Jonas

Did you know?

A few things about Jonas you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Jonas

Jonas Salk

Jewish-American inventor of polio vaccine (1914–1995)

Choose Jonas and your child shares a first name with Jonas Salk, a Jewish-American inventor of polio vaccine. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Jonas, like who?” Jonas Salk's Wikipedia article is available in 89 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Jonas Salk on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,588 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Jonas, 476 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Jonas would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJonas has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Jonass, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2008, when it reached #273.
• 🍂TrendJonas has slipped 113 places over the last five years and now sits at #599. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedJonas is most popular in New Mexico, where it ranks #270, followed by Pennsylvania (#304) and Idaho (#377). It's in the top 1,000 in 31 states.
• 💬MeaningJonas is a Greek form of Jonah, which means “dove”. Our records link it to Hebrew and Spanish roots.

About the name Jonas

Jonas is a boy name of Hebrew and Spanish origin meaning “dove”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with J and ending in “-nas”. US birth records list Jonas for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked #273 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #599, with 476 babies.

Origin:Hebrew namesSpanish names