Jonathan
Jonathan was given to 3,822 boys in 2025, #89 among boys’ names; 874,440 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 814,000 Americans named Jonathan and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (93% of everyone recorded); the median is 35 years old and half are between 24 and 44.
Jonathan is the #26 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Jonathan by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Jonathan mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Jonathan is “a male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.” Its etymology gives the sense “God has given” (literally).
Borrowed from Hebrew יְהוֹנָתָן (yəhōnāṯān), יוֹנָתָן (yōnāṯān, literally “God has given”), apparently with influence from Aramaic [Term?].
/ˈd͡ʒɑnəθən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Jonathan?
#89 among boys’ names, 2025
Jonathan fell from #48 in 2015 to #89 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 4.0 to 2.2 per 1,000.
24,513 babies in 1988, the peak
Jonathan peaked in 1988, when 24,513 babies were given it (24,349 boys, #15 among boys’ names). The 3,827 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 16% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,822 | #89 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 4,028 | #83 | 2.3 |
| 2023 | 4,094 | #82 | 2.4 |
| 2022 | 4,220 | #79 | 2.4 |
| 2021 | 4,465 | #77 | 2.6 |
| 2020 | 4,757 | #70 | 2.8 |
| 2019 | 5,470 | #64 | 3.0 |
| 2018 | 5,779 | #63 | 3.2 |
| 2017 | 6,534 | #55 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | 6,982 | #56 | 3.7 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7,660 | #48 | 4.0 |
| 2014 | 8,120 | #44 | 4.2 |
| 2013 | 8,577 | #41 | 4.5 |
| 2012 | 9,372 | #34 | 4.9 |
| 2011 | 10,254 | #31 | 5.4 |
| 2010 | 11,140 | #28 | 5.8 |
| 2009 | 11,386 | #29 | 5.7 |
| 2008 | 12,905 | #26 | 6.3 |
| 2007 | 13,809 | #23 | 6.7 |
| 2006 | 14,387 | #22 | 7.0 |
| 2005 | 14,443 | #19 | 7.2 |
| 2004 | 14,375 | #21 | 7.2 |
| 2003 | 14,994 | #22 | 7.6 |
| 2002 | 15,514 | #21 | 8.0 |
| 2001 | 16,147 | #23 | 8.3 |
| 2000 | 16,888 | #21 | 8.6 |
| 1999 | 17,068 | #22 | 8.9 |
| 1998 | 17,649 | #21 | 9.2 |
| 1997 | 18,542 | #21 | 9.8 |
| 1996 | 18,602 | #21 | 9.8 |
| 1995 | 18,155 | #23 | 9.5 |
| 1994 | 19,068 | #23 | 9.9 |
| 1993 | 19,954 | #22 | 10.2 |
| 1992 | 21,413 | #21 | 10.7 |
| 1991 | 22,975 | #20 | 11.4 |
| 1990 | 24,077 | #17 | 11.7 |
| 1989 | 23,608 | #17 | 11.8 |
| 1988 | 24,349 | #15 | 12.7 |
| 1987 | 23,119 | #18 | 12.4 |
| 1986 | 23,973 | #16 | 13.0 |
| 1985 | 24,116 | #17 | 13.0 |
| 1984 | 23,345 | #19 | 12.9 |
| 1983 | 22,756 | #19 | 12.7 |
| 1982 | 23,113 | #16 | 12.7 |
| 1981 | 22,588 | #16 | 12.6 |
| 1980 | 18,986 | #21 | 10.6 |
| 1979 | 14,331 | #31 | 8.3 |
| 1978 | 12,514 | #31 | 7.6 |
| 1977 | 12,319 | #28 | 7.5 |
| 1976 | 11,314 | #31 | 7.2 |
| 1975 | 10,904 | #30 | 7.0 |
| 1974 | 10,230 | #33 | 6.5 |
| 1973 | 10,273 | #31 | 6.6 |
| 1972 | 9,219 | #37 | 5.7 |
| 1971 | 8,628 | #40 | 4.9 |
| 1970 | 8,194 | #42 | 4.4 |
| 1969 | 7,080 | #46 | 4.0 |
| 1968 | 5,808 | #53 | 3.3 |
| 1967 | 4,920 | #56 | 2.8 |
| 1966 | 4,662 | #65 | 2.6 |
| 1965 | 4,723 | #74 | 2.5 |
| 1964 | 4,644 | #83 | 2.3 |
| 1963 | 4,471 | #88 | 2.2 |
| 1962 | 4,253 | #94 | 2.1 |
| 1961 | 3,485 | #112 | 1.6 |
| 1960 | 3,343 | #118 | 1.6 |
| 1959 | 3,082 | #124 | 1.4 |
| 1958 | 3,084 | #124 | 1.5 |
| 1957 | 3,048 | #124 | 1.4 |
| 1956 | 3,124 | #114 | 1.5 |
| 1955 | 3,025 | #116 | 1.5 |
| 1954 | 2,743 | #121 | 1.3 |
| 1953 | 2,335 | #133 | 1.2 |
| 1952 | 2,062 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1951 | 1,775 | #147 | 0.94 |
| 1950 | 1,538 | #163 | 0.86 |
| 1949 | 1,431 | #164 | 0.81 |
| 1948 | 1,282 | #173 | 0.73 |
| 1947 | 1,198 | #177 | 0.65 |
| 1946 | 1,102 | #173 | 0.68 |
| 1945 | 881 | #179 | 0.65 |
| 1944 | 639 | #217 | 0.47 |
| 1943 | 575 | #245 | 0.40 |
| 1942 | 553 | #243 | 0.40 |
| 1941 | 359 | #303 | 0.29 |
| 1940 | 276 | #342 | 0.24 |
| 1939 | 295 | #318 | 0.27 |
| 1938 | 235 | #363 | 0.21 |
| 1937 | 197 | #397 | 0.18 |
| 1936 | 172 | #427 | 0.17 |
| 1935 | 167 | #439 | 0.16 |
| 1934 | 133 | #498 | 0.13 |
| 1933 | 126 | #500 | 0.13 |
