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Jonah vs Micah

Which is more popular?
Micah is more popular than Jonah today: about 3,817 US babies were given the name Micah in 2025, compared with 2,828 named Jonah.
JonahMicah
Meaning dove who is like Yahweh?
Origin hebrew hebrew
Gender Boy Boy
Pronunciation JOH-nah MY-kah
Syllables 2 2
First appeared18801946
Peak year2008 (2,981)2022 (3,969)
In 20252,8283,817
TrendSteadyNear its peak
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Jonah Micah
18801900192019401960198020002020

Source: US Social Security Administration.

Births by decade

DecadeJonahMicah
2020s 16,935 22,651
2010s 28,053 36,739
2000s 23,697 27,018
1990s 10,073 13,754
1980s 2,889 11,031
1970s 1,767 6,979
1960s 304 1,134
1950s 298 238
1940s 249 27
1930s 252 0
1920s 329 0
1910s 222 0
1900s 71 0
1890s 65 0
1880s 79 0

What does Jonah mean?

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.

What does Micah mean?

A shortened form of Micaiah (Mikayahu), built as a rhetorical question: mi 'who' + ka 'like' + Yah (short for Yahweh), 'Who is like Yah(weh)?' It is not a literal statement but a theophoric name affirming God's incomparability. Distinct from Michael, which uses El rather than Yah.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jonah or Micah more popular?

Micah is more popular than Jonah today: about 3,817 US babies were given the name Micah in 2025, compared with 2,828 named Jonah.

What is the difference between Jonah and Micah?

Jonah means dove (hebrew origin), while Micah means who is like Yahweh? (hebrew origin).

Which name is older, Jonah or Micah?

In US records, Jonah first appears in 1880 and Micah in 1946, so Jonah has the longer recorded history.