Yonaton
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Yonaton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yonaton today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yonaton births was 1990 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yonaton. 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 Yonaton. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1990
6 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2004 SSA rank
#13,174
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Yonaton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yonaton from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yonaton 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 Yonaton 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 Yonaton
The name Yonaton originates from the Hebrew language and culture, dating back to ancient times in the region now known as Israel and the surrounding areas. It is derived from the Hebrew name Yonatan, which means "God has given" or "gift of God." This name has its roots in the biblical figure Jonathan, the son of King Saul and a close friend of David.
One of the earliest recorded appearances of the name Yonaton is found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Books of Samuel and Chronicles. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, played a significant role in the narrative of David's rise to power and their deep friendship is celebrated as an example of loyalty and selflessness.
Historically, the name Yonaton has been prevalent among Jewish communities around the world. In the Middle Ages, several notable individuals bore this name, including Yonaton ben David Kohen, a 12th-century rabbi and philosopher from Lunel, France.
During the Renaissance period, Yonaton Alemanno, an Italian Jewish scholar and philosopher from the 15th century, made significant contributions to the fields of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. He was born in 1435 and died in 1504.
In the 17th century, Yonaton Eybeschütz, a renowned rabbi and kabbalist, played a pivotal role in the Jewish community of Prague. He lived from 1690 to 1764 and his works on Jewish law and mysticism had a lasting impact.
The name Yonaton also found its way into the literary world, with Yonatan Ratosh, an Israeli poet and writer, gaining recognition for his poetic works in the 20th century. He was born in 1908 and passed away in 1981.
Another notable figure bearing the name Yonaton was Yonatan Netanyahu, an Israeli military officer and author. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister of Israel. Yonatan Netanyahu was killed in action during the 1976 Israeli raid on Entebbe, Uganda, while leading the operation to rescue hostages from a hijacked Air France flight.
While the name Yonaton has its origins in Hebrew and Jewish culture, it has also been adopted by various communities around the world, albeit with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its core meaning and historical significance remain rooted in its ancient Hebrew origins.
People
Yonaton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yonaton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yonaton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yonaton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yonaton 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Yonaton a common name?
We classify Yonaton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yonaton most popular?
The single biggest year for Yonaton was 1990, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yonaton is about 29 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 Yonaton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yonaton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yonaton 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 Yonaton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yonaton 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 Yonaton 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 called Yonaton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.