| Jonah | Jude | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dove | Praised |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JOH-nah | JOOD |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1912 |
| Peak year | 2008 (2,981) | 2015 (2,668) |
| In 2025 | 2,828 | 2,384 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Jonah | Jude |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,935 | 14,212 |
| 2010s | 28,053 | 25,132 |
| 2000s | 23,697 | 9,351 |
| 1990s | 10,073 | 1,112 |
| 1980s | 2,889 | 868 |
| 1970s | 1,767 | 1,207 |
| 1960s | 304 | 945 |
| 1950s | 298 | 597 |
| 1940s | 249 | 293 |
| 1930s | 252 | 197 |
| 1920s | 329 | 41 |
| 1910s | 222 | 27 |
| 1900s | 71 | 0 |
| 1890s | 65 | 0 |
| 1880s | 79 | 0 |
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.
A form of Judah, from the Hebrew, “praised.” Saint Jude is patron of hopeless causes.
Jonah is more popular than Jude today: about 2,828 US babies were given the name Jonah in 2025, compared with 2,384 named Jude.
Jonah means dove (hebrew origin), while Jude means Praised (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Jonah first appears in 1880 and Jude in 1912, so Jonah has the longer recorded history.