Jonah

Jonah comes from the Hebrew Yonah, "dove," and belongs to the reluctant prophet who spent three days inside a great fish before delivering his message to Nineveh. The story has worked its way into Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions alike, and the name has kept that quiet, slightly wry biblical depth. Jonah entered the U.S. top 200 in the 1980s and has steadily climbed into the top 150 in the 2020s, favored by parents who want an Old Testament name that isn't overused. Two syllables open into each other, JOH-nah, soft on both ends. It reads as thoughtful, gentle, and a little introspective, a name with interior life built in.