Jonay
Of uncertain origin and meaning, potentially related to an Arabic name.
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the first name Jonay. It is a predominantly female name (93.8% of registrations). The average person named Jonay today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jonay births was 1989 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jonay. 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
156
~ 1 in 2,197,143 Americans
Peak year
1989
14 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,112
Tracked since 1974
Census
Jonay in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 237 people with the first name Jonay, which placed it at #34,427 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,427
National first-name rank
People counted
237
237 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
61.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jonay
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jonay is Black at 61.6%. The next largest groups are White (17.7%) and Hispanic (16.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jonay described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jonay at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.6% · 146
- White17.7% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino16.5% · 39
- Two or more races4.2% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Jonay
Jonay leans heavily female at 93.8% of total registrations, but 10 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jonay as a male name
- Ranked #13,112 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2022 (5 births)
Jonay as a female name
- Ranked #18,065 in 2011
- 5 female births in 2011
- Peak: 1989 (14 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jonay leans strongly female. 204 people counted with this name were female (85.4%), compared with 35 male bearers (14.6%).
Popularity
Jonay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jonay from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 62 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
Jonay 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 Jonay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jonay
The given name Jonay has its roots in the Guanche language of the indigenous Berber people who inhabited the Canary Islands before the Spanish conquest in the 15th century. The name is believed to have originated from the word "jonon," which means "lover" or "beloved" in the ancient Guanche tongue.
This name was widely used among the Guanches, particularly on the island of Tenerife, where it was popular for both males and females. However, after the Spanish colonization and the subsequent decline of the Guanche language and culture, the name fell into disuse for several centuries.
In the late 19th century, there was a resurgence of interest in Guanche culture and traditions, leading to a revival of ancient Guanche names, including Jonay. This name regained popularity, primarily among the inhabitants of the Canary Islands, as a way to celebrate and preserve their indigenous heritage.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jonay can be found in the chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors who documented their encounters with the Guanche people. These accounts, written in the 15th and 16th centuries, provide valuable insights into the naming traditions and culture of the Guanches.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jonay. One such figure was Jonay Cabrera (1861-1941), a renowned Canarian poet and playwright who played a significant role in reviving interest in Guanche culture and language. His works often celebrated the rich traditions of the Canary Islands and their indigenous roots.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jonay González Oliva (1936-2020), a renowned Canarian artist and sculptor. His works, which often drew inspiration from Guanche motifs and symbolism, helped to preserve and promote the unique cultural identity of the Canary Islands.
In the field of sports, Jonay Hernández (born 1977) is a former professional basketball player from the Canary Islands who represented the Spanish national team in several international competitions.
Jonay Sosa (born 1981) is a prominent Canarian musician and composer known for incorporating elements of traditional Guanche music into his compositions, further contributing to the preservation of this cultural heritage.
Lastly, Jonay García Candón (born 1986) is a famous Canarian actor who has appeared in numerous Spanish television series and films, often portraying characters rooted in the rich cultural tapestry of the Canary Islands.
People
Jonay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jonay 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
Jonay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jonay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 156 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jonay 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 2,197,143 US residents.
Is Jonay a common name?
We classify Jonay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 161 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jonay most popular?
The single biggest year for Jonay was 1989, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jonay is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jonay in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 237 people with the name Jonay, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,427 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jonay in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jonay?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jonay leans strongly female. 204 people counted with this name were female (85.4%), compared with 35 male bearers (14.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jonay?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jonay is Black at 61.6%. The next largest groups are White (17.7%) and Hispanic (16.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jonay most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jonay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.6% (146 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Jonay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jonay a female name?
Yes, 93.8% of people registered as Jonay in the SSA data are female. 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 Jonay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jonay 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 Jonay 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.
How many people have the name Jonay?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Jonay, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.