| Jonah | Malachi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | dove | My messenger |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JOH-nah | MAL-uh-ky |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2008 (2,981) | 2006 (2,776) |
| In 2025 | 2,828 | 2,692 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Jonah | Malachi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,935 | 14,631 |
| 2010s | 28,053 | 24,588 |
| 2000s | 23,697 | 20,780 |
| 1990s | 10,073 | 3,525 |
| 1980s | 2,889 | 746 |
| 1970s | 1,767 | 390 |
| 1960s | 304 | 108 |
| 1950s | 298 | 155 |
| 1940s | 249 | 183 |
| 1930s | 252 | 172 |
| 1920s | 329 | 185 |
| 1910s | 222 | 156 |
| 1900s | 71 | 51 |
| 1890s | 65 | 30 |
| 1880s | 79 | 58 |
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 Malʾakhi, “my messenger.” Malachi is the last of the Hebrew prophets.
Jonah is more popular than Malachi today: about 2,828 US babies were given the name Jonah in 2025, compared with 2,692 named Malachi.
Jonah means dove (hebrew origin), while Malachi means My messenger (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Jonah first appears in 1880 and Malachi in 1880, so Jonah has the longer recorded history.