Jonas is a common male name in many Western world countries and Northeast Africa. It is primarily used as a first name, but also occurs as a surname. It is particularly frequent in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. It is also the most common name in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

; however, in Lithuania, the name Jonas is derived from the Hebrew Yohanan as opposed to

Jonah Jonah the son of Amittai or Jonas ( , ) is a Jewish prophet from Gath-hepher in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 8th century BCE according to the Hebrew Bible. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, one of the minor proph ...

. Its widespread use and popularity has roots in its Jewish and Christian origins. As a surname, it is often Jewish, whilst as a first name it is mostly used in countries where Christianity is the main religion, especially in Scandinavian countries, Celtic countries, and Germany. In Turkish, Arabic, Persian and the Muslim world the equivalent name is Yunus () or Yunas or Younes/Younis. In North America the name found popularity among Métis and Aboriginals in the Northwest.

Etymology

''Jonas'' most often represents

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

יוֹנָה (Yōnā) meaning 'dove', the name of multiple Biblical figures. The form ''

'' is taken directly from Hebrew, while the form with ''s'' is adapted through Greek. Greek Ίωνας (Ionas) may also mean " Ionian", a member of the Greek tribe Ιωνες ''Iones'' who colonized western Asia.

Notable people with the given name Jonas

* Jonas, father of Simon Peter; written as "John" or "Jonah" in some translations of the Bible. * Jonas Aidoo (born 2002), American basketball player *

Jonas Åkerlund Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (; born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish filmmaker and musician who is best known for his work in music videos. Åkerlund was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory. He has directed well-known videos for artists ...

, Swedish movie and music video director * ''Jonas Erik Altberg'' aka Basshunter (born 1984), Swedish producer and DJ * Jonas Armstrong, British/Irish actor * Jonas Arnell, Herald in the Chancery of the Swedish Royal Orders of Knighthood, Expert on Orders * Jonas Basanavičius, an activist and a signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania * Jonas Bergstedt, Danish basketball player * Jonas Biliūnas, Lithuanian short story writer * Jonas Bjerre, lead singer and guitarist of Danish band Mew * Jonas Björkman, Swedish tennis player * Jonas Bondi, German-American rabbi and newspaper editor * Jonas Bronck, American colonist after whom the Bronx River, and by extension, the county and New York City borough of

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

are named * Jonas Deichmann, German adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete and multiple world record holder. * Jonas Eriksson, several people * Jonas Folger, German motorbike racer * Jonas Galusha, American politician and 5th governor of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

* Jonas Gardell, Swedish writer and comedian * Jonas Gelsen, German rower * Jonas Green, Colonial American newspaper publisher * Jonas C. Greenfield, American scholar of Semitic languages * Jonas Griffith (born 1997), American football player * Jonas Grof, German basketball player * Jonas Gunnarsson, several people * Jonas Gustavsson, NHL goaltender * Jonás Gutiérrez, Argentine footballer * Jonas Haggren, Swedish Navy rear admiral * Jónas Hallgrímsson, Icelandic poet, author and naturalist * Jonas Hector, German footballer * Jonas Hellborg, Swedish bass player * Jonas Hiller, Swiss NHL goaltender * Jonas Höglund, NHL hockey player * Jonas Ivanauskas (born 1960), Lithuanian priest * Jonas Jablonskis, Lithuanian language linguist and modifier of the standard Lithuanian language * ''Jonas Jarlsby'', Guitarist of the Swedish metal band "

Avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

" * Jonas Jennings, American professional football player * Jonas Jerebko, Swedish NBA basketball player * Jonas Kaufmann, German opera singer * Jonas Kyratzes, writer and game designer * Jonas Lund, Swedish conceptual artist * Jonas Lüscher, Swiss-German writer and essayist * Jonas Mačiulis, a Lithuanian basketball player * Jonas Mekas, Lithuanian film maker * Jonas of Orléans (760–841), Bishop of Orléans * Jonas Gonçalves Oliveira, Brazilian international footballer * Jonas Phillips, Jewish-American merchant and former owner of Monticello, historic home of Thomas Jefferson * Jonas Portin, Finnish footballer * Jonás Ramalho, Spanish-Angolan footballer * Jonas Reckermann, German beach volleyball player *

Jonas Renkse Jonas Petter Renkse (born 19 May 1975) is a Swedish musician in the bands Katatonia (1991–) as lead vocalist, founder, songwriter (1991–1994, 1997–) and formerly as drummer (1991–1994, 1996–1998); formerly in Bloodbath Bloo ...

, Singer of Swedish band Katatonia * Jonas Sakuwaha, Zambian footballer * Jonas Salk, American physician and researcher, best known for the development of the first polio vaccine * Jonas Sanker (born 2002), American football player * Jonas Savimbi, Angolan revolutionary * Jonas Sparring, Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender * Jonas Stark (born 1988), German classical pianist * Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian politician * Jonas Erikson Sundahl (1678–1762), Swedish-born architect who spent most of his working life in Germany * Jonas Švedas, Lithuanian composer * Jonas March Tebbetts (1820–1913), American politician * Jonas Tomalty, Canadian rock musician from Montréal * Jonas Vaitkus, lecturer and film director in Lithuania * Jonas Valančiūnas (born 1992), Lithuanian basketball player * Jonas Vileišis, Lithuanian lawyer, politician, and diplomat * Jonas Vingegaard, Danish cyclist * Jonas Wikman, Swedish officer * Jonas Wikström, Swedish Navy officer * Jonas Wind, Danish footballer * Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann (born 1990), German basketball player * Jhonas Enroth, Swedish ice hockey player * Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu, Turkish journalist * Yunus Altun, Turkish footballer * Yunus Emre, Turkish poet and mystic