| 1932 | 118 | #540 | 0.11 |
| 1931 | 117 | #542 | 0.11 |
| 1930 | 103 | #603 | 0.09 |
| 1929 | 91 | #645 | 0.08 |
| 1928 | 115 | #577 | 0.10 |
| 1927 | 108 | #597 | 0.10 |
| 1926 | 106 | #609 | 0.10 |
| 1925 | 114 | #589 | 0.10 |
| 1924 | 97 | #655 | 0.09 |
| 1923 | 97 | #652 | 0.09 |
| 1922 | 117 | #599 | 0.11 |
| 1921 | 122 | #573 | 0.11 |
| 1920 | 111 | #596 | 0.10 |
| 1919 | 77 | #725 | 0.08 |
| 1918 | 83 | #688 | 0.08 |
| 1917 | 96 | #608 | 0.10 |
| 1916 | 100 | #576 | 0.11 |
| 1915 | 83 | #638 | 0.10 |
| 1914 | 77 | #573 | 0.12 |
| 1913 | 53 | #607 | 0.10 |
| 1912 | 48 | #588 | 0.11 |
| 1911 | 24 | #633 | 0.11 |
| 1910 | 19 | #693 | 0.10 |
| 1909 | 15 | #738 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 12 | #803 | 0.08 |
| 1907 | 11 | #842 | 0.07 |
| 1906 | 12 | #730 | 0.09 |
| 1905 | 14 | #651 | 0.11 |
| 1904 | 14 | #631 | 0.11 |
| 1903 | 19 | #495 | 0.16 |
| 1902 | 22 | #447 | 0.18 |
| 1901 | 9 | #752 | 0.08 |
| 1900 | 11 | #817 | 0.07 |
| 1899 | 8 | #825 | 0.08 |
| 1898 | 13 | #619 | 0.11 |
| 1897 | 15 | #534 | 0.13 |
| 1896 | 18 | #490 | 0.15 |
| 1895 | 9 | #768 | 0.08 |
| 1894 | 16 | #509 | 0.14 |
| 1893 | 9 | #734 | 0.08 |
| 1892 | 13 | #587 | 0.11 |
| 1891 | 12 | #541 | 0.12 |
| 1890 | 16 | #472 | 0.14 |
| 1889 | 12 | #567 | 0.11 |
| 1888 | 17 | #474 | 0.14 |
| 1887 | 10 | #612 | 0.10 |
| 1886 | 19 | #411 | 0.17 |
| 1885 | 30 | #311 | 0.28 |
| 1884 | 21 | #391 | 0.18 |
| 1883 | 17 | #441 | 0.16 |
| 1882 | 27 | #340 | 0.24 |
| 1881 | 21 | #369 | 0.21 |
| 1880 | 18 | #415 | 0.16 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Jonathan a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Jonathan has been given almost only to boys: 3,574 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Jonathan: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Jonathan, and how old are they?
814,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 93% of the 874,440 Americans ever recorded as Jonathan. The median Jonathan alive today is 35 years old; half are between 24 and 44.
The 2020 Census counted 717,208 people named Jonathan (976 women and girls, 716,232 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 806,023 born in the U.S. The Census count is 11% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 35,700 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 139,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 339,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 225,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 74,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Jonathan born?
The states with the most babies named Jonathan are California, Texas and Florida, with 33% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 541 | #65 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 491 | #79 | 1.0× |
| Florida | 244 | #85 | 1.1× |
| New York | 199 | #90 | 1.2× |
| North Carolina | 147 | #83 | 1.2× |
| Pennsylvania | 137 | #92 | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 115 | #100 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 111 | #121 | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 109 | #108 | 0.9× |
| Virginia | 106 | #81 | 1.1× |
Where Jonathan is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Jonathan is most over-represented in Massachusetts: since 1910 it was given 1.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Jonathan with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 1,069,631 babies since 1880, Jonathan is the most given (82% of them). In 2025 it was given to 3,827 of their 4,615 babies (83%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Jonathan
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Jonathan and names like it
- Compare Jonathan and JohnathanBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1980sJonathan peaked in 1988.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Jonathan since 1910.
- Hebrew namesWiktionary’s origin for Jonathan: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1988The year the most babies were named Jonathan.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Jonathan alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with JMost given first.