boys' name ★ peaked 2008

Jonah

Meaning dove Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #128 Trend → Stable

From the Hebrew יוֹנָה (yônâh, “dove”).

Rank 2025
#128
among boys · ↓2 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,867
named Jonah · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 604
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2008
2,998 babies
All-time total
86,075
#348 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jonah popularity over time

86,075 babies have been named Jonah since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 79 79 8 – #469
1890s – 65 65 7 -18% #705
1900s – 71 71 7 +9% #645
1910s – 222 222 22 +213% #777
1920s – 329 329 33 +48% #1,012
1930s – 252 252 25 -23% #1,109
1940s – 249 249 25 -1% #1,213
1950s – 298 298 30 +20% #1,144
1960s 5 304 309 31 +4% #1,192
1970s 22 1,767 1,789 179 +479% #403
1980s 52 2,889 2,941 294 +64% #412
1990s 126 10,073 10,199 1,020 +247% #196
2000s 185 23,697 23,882 2,388 +134% #136
2010s 237 28,053 28,290 2,829 +18% #128
2020s (to 2025) 165 16,935 17,100 2,850 +1% #124

Where Jonah is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 2,867 1.68 #126
2027 2,901 1.70 #124
2028 2,930 1.72 #124
2029 2,956 1.73 #121
2030 2,977 1.74 #119

Where Jonah is most popular

Boys named Jonah per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.63 per 1,000. Strongest in Maine, District of Columbia, and West Virginia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Jonah born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Maine 65 3.35 +105%
District of Columbia 48 3.25 +99%
West Virginia 97 2.97 +82%
Hawaii 45 2.90 +77%
Vermont 17 2.71 +66%
New Hampshire 59 2.66 +63%
Rhode Island 42 2.58 +58%
Kentucky 245 2.44 +49%
New Mexico 80 2.43 +49%
Connecticut 164 2.42 +48%
Ohio 642 2.42 +48%
South Dakota 45 2.42 +48%
Delaware 36 2.37 +45%
Alaska 28 2.35 +44%
Wisconsin 276 2.33 +43%
Michigan 466 2.28 +39%
Kansas 151 2.20 +35%
North Dakota 36 2.11 +29%
Nebraska 89 2.05 +25%
Mississippi 115 2.02 +24%
Arkansas 128 2.02 +24%
South Carolina 209 2.02 +24%
Tennessee 363 2.01 +23%
North Carolina 512 2.01 +23%
Louisiana 205 2.00 +23%
Idaho 82 2.00 +23%
Indiana 321 2.00 +23%
Pennsylvania 529 1.99 +22%
New York 858 1.98 +21%
Alabama 216 1.98 +21%
Iowa 136 1.97 +21%
Washington 321 1.96 +20%
Utah 187 1.96 +20%
Massachusetts 269 1.96 +20%
Missouri 270 1.95 +19%
Florida 890 1.88 +15%
Minnesota 225 1.83 +12%
Maryland 218 1.83 +12%
Virginia 346 1.82 +12%
Oklahoma 161 1.82 +11%
New Jersey 352 1.75 +7%
Oregon 132 1.74 +6%
Colorado 224 1.74 +6%
Georgia 436 1.72 +5%
Texas 1,489 1.69 ≈ national
Illinois 425 1.66 ≈ national
Nevada 91 1.60 ≈ national
California 1,451 1.59 ≈ national
Arizona 250 1.53 -6%
Montana 26 1.47 -10%
Wyoming 5 0.864 -47%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Jonah

Jonah is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #128 in 2025 with 2,828 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 86,075 American babies have been named Jonah. Its peak came in 2008, when 2,998 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jonah stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jonah?

The median living Jonah is about 14 years old; half are between 7 and 23. An estimated 84 thousand people named Jonah are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jonah year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 39 #3,803 2,828 #128
2024 25 #5,216 2,893 #126
2023 33 #4,318 2,900 #124
2022 18 #6,564 2,754 #135
2021 28 #4,771 2,739 #138
2020 22 #5,555 2,821 #128
2019 21 #5,880 2,693 #139
2018 36 #4,031 2,725 #145
2017 23 #5,583 2,524 #154
2016 26 #5,207 2,778 #150
2015 24 #5,561 2,913 #143
2014 26 #5,220 2,920 #138
2013 18 #6,865 2,903 #132
2012 17 #7,281 2,955 #128
2011 23 #5,827 2,867 #144
2010 23 #5,869 2,775 #143
2009 17 #7,503 2,718 #147
2008 17 #7,559 2,981 #136
2007 26 #5,446 2,510 #165
2006 21 #6,234 2,411 #170
2005 17 #6,978 2,222 #184
2004 19 #6,345 2,296 #177
2003 15 #7,378 2,431 #164
2002 20 #5,765 2,313 #167
2001 15 #7,117 1,982 #187
2000 18 #6,072 1,833 #192
1995 12 #7,259 1,371 #215
1990 7 #10,702 239 #654
1985 9 #7,213 267 #531
1980 8 #7,700 394 #412
1975 – – 131 #723
1970 – – 70 #963
1965 – – 33 #1,346
1960 – – 28 #1,541
1955 – – 43 #1,144
1950 – – 22 #1,589
1945 – – 30 #1,213
1940 – – 29 #1,266
1935 – – 27 #1,311
1930 – – 19 #1,729
1925 – – 33 #1,270
1920 – – 47 #1,012
1915 – – 33 #1,136
1910 – – 6 #1,509
1905 – – 7 #1,034
1900 – – 11 #817
1895 – – 7 #935
1890 – – 9 #705
1885 – – 16 #469
1880 – – 8 #714

Famous people named Jonah

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jonah Hill Jonah Hill American actor (born 1983) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jonah Falcon Jonah Falcon American actor and television presenter (born 1970) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jonah Lomu Jonah Lomu New Zealand rugby union player (1975–2015) Contemporary
  4. 4 Jonah Jonah Biblical and Quranic prophet -850–-810 · Antiquity
  5. 5 Jonah Bobo American musician(born 1996 or 1997) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jonah, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jonah?

The median living Jonah is about 14 years old. Half of all living Jonahs are between 7 and 23 years old.

How many people named Jonah are alive today?

An estimated 84 thousand people named Jonah are alive in the United States, based on 86,075 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jonah mean?

From the Hebrew יוֹנָה (yônâh, “dove”).

How popular is the name Jonah in 2025?

Jonah ranked #128 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,828 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jonah?

86,075 babies have been named Jonah in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jonah most popular?

Jonah peaked in 2008, when 2,998 newborns received the name.

Is Jonah a boy or girl name?

Jonah is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jonah rising or falling?

Jonah has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Jonah become more popular?

Jonah looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,977 boys named Jonah in 2030, ranking around #119. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jonah?

Well-known people named Jonah include Jonah Hill (actor), Jonah Falcon (actor), Jonah Lomu (rugby player).

Names like Jonah

Names that sound and feel close to Jonah: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jonah with similar names → More names starting with J →