Boys' name · since 1880
Jonah
85,283 babies named Jonah in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2008. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #348 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #128 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 85,283
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Jonah is the #128 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 85,283 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Jonah recorded 85,283 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #128 nationally today, ahead of 99.1% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #348 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #128 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 85,283 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jonah ranks #348 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #128 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 85,283 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #348 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #128 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 85,283
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Jonah's 85,283 recorded births place it above 99.23% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Jonah compares
85,283 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jonah's all-time total is 231x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jonah | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 85,283 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,981 | 34 | 22,252 |
Jonah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Jonah's full recorded timeline at 1954, 98% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 2% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2008 peak of 2,981 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Jonah popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2008)
- 2,981
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jonah popularity over time - girls
792 total births recorded since 1964 (Jonah as girls' name)
Jonah by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (28,053 births, 33% of the file).
2010s was Jonah's strongest decade.
28,053 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Jonah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 79
1880s
79 births
- 1890s 65
1890s
65 births
- 1900s 71
1900s
71 births
- 1910s 222
1910s
222 births
- 1920s 329
1920s
329 births
- 1930s 252
1930s
252 births
- 1940s 249
1940s
249 births
- 1950s 298
1950s
298 births
- 1960s 304
1960s
304 births
- 1970s 1,767
1970s
1,767 births
- 1980s 2,889
1980s
2,889 births
- 1990s 10,073
1990s
10,073 births
- 2000s
2000s
23,697 births
- 2010s
2010s
28,053 births
- 2020s
2020s
16,935 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 28,053 births (33% of all-time use).
How Jonah compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Jonah's total volume
Jonah by state
Where Jonah concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 9,390 | 11.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 7,164 | 8.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 4,856 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 4,031 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 3,345 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 3,091 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 2,956 | 3.5% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 2,741 | 3.2% |
9,390 of 85,283 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jonah appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jonah? ▼
Where does Jonah sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Jonah most popular? ▼
Where is Jonah most popular? ▼
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What to do with Jonah's data
- Jonah's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (28,053 total births) through the 2020s (16,935) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Jonahs (9,390 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jonah
Nearby Names Like Jonah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jonah
Compare Jonah side by side: Jonah vs Jonathan Jonah vs Jon Jonah vs Jonathon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jonah
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Jonah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2008)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jonah draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.