Boys' name · peaked in 1985
Jonathan name popularity since 1925
872,776 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Jonathan. Half of them were born in 1990 or earlier, so the typical Jonathan is about 36 years old in 2026. Jonathan peaked in 1985 as the #17 name for boys, and it ranked #89 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 872,776
- Named Jonathan, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #89
- for boys in 2025 (3,822 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 3,574 girls · 869,202 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 1.51× its national share
Peak year is the year Jonathan 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.
Jonathan births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1988. Measured as a share of all babies, Jonathan peaked in 1985.
- Fastest rise: Between 1940 and 1945, Jonathan became 2.7× more common, from 1 in 4,200 baby boys to 1 in 1,530.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Jonathan's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Jonathan.
Decade by decade
Babies named Jonathan 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 | 534 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 1,663 | #439 |
| 1940s | 0 | 8,296 | #179 |
| 1950s | 53 | 25,816 | #116 |
| 1960s | 189 | 47,389 | #74 |
| 1970s | 635 | 107,926 | #30 |
| 1980s | 1,583 | 229,953 | #17 |
| 1990s | 626 | 197,503 | #23 |
| 2000s | 342 | 144,848 | #19 |
| 2010s | 113 | 79,888 | #48 |
| 2020–25 | 33 | 25,386 | #89 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
40.9% of babies named Jonathan from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Jonathan is most popular
The index compares Jonathan'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 Jonathan.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1.51× | 4,168 |
| Nevada | 1.45× | 4,556 |
| Florida | 1.36× | 43,299 |
| California | 1.32× | 122,999 |
| Connecticut | 1.32× | 12,554 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Jonathan and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan (this page) | 869,202 | 1985 |
| Johnathan | 98,157 | 1990 |
| Jonathon | 65,557 | 1990 |
| Jonathen | 1,507 | 2000 |
| Jonnathan | 1,238 | 1999 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Jonathan's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Jonathan.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Jonathan (1985).
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