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