Total births
870,866
Boys' name · since 1880
Jonathan
870,866 babies named Jonathan in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1988. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #83
- among boys today
- 870,866
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99.4%
- more common than other boys
870,866 babies have been named Jonathan since 1880, making it today's #83 boys' name.
Jonathan has 870,866 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #83 as of the latest data, more common than 99.4% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #83 among boys today
- 870,866 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 99.4% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jonathan is currently the #83 boys' name in America, more common than 99.4% of boys - 870,866 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #83
- among boys today
- 870,866
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99.4%
- more common than other boys
Jonathan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#83
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.4% of names given to boys today.
1980s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Jonathan was born in this single decade.
1988
Single peak year
24,349 babies were named Jonathan in 1988 - its busiest year on record.
How Jonathan compares
870,866 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Jonathan's all-time total is 2,373x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jonathan | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 870,866 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 24,349 | 23 | 22,252 |
Jonathan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Jonathan's full recorded timeline at 1953, 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 1899, with just 8 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1988 peak of 24,349 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Jonathan at a glance
Top 100 boys' namePeak year
1988
Current rank
#83
Active since
1880
Jonathan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1988)
- 24,349
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jonathan popularity over time - girls
3,574 total births recorded since 1954 (Jonathan as girls' name)
Jonathan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Jonathan's strongest decade.
229,953 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Jonathan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 192
1880s
192 births
- 1890s 129
1890s
129 births
- 1900s 139
1900s
139 births
- 1910s 660
1910s
660 births
- 1920s 1,078
1920s
1,078 births
- 1930s 1,663
1930s
1,663 births
- 1940s 8,296
1940s
8,296 births
- 1950s 25,816
1950s
25,816 births
- 1960s 47,389
1960s
47,389 births
- 1970s
1970s
107,926 births
- 1980s
1980s
229,953 births
- 1990s
1990s
197,503 births
- 2000s
2000s
144,848 births
- 2010s 79,888
2010s
79,888 births
- 2020s 25,386
2020s
25,386 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 229,953 births (26% of all-time use).
How Jonathan 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 Jonathan's total volume
Jonathan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Jonathan by state
Where Jonathan concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 122,519 | 14.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 74,817 | 8.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 72,559 | 8.3% |
| #4 | Florida | | 43,205 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 35,740 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 35,197 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 30,008 | 3.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 29,314 | 3.4% |
California share of Jonathan's total US births 14.1%
Even split
122,519 of 870,866 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jonathan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jonathan? ▼
Jonathan has been given to 870,866 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #83 as of the latest data. 24,349 babies were born in 1988, its single highest year.
When was Jonathan most popular? ▼
Jonathan was most popular in the 1980s decade with 229,953 total births. The single peak year was 1988.
Where is Jonathan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jonathan are California (122,519 births), Texas (74,817 births), New York (72,559 births).
How long has the name Jonathan been used? ▼
Jonathan has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Jonathan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jon, Jonah, Jonathon, Jonas, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Jonathan's data
- Jonathan's decade-level peak was the 1980s (229,953 total births); usage has since declined to 25,386 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jonathans (122,519 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 Jonathan
Nearby Names Like Jonathan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jonathan
Jon Boy
#894 168,142 births
Jonah Boy
#126 85,283 births
Jonathon Boy
#1546 65,612 births
Jonas Boy
#556 28,560 births
Jones Boy
#854 5,357 births
Compare Jonathan side by side: Jonathan vs Jon Jonathan vs Jonah Jonathan vs Jonathon
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jonathan
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. "Jonathan: #83 Boys' Name - 870,866 Births, Peak 1988." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jonathan. 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 Jonathan 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.