Find out how popular the last name Jonathan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jonathan.

Jonathan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jonathan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jonathan in America

Jonathan is the 39004th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jonathan surname appeared 565 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jonathan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jonathan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jonathan

The surname Jonathan derives from the Hebrew name Yonatan, which means "Yahweh has given" or "gift of God." It has its origins in ancient Israel, dating back to biblical times.

This surname is believed to have originated among Jewish communities in Europe and the Middle East. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jonathan can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible, referring to the son of King Saul and close friend of David.

During the Middle Ages, the name Jonathan was relatively uncommon in Europe, although it did appear in various records and manuscripts. In England, it was sometimes anglicized as "Jonathon" or "Johnathan."

One notable individual with the surname Jonathan was Rabbi David Jonathan of Lunel, a 13th-century French Jewish scholar and commentator on the Talmud. Another was Sir Nathaniel Jonathan, a 17th-century English merchant and politician who served as an alderman in the City of London.

In the United States, the surname Jonathan has been present since the colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances is Jonathan Dickinson, a Quaker merchant born in 1663 in Jamaica who later settled in Philadelphia.

Another prominent figure was Jonathan Trumbull, a merchant and statesman who served as the Governor of Connecticut from 1769 to 1784 and played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, Jonathan Bourne Jr. was an American industrialist and shipbuilder from Massachusetts, known for establishing the Bourne Mill and the town of Bournedale.

Other notable individuals with the surname Jonathan include Jonathan Teplitzky, an Australian film director, and Jonathan Miller, an English humorist, satirist, and opera director who was born in 1934.

Overall, the surname Jonathan has a rich history rooted in ancient Hebrew traditions and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, politicians, merchants, and artists throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jonathan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jonathan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jonathan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jonathan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jonathan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jonathan, please contact us.

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