boys' name ★ peaked 1988

Jonathan

Meaning God has given Gender Boy Rank 2025 #89 Trend ↓ Falling 22%

Borrowed from Hebrew יְהוֹנָתָן (yəhōnāṯān), יוֹנָתָן (yōnāṯān, literally “God has given”), apparently with influence from Aramaic [Term?].

Rank 2025
#89
among boys · ↓6 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
3,827
named Jonathan · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 447
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1988
24,513 babies
All-time total
874,440
#36 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jonathan popularity over time

874,440 babies have been named Jonathan 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
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 192 192 19 – #311
1890s – 129 129 13 -33% #472
1900s – 139 139 14 +8% #447
1910s – 660 660 66 +375% #573
1920s – 1,078 1,078 108 +63% #573
1930s – 1,663 1,663 166 +54% #318
1940s – 8,296 8,296 830 +399% #164
1950s 53 25,816 25,869 2,587 +212% #114
1960s 189 47,389 47,578 4,758 +84% #46
1970s 635 107,926 108,561 10,856 +128% #28
1980s 1,583 229,953 231,536 23,154 +113% #15
1990s 626 197,503 198,129 19,813 -14% #17
2000s 342 144,848 145,190 14,519 -27% #19
2010s 113 79,888 80,001 8,000 -45% #28
2020s (to 2025) 33 25,386 25,419 4,237 -47% #70

Where Jonathan 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 3,660 2.14 #96
2027 3,528 2.07 #100
2028 3,420 2.00 #103
2029 3,330 1.95 #105
2030 3,256 1.91 #108

Where Jonathan is most popular

Boys named Jonathan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 2.39 per 1,000. Strongest in Rhode Island, Delaware, and Alaska.

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 Jonathan 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
Rhode Island 73 4.48 +87%
Delaware 65 4.29 +79%
Alaska 50 4.20 +76%
District of Columbia 53 3.59 +50%
Nevada 196 3.44 +44%
Maryland 409 3.43 +44%
California 3,002 3.28 +37%
South Carolina 332 3.21 +35%
Massachusetts 437 3.18 +33%
Texas 2,749 3.12 +31%
Arizona 505 3.09 +29%
Alabama 336 3.07 +29%
New Mexico 101 3.07 +28%
Florida 1,448 3.06 +28%
Connecticut 202 2.98 +25%
Washington 481 2.94 +23%
Tennessee 529 2.93 +23%
Virginia 553 2.91 +22%
New Jersey 579 2.88 +20%
New Hampshire 63 2.84 +19%
Kansas 192 2.80 +17%
Illinois 704 2.75 +15%
Mississippi 154 2.71 +13%
North Carolina 688 2.69 +13%
Georgia 675 2.66 +12%
Nebraska 115 2.64 +11%
North Dakota 45 2.64 +10%
New York 1,106 2.55 +7%
Pennsylvania 667 2.51 +5%
Oregon 190 2.50 +5%
Indiana 401 2.50 +5%
Kentucky 250 2.49 ≈ national
Arkansas 157 2.48 ≈ national
Colorado 314 2.43 ≈ national
South Dakota 45 2.42 ≈ national
Hawaii 37 2.38 ≈ national
Idaho 97 2.37 ≈ national
Maine 45 2.32 ≈ national
Iowa 154 2.23 -6%
Ohio 568 2.14 -10%
Oklahoma 189 2.14 -11%
Montana 37 2.10 -12%
Minnesota 256 2.09 -13%
Utah 194 2.03 -15%
Wisconsin 238 2.01 -16%
Louisiana 200 1.96 -18%
Missouri 267 1.93 -19%
Michigan 387 1.89 -21%
West Virginia 56 1.72 -28%
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Jonathan

Jonathan is a top-100 name for boys in the United States, ranked #89 in 2025 with 3,822 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 874,440 American babies have been named Jonathan. Its peak came in 1988, when 24,513 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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 Jonathan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jonathan?

