Junah
A feminine variant of Jonah, of Hebrew origin meaning "dove".
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the first name Junah. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Junah today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Junah births was 2020 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Junah. 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
124
~ 1 in 2,764,148 Americans
Peak year
2020
15 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,553
Tracked since 2001
Gender
Gender distribution for Junah
Junah leans heavily male at 82.4% of total registrations, but 22 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Junah as a male name
- Ranked #13,254 in 2022
- 5 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2002 (14 births)
Junah as a female name
- Ranked #11,553 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (8 births)
Popularity
Junah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Junah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 49 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Junah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Junah 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 Junah 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 Junah
The name Junah has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, originating in the Middle East. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic word "jannah," which means "paradise" or "heaven." The name's origins can be traced back to the early Islamic period, around the 7th century AD.
In Islamic tradition, Junah is closely associated with the Prophet Jonah, known as Yunus in Arabic. The Qur'an contains references to the story of Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale or a fish but was eventually saved by God's mercy. This biblical narrative has been a source of inspiration for many believers and has contributed to the popularity of the name Junah.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Junah can be found in historical texts from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled large parts of the Middle East and North Africa from the 8th to the 13th century. During this period, the name Junah was borne by several notable scholars and religious figures.
Throughout history, there have been several prominent individuals who carried the name Junah. One such individual was Junah al-Baghdadi (d. 923 AD), a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of theology, logic, and mathematics.
Another notable figure was Junah al-Razi (d. 925 AD), a Persian physician and alchemist who wrote extensively on various medical topics and is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of Islamic medicine.
In the 12th century, Junah al-Andalusi (d. 1185 AD) was a prominent Moroccan mathematician and astronomer who made significant advancements in the field of trigonometry and wrote extensively on the subject.
Moving forward in time, Junah al-Maghribi (d. 1457 AD) was a renowned Moroccan scholar and traveler who documented his journeys across the Islamic world, providing valuable insights into the cultural and intellectual landscapes of the time.
Finally, Junah al-Misri (d. 1521 AD) was an Egyptian Sufi scholar and poet who gained recognition for his spiritual writings and contributions to the development of Islamic mysticism.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have borne the name Junah throughout history, each leaving their mark on various fields of knowledge and contributing to the rich cultural and intellectual heritage of the Islamic world.
People
Junah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Junah 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
Junah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Junah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 124 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Junah 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 2,764,148 US residents.
Is Junah a common name?
We classify Junah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 125 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Junah most popular?
The single biggest year for Junah was 2020, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Junah is about 13 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 Junah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Junah a male name?
Yes, 82.4% of people registered as Junah 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 Junah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Junah 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 Junah 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 Junah as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.