Boys' name · peaked in 2023
Jonah name popularity since 1925
85,449 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Jonah (0.9% girls, 99.1% boys). Half of them were born in 2010 or earlier, so the typical Jonah is about 16 years old in 2026. Jonah peaked in 2023 as the #124 name for boys, and it ranked #128 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 85,449
- Named Jonah, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #128
- for boys in 2025 (2,828 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.1% boys
- 792 girls · 84,657 boys
- Most popular in
- Hawaii
- 3.97× its national share
Peak year is the year Jonah made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Jonah births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 2008. Measured as a share of all babies, Jonah peaked in 2023.
- Steepest fall: Between 1981 and 1986, Jonah's share of baby boys fell by 40%, from 1 in 4,660 to 1 in 7,840.
- Fastest rise: Between 1992 and 1997, it became 7.7× more common, from 1 in 8,920 baby boys to 1 in 1,160.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Jonah's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Jonah.
Decade by decade
Babies named Jonah in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 0 | 140 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 252 | #1,311 |
| 1940s | 0 | 249 | #1,213 |
| 1950s | 0 | 298 | #1,144 |
| 1960s | 5 | 304 | #1,346 |
| 1970s | 22 | 1,767 | #723 |
| 1980s | 52 | 2,889 | #531 |
| 1990s | 126 | 10,073 | #215 |
| 2000s | 185 | 23,697 | #184 |
| 2010s | 237 | 28,053 | #143 |
| 2020–25 | 165 | 16,935 | #128 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
43.8% of babies named Jonah from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Jonah is most popular
The index compares Jonah's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Jonah.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 3.97× | 1,030 |
| Utah | 1.83× | 1,293 |
| Nevada | 1.73× | 511 |
| Oregon | 1.58× | 1,233 |
| Washington | 1.58× | 2,189 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Jonah's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Jonah.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Jonah (2023).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data