| Jonah | Abraham | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dove | Father of multitudes |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JOH-nah | AY-bruh-ham |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2008 (2,981) | 2016 (2,584) |
| In 2025 | 2,828 | 1,664 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Jonah | Abraham |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,935 | 10,755 |
| 2010s | 28,053 | 22,220 |
| 2000s | 23,697 | 19,854 |
| 1990s | 10,073 | 13,021 |
| 1980s | 2,889 | 8,691 |
| 1970s | 1,767 | 5,138 |
| 1960s | 304 | 2,711 |
| 1950s | 298 | 2,918 |
| 1940s | 249 | 2,235 |
| 1930s | 252 | 2,500 |
| 1920s | 329 | 5,114 |
| 1910s | 222 | 6,040 |
| 1900s | 71 | 1,145 |
| 1890s | 65 | 849 |
| 1880s | 79 | 776 |
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.
From the Hebrew Avraham, “father of many.” Abraham is the patriarch of three faiths.
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.
Jonah means dove (hebrew origin), while Abraham means Father of multitudes (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Jonah first appears in 1880 and Abraham in 1880, so Jonah has the longer recorded history.