Jonas

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Boy · Hebrew, through Lithuanian

Jonas

Say it: YOH-nahs

Try it with your surname

Meaning

The Lithuanian form of John, from Hebrew Yohanan 'God is gracious'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Traditionally the most common Lithuanian man's name.

Its wave through time

A revival, back after decades away

In the United States

25,829 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 2008, about 1 in 1,600 boys
601 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

The family of the name

English	John
Latvian	Jānis
Estonian	Jaan

Famous bearers

Jonas Basanavičius, leader of the national revival
Jonas Mekas, filmmaker

Names worth a look

VytautasBoyAn old Lithuanian two-part name whose second element is usually linked to tauta 'people, nation'; the first element…Middle Ages

AlgirdasBoyAn old Lithuanian two-part name; the elements have been linked to alga 'reward' and girdėti 'to hear', but this is…Middle Ages

KęstutisBoyName of the 14th-century duke; it is often connected with kęsti 'to endure', but the analysis is uncertain.Middle Ages

GediminasBoyName of the 14th-century grand duke; it has been analysed as an old two-part Lithuanian name, but the meaning of its…Middle Ages

MindaugasBoyAn old two-part Lithuanian name usually analysed as min- (as in minėti 'to remember, mention') and daug 'much, many'.Middle Ages

VaidotasBoyName of a son of Kęstutis; an old Lithuanian two-part name whose meaning is uncertain.Middle Ages · forgotten

JaniceGirlAn elaboration of Jane (from Hebrew Yohanan 'God is gracious'), popularized by Paul Leicester Ford's novel Janice…Modern · peak 1946 · forgotten

GenesisGirlFrom Greek genesis 'origin, birth', the name of the first book of the Bible.Modern · peak 2019

Where this comes from

Parish baptism registers
National birth statistics of European countries source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.