MEANING & HISTORY
What does Jonah mean?
Jonah is the English biblical name from Hebrew Yonah, dove. The Book of Jonah supplied a major route for the name’s transmission through Greek and Latin into European languages.
Its short meaning is the ordinary bird word. The name is related historically to Jonas, but Jonah is a complete form rather than a shortened Jonathan, whose Hebrew formation is different.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
English
- /ˈd͡ʒoʊnə/General-American
- /ˈd͡ʒəʊnə/Received-Pronunciation
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
From English Jonah, from Hebrew יוֹנָה (yonáh, “dove”).
a male given name from Hebrew; a female given name from Hebrew
EnglishEtymology & source
From the Hebrew יוֹנָה (yônâh, “dove”). Doublet of Jonas.
A male given name from Hebrew.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Jonah in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Jonah
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Donah♀Variant of Donna; an Italian lady-word connection
- Jonas♂Dove
- Jonás♂Dove; Spanish form of Jonah
- Dinah♀Judged or vindicated
- Joan♀English form of Joanna; God is gracious
- Johan♂God is gracious; a John-family form
- Joma♂Blend or familiar form of José María
- Jomar♂Familiar blend of José María
What rhymes with Jonah?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Jonah further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Jonah (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Jonah (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Jonah (opens in a new tab)
Personal-name formation and etymological relationships; imported dictionary account consulted.
- Behind the Name: jonah (opens in a new tab)
Independent onomastic comparison and qualifications to the proposed origin.