Name of the Week

 ^.

Once eclipsed by its bolder variant Jonas,
Jonah is now winning hearts with its serene Biblical charm.

 

Origin:

Jonah derives from the Hebrew word yonah (יוֹנָה) meaning "dove." It was translated to Ἰωνᾶς (Ionas) in Greek and Ionas (Jonas) in Latin.  The name was borne by two figures in the bible. In the New Testament, Jonah (or Jonas) is a fisherman, the father of Peter. More significantly, in the Old Testament, Jonah is the name given to the prophet Jonah whose story is told in The Book of Jonah. He is also recognised, in the name Yunus or Yunan, as a prophet in Islam.  Jonah held further significance in Early Christianity as an allegory for Christ's resurrection, and his story was a popular theme in Early Christian art. In the New Testament, Jesus himself said: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth," implying that Jonah's emergence from the whale prefigured Christ's resurrection.  Before Constantine declared Christianity a state religion, Christians worshipped in secrecy, particularly in underground catacombs beneath the city of Rome. Chamber frescoes and funerary art feature Jonah frequently, thanks to his being seen as a prefigure of Christ. Some scholars even argue that, in an age where Christianity was banned, using Jonah (in a fantastically classical Greco-Roman style) as a symbol was the safest way to depict Christ and identify themselves secretly to other Christians.

Usage:

Despite the fact that the story of Jonah and the Whale was a popular one during the middle ages, the name was little used during that period. When it was, the Latinised Jonas was the preferred form.  Jonas had continued usage from the 13th century through to the 16th, and even gained in popularity. It was especially notable in Yorkshire where, according to George Redmond's poll of Halifax baptisms from 1590-92, it was the 9th most common name. It also appears four times in Smith-Bannister's top 50 names from 1538-1700: #50 in 1610-19, #46 in 1620-9, #41 in 1640-9 and #40 in 1660-9.  Jonah itself also came into use during this period, when many Old Testament names were enjoying a revival, and had a wide distribution across the country. It was not, however, one of Smith-Bannister's top 50 names from 1538-1700.  In 1870, Jonah ranked #167 with 62 births in England and Wales. It fell to #197 (60 births) in 1880, and below the Top 200 to 38 births in 1890 and 32 births in 1900.  Jonas was higher ranking (#126 in 1870, #185 in 1880) but it too fell out of the Top 200 afterwards.  Data from The Surname Atlas (click to enlarge) The map (right) of the 1881 census name distribution shows that the name was distributed across England (particularly the west) and Wales but little in Scotland. Per 100,000 however, its popularity in Wales really stands out, especially in Camarthenshire.   In contrast, Jonas was little used in Wales (or Scotland) in 1881, and was still, as it had been centuries before, highly concentrated in Yorkshire.  Jonah's usage gradually declined in the early 20th century, and by the 1940s it became rather rare. The name has been steadily rising since 1996 when it ranked #312 with 78 births. It plateaued somewhat until 2006, after which it moved up through the Top 300 and spiked at #168 with 342 births in 2011.  Jonas is now less popular than Jonah itself, ranking at #490 (78 births) in 2012, but it too has been rising.  In 2012, Jonah ranked #180 with 324 births in England and Wales and #337 with 10 births in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Jonah, a prophet of the Old Testament. * Jonah, the father of St Peter. * Jonah ibn Janah (c.990–c.1050), a Hebrew grammarian and lexicographer. * Jonah of Moscow (d.1461), a Russian Orthodox Saint.  Contemporary: * Jonah Hill (b. 1983), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Jonah Hex, an American western comic book hero in DC Comics. * Jonah Baldwin, character in the movie Sleepless in Seattle.

Variants:

Jonas

Pronunciation:

JŌ-nə [key]

Possible diminutives

Joe, Jay

Sibling Names:

Anna     Tabitha     Willa      Lydia      Martha     Harriet  Rowan     Asher     Jasper     Gabriel     Myles     Ellis

Name Lists:

Slim Softies   Popular Biblical Names   Vintage Names   Names from Tennyson

 

If you like Jonah you may also like:   Joah, Jowan, Noah, Jude, Luca, Colm, Elijah, Levi, Micah, Bowen

 

Thanks to Lydie for requesting this post.