Jonathan
Jonathan was the 89th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,822 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 15th with 24,349 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 41 places. More babies were named Jonathan in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning God has given · Hebrew
Say it JAH-nuh-thuhn /ˈdʒɑnəθən/
- Rank in 2025
- #89 boys, down 19 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,822boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 198824,349 babies
- Total since 1880
- 874,440babies recorded
What does the name Jonathan mean?
Jonathan is the English form of the Hebrew Yehonatan or Yonatan, made from a short form of the divine name and a verb meaning 'to give'; DMNES glosses it 'God has given'. In the Bible Jonathan is King Saul's son and David's close friend. DMNES records the name among Protestants in 16th-century England, and it became common in English-speaking countries after the Reformation. It is a different name from John, although both begin with a short form of the divine name; Nathan and Nathaniel share its 'give' root.
יְהוֹנָתָן (Biblical Hebrew, “Yehonatan, God has given”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Jon, Jonathon, Johnathan, Yonatan, Nathan.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean gift.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Jonathan', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, I Samuel 13:2, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jonathan', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Jonathan
The usual nicknames for Jonathan are Jon, Johnny and Jonny. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Jonathan in the last five years, 17 were named Johnny, against 9 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jon | Traditional | #951 | 1,307 |
| Johnny · also for John | Traditional | #458 | 3,605 |
| Jonny · also for Jonas | Modern | #3,407 | 178 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jonathans go by each one.
Jonathan popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 3,574 since 1954, 5 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #89 | 3,822 |
| 2020 | #70 | 4,757 |
| 2010 | #28 | 11,140 |
| 2000 | #21 | 16,888 |
| 1990 | #17 | 24,077 |
| 1980 | #21 | 18,986 |
| 1970 | #42 | 8,194 |
| 1960 | #118 | 3,343 |
| 1950 | #163 | 1,538 |
| 1940 | #342 | 276 |
| 1930 | #603 | 103 |
| 1920 | #596 | 111 |
| 1910 | #693 | 19 |
| 1900 | #818 | 11 |
| 1890 | #472 | 16 |
| 1880 | #415 | 18 |
How popular is Jonathan, counting every spelling?
Jonathan is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #76 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #89 for Jonathan on its own. Together these spellings went to 4,610 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan | 3,822 | #89 | 20,629 |
| Johnathan | 594 | #508 | 3,142 |
| Jonathon | 119 | #1,488 | 609 |
| Johnathon | 66 | #2,171 | 390 |
| Jonnathan | 9 | #8,559 | 46 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jonathan?
3,822 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jonathan (1.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jonathan born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 2 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jonathan.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jonathan?
About 810,700 people born in the US named Jonathan are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 24 and 44. That makes Jonathan mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jonathan by state
How common Jonathan was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (1.9×), Delaware (1.8×), Alaska (1.8×), District of Columbia (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Michigan, Missouri.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jonathan: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jonathan, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jonathan · Sibling names for Jonathan
Questions about the name Jonathan
What does Jonathan mean?
Jonathan means “God has given” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jonathan?
Jonathan was the 89th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,822 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 15th with 24,349 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 41 places. More babies were named Jonathan in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Jonathan a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jonathan in the US.
Where is Jonathan most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jonathan was most common in Rhode Island (4.48 per 1,000 boys), followed by Delaware and Alaska.