Jonah
Meaning of Jonah
Jonah (JOH-nuh, /ˈdʒoʊnə/) stems from the Hebrew Yonah, “dove,” a word that fluttered from ancient scripture into global modernity; the biblical prophet who spent three dramatic days in a great fish lends the name both narrative weight and a quiet message of second chances. In Spanish-speaking countries the variant Jonás resonates across baptismal fonts, while Italy answers with Giona, proof that the name migrates as effortlessly as the bird it evokes. In the United States, Jonah hovered below the radar for decades before a 1990s surge carried it into steady mid-tier favor, reaching No. 122 in 2024 with nearly 2,900 newborns—consistent, but never overexposed. Maritime lore once tagged a “Jonah” as unlucky, yet contemporary parents are reclaiming the gentler image of peace, resilience, and moral introspection. The result is a succinct, cross-cultural choice that balances Old-World gravitas with fresh, approachable sound.
Pronunciation
British English
- Pronunced as JOH-nuh (/ˈdʒəʊnə/)
American English
- Pronunced as JOH-nuh (/ˈdʒoʊnə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Jonah
| American actor Jonah Hill ranked 28th on the Forbes highest paid list from June 2014 to June 2015 with earnings of 16 million and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA, and two Golden Globes. |
| Jonah Nathan Heim is an American MLB catcher for the Texas Rangers and a former Oakland Athletics player. |
| Jonah Falcon - Jonah Adam Cardeli Falcon is an American actor and television presenter who gained fame in 1999 for an unverified claim of having the largest penis in the world, with later sources citing Matt Barr and Roberto Cabrera as more credible contenders. |
| Jonah Peretti - Jonah H. Peretti is an American internet entrepreneur, BuzzFeed cofounder and CEO, HuffPost cofounder, and an early developer of reblogging. |
| Los Angeles native Jonah Ray Rodrigues is an actor comedian and writer known for starring as Jonah Heston on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and for co hosting The Nerdist Podcast and the Comedy Central series The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. |
| Yair Jonah Lotan is an Israeli actor best known for roles in Hostages, Foyles War, and 24. |
| Jonah Hauer-King is an English actor best known as Prince Eric in Disney's The Little Mermaid, with roles in Howards End, Little Women, World on Fire, Doctor Who, The Last Photograph, A Dog's Way Home, and I Know What You Did Last Summer. |
| Jonah Bobo is an American musician and former child actor known for Zathura, Crazy Stupid Love, and voicing Austin on The Backyardigans. |
| Jonah Barrington MBE is a retired Irish and English squash player from Morwenstow, Cornwall, England. |
| Jonah Osabutey is a Ghanaian professional football forward. |
| Jonah Orion Wheeler is an American Democratic politician and activist serving in the New Hampshire House of Representatives for Hillsborough District 33, covering Peterborough and Sharon. |
| Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya is a Zambian journalist and broadcaster with Diamond Television who won the 2022 BBC Komla Dumor Award for investigations and documentaries on governance, road safety, and democracy in Southern Africa. |
| Jonah Nabon, a rabbinical scholar from Jerusalem and son of Hanun Nabon, lived from 1713 to 1760. |
| Jonah Birir is a former Kenyan middle distance runner. |
| Jonah Justin Pikulas is a Malagasy politician and independent National Assembly member for Maintirano who served as Chief of the Melaky region before 2006. |