Notable people with the surname Jonas

* Abraham Jonas (politician), politician * Abraham Jonas (rugby league), rugby player * Alberto Jonás, pianist * Ann Jonas, writer * Benjamin F. Jonas, politician * Billy Jonas, folk musician * Bruno Jonas, German political cabaret artist * Charles Jonas (disambiguation), a number of American politicians * Clemens Jonas, figure skater * Danielle Jonas, wife of Kevin * Don Jonas, American footballer * Dusty Jonas, high jumper * Edgar A. Jonas, politician * Émile Jonas (1827–1905), French composer * Fran Jonas (born 2004), New Zealand cricketer * Frankie Jonas, brother of Nick * Franz Jonas, politician, President of Austria * George Jonas, author * George "Freddie" Jonas, businessman and philanthropist who founded Camp Rising Sun * Gilbert Jonas, businessman * Glenn Jonas, cricketer * Hans Jonas, philosopher * Howard Jonas, businessman * Israel Heymann Jonas (17951851), German malacologist * Joan Jonas, artist * John Jonas, metallurgist * Joseph Jonas (disambiguation), a number of people including ** Joseph Jonas, politician **

Joe Jonas Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...

, musician, member of Jonas Brothers * Justus Jonas, Protestant reformer * Kevin Jonas, musician, member of Jonas Brothers * Lihen Jonas, Micronesian sprinter * Louis Paul Jonas, sculptor, museum exhibit designer, taxidermist * Margarete Jonas, wife of Franz * Marie Jonas, physician * Mark Jonas, football player * Maryla Jonas, pianist * Michal Jonáš, footballer * Natasha Jonas, boxer * Nathan S. Jonas (18681943), American banker and philanthropist * Nick Jonas, musician, member of Jonas Brothers * Peter Jonas (disambiguation), a number of people including ** Peter Jonas (footballer), Australian footballer ** Peter Jonas (figure skater) * Priyanka Jonas, Indian actress, model and film producer * Regina Jonas, rabbi * Tom Jonas, Australian football player * William Jonas, footballer

Fictional characters

* Eldred Jonas, character from the novel '' Wizard and Glass'' by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

* Jonas, the main character in '' The Giver'' by

Lois Lowry Lois Ann Lowry (; née Hammersberg; born March 20, 1937) is an American writer. She is the author of many books for children and young adults, including '' The Giver Quartet'', '' Number the Stars'', the Anastasia series, and '' Rabble Starkey''. ...

* Jonas, a character in the online serial '' lonelygirl15'', portrayed by Jackson Davis * Jonas Blane, one of the lead characters in the American television show '' The Unit'' * Jonas Grumby, the Skipper from the television sitcom ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'' * Jonas Hodges, a villain in Season 7 of 24 played by Jon Voight * Jonas Morecock, a gay pornographic animated character * Jonas Quinn, character in the sci-fi series ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction Adventure fiction, adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate, ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wrig ...

'' * Jonas Wilkerson, character from ''

Gone With the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

''. * Michael Jonas, character in the sci-fi series '' Star Trek: Voyager'' * Jonas Taylor, character in an action horror movie '' The Meg'' * Jonas Kahnwald, character in the German sci-fi series ''Dark'' * Jonas Miller, character in the movie

Twister Twister most commonly refers to a tornado. Twister or Twisters may also refer to: Aviation * Pipistrel Twister, a Slovenian ultralight trike * Silence Twister, a German homebuilt aircraft design * Wings of Change Twister, an Austrian paragli ...

. * Jonas Hunter, the late son of Rip Hunter in Legends of Tomorrow. * Jonas, character from the French movie I am Jonas * Jonas, character from the Brazilian movie Jonas

Male variants

* Giona ( Italian) * Jonàs ( Catalan) * Jona ( Croatian) * Jonáš ( Czech) *

( English) * Jonas ( German, Swedish, Dutch, Lithuanian and Portuguese) * Jónás ( Hungarian) * Jónas ( Icelandic) * Joona ( Finnish) * Joonas ( Finnish) * Junis ( Kazakh) * Yona (요나) ( Korean) * Junus ( Kyrgyz) * Jonasz ( Polish) * Jonaš (

Prekmurje Slovene Prekmurje Slovene, also known as the Prekmurje dialect, Eastern Slovene, or Wendish (, , Prekmurje Slovene: ''prekmürski jezik, prekmürščina, prekmörščina, prekmörski jezik, panonska slovenščina''), is the language of Prekmurje in Easte ...

) * Jonáš ( Slovak) * Jona ( Slovene) * Jonás ( Spanish) * Yona (

) * Yonas (ዮናስ) (Amharic) (

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

) * Yunus ( Turkish) * Yunes (یونس) ( Persian) * Younes (يونس) (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

) * Joonas ( Estonian and Finnish) * Yunsi (

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

) * Ionas (Ίωνας) ( Greek)

Contemporary use of the name Jonas

* " My Name Is Jonas", a song from the

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

's '' Blue Album''. * "Jonas, or the Artist at Work", a short story from the collection '' Exile and the Kingdom'' by French author

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

* Protagonist of Lois Lowry's novel '' The Giver''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonas Danish masculine given names Dutch masculine given names English masculine given names Masculine given names English-language surnames German masculine given names German-language surnames Hebrew-language names Icelandic masculine given names Jewish masculine given names Surnames of Jewish origin Lithuanian masculine given names Norwegian masculine given names Swedish masculine given names Swiss masculine given names Ethiopian given names Given names derived from birds