Boy Names baby nameJonathan

What does the name Jonathan mean?

The meaning of the name “Jonathan” is: “God has given; gift of God”.

Additional information: The undisputed origin of this name is that it comes from the Hebrew name Yonatan. This is taken to mean “Yahweh has given” or, “God has given”. It is a masculine name that has seen little to no feminine use since it began to be used. Jonathan was first seen to be used as a given name in the Biblical context with King Saul’s son Jonathan, a close friend of the later King David. Jonathan was a courageous defender of Israel and was killed in battle against the Philistines.

Many variations of the name Jonathan exist around the world. In English, the most common variants are Johnathan or Jonathon, but there are also the versions Johnatan, Jonothan, Yonaton, Yonatan, Yhonathan, or Jonatan. Short forms of the name include Johnny, Jonny, Jon, and sometimes Jonty. There are two names that share a similar meaning as Jonathan. These are the Greek name Theodore, meaning “God’s gift” and the Slavic name Bogdan, meaning “Given by God”.

Jonathan was not a commonly given first name in recorded history until around the 1940s when its use began a steady incline in many countries around the world. It came to a worldwide peak in the early 1980s, and in 1981, it was the 14th most popular name for boys in Canada and the 16th most popular name for boys in the USA. In 2014, it was featured in the top 50 boy's names list for 4 different countries, with Mexico's 27th place being the highest rank. It was also in an additional 6 other country’s top 100 boy’s names list.

Notable people and celebrities name Jonathan include Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels; Jonathan Toews, a hockey player; Jonathan Silver Scott, a TV host and personality; Jonathan Taylor Thomas, an actor; and Jonathan Davis, a rock singer.