David vs Jonas
David and Jonascompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #45 and Jonas #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, David was ranked #88 and Jonas #49 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #64 and Jonas #691 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, David was ranked #71 and Jonas #727 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2023, David was ranked #83 and Jonas #272 among boys in Northern Ireland.
David and Jonas over time
David and Jonas appear together in 4 published lists, across 138 years of shared records. David held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Jonas in 1.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
David reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Jonas in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1981, Jonas moved ahead of David in Norway · Boys — #66 and #100 the year before became #71 and #67.
- Longest-running competitions
David and Jonas were both ranked in Norway · Boys for 77 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #88 and #49.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Boys within 2 years — David #31 in 2005, Jonas #1 in 2006.
List by list
Norway · Boys77 shared years, 1945–2025
David held the stronger position in 32 of those years, Jonas in 45.
Highest recorded here: David #31 in 2005, Jonas #1 in 2006.
The order changed in 1981: Jonas moved ahead. In 1980 they stood at #66 and #100; by 1981 that had become #71 and #67.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #88, Jonas #49.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
David held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Jonas in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #32 in 1996, Jonas #422 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: David #64, Jonas #691.
Republic of Ireland · Boys20 shared years, 2005–2025
David held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Jonas in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #14 in 2005, Jonas #313 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: David #45, Jonas #468.
Northern Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 2009–2023
David held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Jonas in 0.
Highest recorded here: David #44 in 2009, Jonas #215 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: David #83, Jonas #272.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | David | Jonas |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Commonly interpreted as 'beloved', with a possible secondary sense of 'uncle' for the root. | Traditionally associated with the biblical figure Jonah; some traditions link the underlying Hebrew root to 'dove'. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew | Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪvɪd/ | /ˈjuː.nas/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #45 (2025) | Norway · Boys #49 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- David is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin, while Jonas is recorded with a Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition origin.
- David and Jonas both have 2 syllables.
- David's recorded meaning differs from Jonas's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO.
How each name got here
David
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #167 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1952–2018
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 1961 (recorded 1952–2018).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #88 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys
Jonas
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #257 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among boys in Norway, in 2006 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #49 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys