Fun Facts About the Name Yonas
- 416 babies named Yonas: U.S. records list 416 babies given the name Yonas from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Yonas Mean?
Yonas is a form of Jonas, the name of the biblical prophet Jonah. It goes back to the Hebrew name Yonah (יוֹנָה), whose literal meaning is "dove." That Hebrew name was rendered Iōnas (Ἰωνᾶς) in the Greek scriptures and Jonas in Latin, and the Latin spelling shaped most later European forms. In the biblical book that carries his name, Jonah is the prophet commanded by God to preach in Nineveh; he tries to flee by sea, is swallowed by a great fish, and is delivered before he completes the mission.
Yonas is the form the name takes in Amharic and Tigrinya, the languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it stands for both Jonas and Jonah. It also appears in Ge'ez, the classical liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, in which the Book of Jonah is called the Book of Yonas. The same spelling is used elsewhere, including Indonesia, as a local rendering of Jonas.
Yonas Name History & Origins
The name reached different regions by way of the Greek and Latin Bibles. Hebrew Yonah became Iōnas in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, and Latin writers used Jonas. From those forms, separate languages produced their own versions - Jonas in German, Scandinavian, Lithuanian, and Czech; Jonás in Spanish; and Yonas in Ethiopian and Eritrean usage, where the initial Y reflects the transliteration of the Hebrew yod and of the Ethiopic script.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Yonas is an established male given name tied to the region's long Christian history. The prophet Yonas is named in Ge'ez religious literature, and the name has stayed in ordinary use among Amharic and Tigrinya speakers. In Indonesia, Yonas is a given name found mainly among Christian communities that draw personal names from the Bible. The name has no connection in origin to similarly spelled names such as Yona or Jonas-family forms; those are separate spellings of the same biblical source or distinct names, and their histories should not be conflated with this one.
How Popular is the Name Yonas?
Yonas has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2003. Its best rank was #3,455 in 1991.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,653 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #6,155 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #6,495 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #7,241 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #8,131 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #10,563 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #8,188 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #9,639 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #5,518 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #7,141 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #10,601 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #6,615 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #8,092 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #8,127 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #6,990 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #8,771 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #9,839 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #6,381 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #4,987 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #7,411 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #6,208 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #9,918 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #3,973 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2002 | #8,433 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #7,517 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #7,397 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #6,519 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #6,304 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #6,601 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #4,875 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #5,116 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #8,784 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #6,215 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #4,862 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #3,455 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #6,401 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #4,845 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,777 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Yonas Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual. You hate bondage in any form. You have love of beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You are willing to take spiritual matters on faith instead of subjecting them to mental analysis. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Yonas's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Yonas's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.