The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Jonathan!

Comments and insights on the name Jonathan: | Edit

Could go well with David, as David and Jonathan were best friends in the bible.

Personal experiences with the name Jonathan: | Edit

My grandson Jonathan is named for his father John David; Jonathan's older brother David is named for their grandfather David as well as for their father's middle name: thus David and Jonathan, as suggested above

My son's name is Jonathan. He fits his name perfectly. It is the name of a true friend, and he is a friend to all.

Nicknames for Jonathan: | Edit

Jon, John, Jonny, Johnny, Nathan, Nate, Jack, Jake, Jonah, Joe, Jay

Meanings and history of the name Jonathan: | Edit

Jonathan is the Anglicized version of the Hebrew name "Yonatan." "Ya" is a shortened form of the name of God, and "natan" is Hebrew for "to give" so the name means "God has given" or "God's gift."

Jonathan is the name of several characters in the Bible, most notably King Saul's son, who was a devoted friend of the young David. The name Jonathan is often taken as symbolic of steadfast friendship and loyalty. Jonathan was taken up by English speakers as early as the 13th century, but was a rare name until the Puritans began to use it in the 17th century. In colonial New England Jonathan was such a common name around Boston in 1776 that the British called all American Revolutionary soldiers "Brother Jonathan". This nickname had the effect of causing Jonathan to go out of fashion, both in the U.S. and Britain, though it remained in quiet use. It was rediscovered in the 1940s as parents looked for an alternative to John, making the name popular again. (Although similar in sound, Jonathan and John are completely separate names, yet inevitable confusion of the two has produced Johnathan as a variant.) Jonathan entered the SSA top 100 in 1962, peaked at 15 in 1988, and continues to be in the U.S. top 25 names for baby boys.

Famous real-life people named Jonathan: | Edit

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), Anglo-Irish clergyman and writer (Gulliver's Travels)
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), one of the greatest American theologians
Jonathan Trumbull, 18th c. governor of Connecticut and adviser to General Washington
Jonathan Pryce, British actor
Jonathan Demme, filmmaker
Jonathan Richman, musician
Jon Bon Jovi, musician
Jon (Jonathan) Stewart, comedian, The Daily Show host (his son is named Nathan)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Actor
Jon (Jonathan) Gosselin, one of the main characters on the hit American reality TV show, Jon & Kate Plus 8

Jonathan in song, story & screen: | Edit

Jonathan Bower, character on the '80s sitcom "Who's the Boss?"
Jonathan Wild, central figure of Henry Fielding novel by that name (1743)
Jonathan Livingston Seagull, book written by Richard Bach in 1973