Jonnita
A feminine variant form of the Hebrew name Jonathan, meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 24 living Americans carry the first name Jonnita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jonnita today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jonnita births was 1986 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jonnita. 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 Jonnita. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
24
~ 1 in 14,281,431 Americans
Peak year
1986
6 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
1997 SSA rank
#14,775
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Jonnita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jonnita from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Jonnita remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jonnita 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 Jonnita 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 Jonnita
The given name Jonnita is a relatively modern name with uncertain origins. It is likely a feminine variant of the masculine name Jonny, which itself is a diminutive form of the name John. John is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."
While the name Jonnita does not have a long historical tradition, it may have been influenced by the Spanish name Juana, which is the feminine form of Juan, the Spanish equivalent of John. The name Juana has a rich history, dating back to the medieval period and appearing in various literary works and historical records.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Jonnita can be found in the 19th century. Jonnita Adair was an American singer and actress born in 1841 in Kentucky. She performed in various opera houses and theaters across the United States during the latter half of the 19th century.
In the early 20th century, Jonnita Norris was a notable American painter and illustrator. Born in 1886 in California, she was known for her portraits and landscapes, and her works were exhibited in various galleries throughout the United States.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jonnita Rodriguez, a Mexican-American civil rights activist and labor organizer. Born in 1925 in Texas, she played a crucial role in the struggle for farm workers' rights and worked alongside César Chávez in the United Farm Workers movement.
Jonnita Brewer was an American singer and songwriter born in 1949 in Alabama. She was part of the Southern rock and country music scenes, and her music often reflected her Southern roots and experiences.
Jonnita Kandhai was a Surinamese writer and poet born in 1953. She was known for her contributions to the literary scene in Suriname and her works exploring themes of identity, culture, and social issues.
While the name Jonnita does not have a long and well-documented history, it has been borne by notable individuals across various fields throughout the past two centuries. The name's origins and evolution reflect the changing cultural and linguistic influences over time.
People
Jonnita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jonnita 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
Jonnita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jonnita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 24 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jonnita 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 14,281,431 US residents.
Is Jonnita a common name?
We classify Jonnita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43% 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 Jonnita most popular?
The single biggest year for Jonnita was 1986, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jonnita is about 43 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 Jonnita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jonnita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jonnita 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 Jonnita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jonnita 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 Jonnita 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 are named Jonnita?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Jonnita at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.