| Abraham | Jonah | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Father of multitudes | dove |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AY-bruh-ham | JOH-nah |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2016 (2,584) | 2008 (2,981) |
| In 2025 | 1,664 | 2,828 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Abraham | Jonah |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,755 | 16,935 |
| 2010s | 22,220 | 28,053 |
| 2000s | 19,854 | 23,697 |
| 1990s | 13,021 | 10,073 |
| 1980s | 8,691 | 2,889 |
| 1970s | 5,138 | 1,767 |
| 1960s | 2,711 | 304 |
| 1950s | 2,918 | 298 |
| 1940s | 2,235 | 249 |
| 1930s | 2,500 | 252 |
| 1920s | 5,114 | 329 |
| 1910s | 6,040 | 222 |
| 1900s | 1,145 | 71 |
| 1890s | 849 | 65 |
| 1880s | 776 | 79 |
From the Hebrew Avraham, “father of many.” Abraham is the patriarch of three faiths.
From Hebrew yonah, 'dove.' The reluctant prophet of the Book of Jonah. A plain concrete noun with no theophoric element; the dove's later peace symbolism is cultural, not part of the etymology.
Jonah is more popular than Abraham today: about 2,828 US babies were given the name Jonah in 2025, compared with 1,664 named Abraham.
Abraham means Father of multitudes (Hebrew origin), while Jonah means dove (hebrew origin).
In US records, Abraham first appears in 1880 and Jonah in 1880, so Abraham has the longer recorded history.