Jonathan is a highly popular boys' name in United States, ranking #29 in 2009 with 11,384 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 1996 with 18,602 births ranking #21. Since 1996, the popularity has decreased by 38.8%. In 2009, approximately 1 in every 174 boys born was named Jonathan. STABLE Recent data shows the name is currently stable.
Jonathan is a Hebrew classic meaning "Yahweh has given". It has long been one of the most approachable formal biblical names in English.
The name is best known from Jonathan in the Bible, the loyal friend of David, and later spread widely through Jewish and Christian naming tradition. It remains steady because it sounds both kind and substantial.