Johnatan
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has given".
Name Census estimates that about 674 living Americans carry the first name Johnatan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Johnatan today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Johnatan births was 2001 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Johnatan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
674
~ 1 in 508,538 Americans
Peak year
2001
40 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,132
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Johnatan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Johnatan from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 305 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Johnatan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Johnatan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Johnatans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, California, New York recorded the most babies named Johnatan, while New York, California, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 75 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Johnatan
The name Johnatan is derived from the Hebrew name Yonatan, which means "Yahweh has given" or "gift of God". It originated in ancient Israel during the biblical period, around the 10th century BCE. The name first appears in the Old Testament as the name of King Saul's son, who was a close friend and ally of David.
An early variation of the name was Jehonatan, which was used in the Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The name eventually spread to other languages and cultures, with variations such as Jonathan in English, Johann in German, and Juan in Spanish.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Johnatan can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Johnatan" and was likely brought to England by Norman settlers.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Johnatan or variations of the name. One of the most famous is Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), the Irish satirist and author of "Gulliver's Travels". Another prominent figure was Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), a Puritan theologian and key figure in the Great Awakening religious movement in colonial America.
In the realm of science, Johnatan Ive (1967-) is the renowned British industrial designer who served as the Chief Design Officer for Apple Inc. and is credited with the design of iconic products like the iMac, iPod, and iPhone.
In the arts, Johnatan Larson (1960-1996) was an American composer and playwright best known for creating the rock musical "Rent". Johnatan Franzen (1959-) is an acclaimed American novelist and essayist, author of works such as "The Corrections" and "Freedom".
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Johnatan or its variations, a name with roots stretching back to ancient Israel and the biblical era.
People
Johnatan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Johnatan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Johnatan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Johnatan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 674 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Johnatan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 508,538 US residents.
Is Johnatan a common name?
We classify Johnatan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 687 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Johnatan most popular?
The single biggest year for Johnatan was 2001, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Johnatan is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Johnatan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Johnatan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.