Total births
85,283
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.
- #126
- among boys today
- 85,283
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.1%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Jonah is the #126 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 #126 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.
- #126 among boys today
- 85,283 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.1% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jonah is currently the #126 boys' name in America, more common than 99.1% of boys - 85,283 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #126
- among boys today
- 85,283
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.1%
- more common than other boys
Jonah vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#126
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.1% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Jonah was born in this single decade.
2008
Single peak year
2,981 babies were named Jonah in 2008 - its busiest year on record.
How Jonah compares
85,283 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 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 232x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jonah | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 85,283 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,981 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2008
Current rank
#126
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Jonah's total US births 11.0%
Even split
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? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 85,283 babies named Jonah. Today it holds rank #126 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2008, with 2,981 births.
When was Jonah most popular? ▼
Jonah was most popular in the 2010s decade with 28,053 total births. The single peak year was 2008.
Where is Jonah most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jonah are California (9,390 births), Texas (7,164 births), New York (4,856 births).
How long has the name Jonah been used? ▼
Jonah has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Jonah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jonathan, Jon, Jonathon, Jonas, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Jonathan Boy
#83 870,866 births
Jon Boy
#894 168,142 births
Jonathon Boy
#1546 65,612 births
Jonas Boy
#556 28,560 births
Jones Boy
#854 5,357 births
Compare Jonah side by side: Jonah vs Jonathan Jonah vs Jon Jonah vs Jonathon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jonah
Kayden #125
73,606 births · Peak 2014
Greyson #127
60,231 births · Peak 2017
Carson #124
132,774 births · Peak 2018
Hunter #128
262,238 births · Peak 2000
George #123
1,487,297 births · Peak 1921
Graham #129
61,436 births · Peak 2025
Giovanni #122
89,368 births · Peak 2010
Luis #130
292,959 births · Peak 2007
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jonah: #126 Boys' Name - 85,283 Births, Peak 2008." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jonah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.