781 |
| 2019 | 5,472 |
| 2020 | 4,764 |
| 2021 | 4,463 |
| 2022 | 4,221 |
| 2023 | 4,094 |
| 2024 | 4,018 |
Jonathan through the decades
- Jonathan peaked in 1988, when 24,512 babies were named Jonathan in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Jonathan has fallen 53% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Jonathan currently ranks #83 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
JonJonny
Variants & spellings
Yonatan
Famous people named Jonathan
- Jonathan Swift — writer