The median living Jonathan is about 34 years old; half are between 23 and 43. An estimated 825 thousand people named Jonathan are alive in the United States today.

median 34 020406080100

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

Jonathan 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 5 #15,980 3,822 #89
2024 – – 4,028 #83
2023 6 #14,216 4,094 #82
2022 8 #11,675 4,220 #79
2021 5 #16,354 4,465 #77
2020 9 #10,656 4,757 #70
2019 6 #14,598 5,470 #64
2018 7 #13,071 5,779 #63
2017 6 #14,932 6,534 #55
2016 16 #7,408 6,982 #56
2015 11 #9,773 7,660 #48
2014 10 #10,511 8,120 #44
2013 12 #9,285 8,577 #41
2012 10 #10,808 9,372 #34
2011 21 #6,236 10,254 #31
2010 14 #8,476 11,140 #28
2009 14 #8,645 11,386 #29
2008 18 #7,207 12,905 #26
2007 24 #5,796 13,809 #23
2006 27 #5,154 14,387 #22
2005 27 #4,884 14,443 #19
2004 77 #2,274 14,375 #21
2003 32 #4,147 14,994 #22
2002 35 #3,761 15,514 #21
2001 39 #3,445 16,147 #23
2000 49 #2,918 16,888 #21
1995 56 #2,353 18,155 #23
1990 92 #1,626 24,077 #17
1985 181 #884 24,116 #17
1980 104 #1,252 18,986 #21
1975 55 #1,718 10,904 #30
1970 35 #2,252 8,194 #42
1965 15 #3,322 4,723 #74
1960 11 #4,027 3,343 #118
1955 11 #3,663 3,025 #116
1950 – – 1,538 #163
1945 – – 881 #179
1940 – – 276 #342
1935 – – 167 #439
1930 – – 103 #603
1925 – – 114 #589
1920 – – 111 #596
1915 – – 83 #638
1910 – – 19 #693
1905 – – 14 #651
1900 – – 11 #818
1895 – – 9 #768
1890 – – 16 #472
1885 – – 30 #311
1880 – – 18 #415

Famous people named Jonathan

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

  1. 1 Jonathan Groff Jonathan Groff American actor and singer (born 1985) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jonathan Brandis Jonathan Brandis American actor (1976–2003) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jonathan Pryce Jonathan Pryce Welsh actor (born 1947) Contemporary
  4. 4 Jonathan Banks Jonathan Banks American actor (born 1947) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jonathan Rhys Meyers Jonathan Rhys Meyers Irish actor (born 1977) Contemporary
  6. 6 Jonathan Nolan Jonathan Nolan British and American screenwriter (born 1976) Contemporary
  7. 7 Jonathan Frakes Jonathan Frakes American actor and director (born 1952) Contemporary
  8. 8 Jonathan Davis Jonathan Davis American singer (born 1971) Contemporary
  9. 9 Jonathan Pollard Jonathan Pollard Israeli intelligence analyst and convicted spy (born 1954) Contemporary
  10. 10 Jonathan Hyde Jonathan Hyde Australian actor (born 1948) Contemporary
  11. 11 Jonathan Winters Jonathan Winters American comedian, actor and artist (1925–2013) Contemporary
  12. 12 Jonathan Demme Jonathan Demme American filmmaker (1944–2017) Contemporary
  13. 13 Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift Anglo-Irish satirist and cleric (1667–1745) 17th century
  14. 14 Jonathan Haidt Jonathan Haidt American social psychologist (born 1963) Contemporary
  15. 15 Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards English triple jumper (born 1966) Contemporary
  16. 16 Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Franzen American writer (born 1959) Contemporary
  17. 17 Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards American preacher and philosopher (1703–1758) 18th century
  18. 18 Jonathan Togo American actor (born 1977) Contemporary
  19. 19 Jonathan M. Wainwright Jonathan M. Wainwright American WWII army general captured by Japanese 1883–1953 · 19th century
  20. 20 Jonathan Safran Foer Jonathan Safran Foer American novelist (born 1977) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Jonathan?

The median living Jonathan is about 34 years old. Half of all living Jonathans are between 23 and 43 years old.

How many people named Jonathan are alive today?

An estimated 825 thousand people named Jonathan are alive in the United States, based on 874,440 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jonathan mean?

Borrowed from Hebrew יְהוֹנָתָן (yəhōnāṯān), יוֹנָתָן (yōnāṯān, literally “God has given”), apparently with influence from Aramaic [Term?].

How popular is the name Jonathan in 2025?

Jonathan ranked #89 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 3,822 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jonathan?

874,440 babies have been named Jonathan in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jonathan most popular?

Jonathan peaked in 1988, when 24,513 newborns received the name.

Is Jonathan a boy or girl name?

Jonathan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jonathan rising or falling?

Jonathan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jonathan become more popular?

Jonathan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 3,256 boys named Jonathan in 2030, which would rank around #108. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jonathan?

Well-known people named Jonathan include Jonathan Groff (actor), Jonathan Brandis (actor), Jonathan Pryce (actor).

Names like Jonathan

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

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