Boy · Hebrew · International · Christian
Jonah
JonahSay it JOH-nuh
- Meaning
- Dove; the prophet Jonah, son of Amittai Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, H3124
- Say it
- JOH-nuh
- Other spellings
- Jona, Yonah
Jonah
Stays on your phone. A family name is never required.
Jonah meaning
Jonah is an international and Christian boy's name of Hebrew origin.
Dove; the prophet Jonah, son of Amittai
Jonah is the English form of Hebrew Yonah, the everyday word for a dove. In the Bible Jonah son of Amittai is the prophet who runs from God's call, is swallowed by a great fish and at last preaches to the city of Nineveh; Brown-Driver-Briggs also notes his prophecy, in 2 Kings, that Israel would win back its lost lands. The same prophet appears in the Quran as Yunus, so his story is shared by Jewish, Christian and Muslim families. Baby-name lists give the meaning as 'dove', which matches the Hebrew. Jonah is said JOH-nuh: short, gentle and easy to pair with Indian surnames.
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H3124 · entry Yonah · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Strong's H3124, Yonah (with BDB entry) · Strong's H3123, yonah, dove · Quran 10:98, the people of Yunus
Famous namesakes
- Jonah, the Hebrew prophet of the Book of Jonah
Popularity abroad
- #128 United States, boys 2025 (down 2 from 126 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #147 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Jonah · Jona · Yonah