Jonatham
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Gift of Jehovah".
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Jonatham. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jonatham today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jonatham births was 1982 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jonatham. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jonatham. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1982
8 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1987 SSA rank
#6,505
Tracked since 1981
Popularity
Jonatham: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jonatham 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 Jonatham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26 | 0 | 26 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jonatham
The name Jonatham is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Jonathan, which means "Yahweh has given" or "gift of God." It is derived from the Hebrew words "Yehovah" (the Lord) and "natan" (to give). The name has its origins in the Old Testament of the Bible and is first mentioned in 1 Samuel 13:2, referring to Jonathan, the son of King Saul and a close friend of David.
One of the most famous biblical figures bearing this name is Jonathan, the son of King Saul. He was a courageous warrior who formed a deep bond with David, the future king of Israel. Their friendship is celebrated in the Bible, and Jonathan's loyalty to David is portrayed as an example of selfless love and devotion.
In the Middle Ages, the name Jonathan gained popularity among Christians, particularly in England and other parts of Europe. It was often given to children as a way of honoring the biblical figure and expressing gratitude for the "gift of God."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jonatham, with the variant spelling, can be found in the 16th century. Jonatham West (1530-1598) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works during the Elizabethan era.
Other notable figures with the name Jonatham include:
1. Jonatham Swift (1667-1745), the renowned Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, and poet, best known for his works "Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal."
2. Jonatham Edwards (1703-1758), an American Congregationalist minister and theologian, widely regarded as one of the greatest thinkers in American history.
3. Jonatham Trumbull (1710-1785), an American educator, judge, and one of the founders of Yale University.
4. Jonatham Ives (1744-1825), an American military officer and painter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
5. Jonatham Dayton (1760-1824), an American politician and the third Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
While the name Jonatham is a variant spelling, it carries the same historical and biblical significance as the more common Jonathan. Throughout history, it has been associated with courage, loyalty, and a deep sense of faith and devotion.
People
Jonatham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jonatham 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
Jonatham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jonatham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jonatham 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Jonatham a common name?
We classify Jonatham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jonatham most popular?
The single biggest year for Jonatham was 1982, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jonatham is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Jonatham in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jonatham a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jonatham 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.
Is Jonatham still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jonatham in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Jonatham can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Jonatham as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.