UK boy's name
Johnathan
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Johnathan is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Johnathan popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2671, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 107 births.
This profile covers 933 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 7% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,273 living people in the UK are called Johnathan. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Johnathan ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1996, when 107 boys were registered as Johnathan.
- • Johnathan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #387 in 2010.
- • About 1,273 living people in the UK are estimated to have Johnathan as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2671
2024
Births in 2024
8
Latest year
Peak year
1996
107 births
Estimated living
1,273
2026
Meaning
What does Johnathan mean?
Johnathan is a masculine given name derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." It is a variant spelling of the more common Jonathan. The name's roots can be traced back to the biblical figure John the Baptist, whose Hebrew name was Yohanan.
The name Johnathan gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in England and other parts of Europe. It was often used as an English translation of the French name Jean or the German name Johann, both of which derived from the same Hebrew origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Johnathan can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears several times in this historical record, indicating its usage during the Norman period.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Johnathan. One of the most famous was Johnathan Swift (1667-1745), the Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, and poet best known for his satirical masterpiece "Gulliver's Travels." Another notable Johnathan was Johnathan Edwards (1703-1758), a American Puritan theologian and philosopher who played a significant role in the Great Awakening religious revival.
In the realm of politics, Johnathan Trumbull (1710-1785) served as the Governor of Connecticut during the American Revolutionary War and was a close friend and advisor to General George Washington. Johnathan Aitken (born 1942) is a former British Conservative politician who served as a Cabinet Minister in the 1990s.
In the arts, Johnathan Franzen (born 1959) is an acclaimed American novelist and essayist, known for works such as "The Corrections" and "Freedom." Johnathan Glazer (born 1965) is a British film director and writer, best known for his critically acclaimed films "Sexy Beast" and "Under the Skin."
While the name Johnathan has seen fluctuations in popularity over the centuries, it remains a cherished name with a rich historical and cultural heritage, spanning from its biblical roots to its usage by notable figures throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Johnathan over time
The chart below shows babies named Johnathan registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Johnathan, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 107 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Johnathan by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Johnathan was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1880 | 64 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1402 | 196 | 10 |
| 2000s | #658 | 392 | 10 |
| 1990s | #358 | 281 | 4 |
Geography
Where Johnathan is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Johnathan. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Johnathan ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #387 in 2010.
Across the UK
Johnathan in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#605 in 2021
35 years of NRS records, 302 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#387 in 2010
11 years of NISRA records, 53 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Johnathan
-
Johnathan Akinyemi
kayaker
Canoe slalom racer
1988-
-
Johnathan Edwards
rugby union player
Welsh rugby union player
1984-
-
Johnathan Lewis
badminton player
badminton player
1970-
-
Johnathan Robert Chilvers
politician
Welsh political candidate
-
Johnathan Watts
photographer
British photographer
Related
Names similar to Johnathan
- Jack 188,738
- Joshua 145,192
- James 141,878
- Joseph 102,259
- Jacob 93,754
- Jake 66,896
- Jamie 41,243
- Jordan 36,750
- Jayden 28,921
- Jude 24,156
- John 22,240
- Joe 19,164
FAQ
Johnathan: questions and answers
How popular is the name Johnathan in the UK right now?
In 2024, Johnathan was ranked #2671 for boys in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.
When was Johnathan most popular?
The peak year on record was 1996, with 107 babies registered as Johnathan in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Johnathan?
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has given".
How many people are called Johnathan in the UK?
A total of 933 babies have been registered as Johnathan across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 302 more in Scotland and 53 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Johnathan most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Johnathan ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #387 in 2010. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.