Namewise

Jonas

maleHebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition

Traditionally associated with the biblical figure Jonah; some traditions link the underlying Hebrew root to 'dove'.

Origin: Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition

Official popularity data is available for 5 regions, from 1945 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in Norway in 2007. See regions.

Jonas: Recorded since 1945, it reached #1 in 2006, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

YOO-nas/ˈjuː.nas/

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)
Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (5) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin
Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition
Meaning
Traditionally associated with the biblical figure Jonah; some traditions link the underlying Hebrew root to 'dove'.
Pronunciation
YOO-nas
Syllables
2
Common nicknames
None recorded
Classification
Traditional & modern
Gender usage
male
Language family
Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition

Popularity

Rising

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

England and Wales · Boys rank from 1996 to 2025, ranging from #422 to #1174.199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025#422#1174
View as table
England and Wales · Boys rank by year
YearRank
1996#728
1997#1174
1998#1110
1999#697
2000#673
2001#707
2002#805
2003#731
2004#599
2005#850
2006#663
2007#476
2008#514
2009#485
2010#495
2011#565
2012#490
2013#461
2014#483
2015#497
2016#448
2017#469
2018#422
2019#481
2020#529
2021#584
2022#620
2023#579
2024#691
2025#716

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in 77 of the 81 years from 1945 to 2025.

In 2025: #49 among boys in Norway, #468 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #716 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 5 national registrars across 5 regions, 19452025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #716 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

See full popularity history and data table

Meaning & Origin

Traditionally associated with the biblical figure Jonah; some traditions link the underlying Hebrew root to 'dove'.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Hebrew, via Greek; used in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German tradition

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Jonas is officially recorded

5 official registrars have recorded Jonas, between 1945 and 2025, in 77 of those 81 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

RegistrarRecordedYearsIts own highest position
Norway1945–202577#1 in 2006
England and Wales1996–202530#422 in 2018
Republic of Ireland2005–202520#313 in 2016
Northern Ireland2009–202312#215 in 2018
Scotland20241#727 in 2024

Its high point came 18 years earlier in Norway (2006) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

YOO-nas/ˈjuː.nas/
Syllables
2
Ease
easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Jonas Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Jonas in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

England and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorway

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Entirely local — nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.

Full sibling-set and initials-across-a-shortlist matching is a planned premium feature — see Premium.