NameCensus.

UK surname

Jonas

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jonah, meaning "dove" in Hebrew.

In the 1881 census there were 515 people recorded with the Jonas surname, ranking it #6,619 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,222, ranked #4,872, up from #6,619 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Christ Church Spitalfields, London parishes and St Mary Whitechapel. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Norfolk, Cornwall and Great Yarmouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jonas is 1,222 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 137.3%.

1881 census count

515

Ranked #6,619

Modern count

1,222

2016, ranked #4,872

Peak year

2016

1,222 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jonas had 515 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,619 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,222 in 2016, ranked #4,872.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 709 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jonas surname distribution map

The map shows where the Jonas surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Jonas surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Jonas over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 504 #4,961
1861 historical 704 #3,847
1881 historical 515 #6,619
1891 historical 655 #5,925
1901 historical 666 #6,525
1911 historical 709 #6,014
1997 modern 872 #6,113
1998 modern 932 #5,995
1999 modern 937 #6,014
2000 modern 969 #5,840
2001 modern 925 #5,956
2002 modern 960 #5,869
2003 modern 963 #5,776
2004 modern 980 #5,690
2005 modern 954 #5,764
2006 modern 970 #5,690
2007 modern 982 #5,690
2008 modern 1,018 #5,569
2009 modern 1,048 #5,559
2010 modern 1,128 #5,320
2011 modern 1,100 #5,369
2012 modern 1,105 #5,271
2013 modern 1,159 #5,148
2014 modern 1,191 #5,057
2015 modern 1,197 #4,982
2016 modern 1,222 #4,872

Geography

Back to top

Where Jonas' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Christ Church Spitalfields, London parishes, St Mary Whitechapel and Paddington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Norfolk, Cornwall, Great Yarmouth and Bradford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Christ Church Spitalfields London (East Districts)
2 London parishes London 1
3 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
4 Paddington London (West Districts)
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Norfolk 003 North Norfolk
2 North Norfolk 011 North Norfolk
3 Cornwall 006 Cornwall
4 Great Yarmouth 004 Great Yarmouth
5 Bradford 047 Bradford

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Jonas

These lists show first names that appear often with the Jonas surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Jonas

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Jonas, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Jonas surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Jonas household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Jonas is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Jonas is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jonas falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Jonas is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Jonas, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Jonas

The surname JONAS is of German and Scandinavian origin, derived from the Hebrew biblical name "Yonah" or "Yonatan," meaning "dove" or "gift of God." It is believed to have first appeared in Germany and the surrounding regions during the Middle Ages.

In Germany, the name JONAS emerged as a patronymic surname, indicating the name of the father or an ancestor. It was commonly adopted by the children of a man named Jonas or a variation of that name, such as Johann or Johannes.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname JONAS can be traced back to the 13th century in German and Scandinavian records. In Denmark, for instance, a man named Jonas Olafsson was mentioned in a document from the year 1278.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname JONAS was Johannes Jonas, a German theologian and Protestant Reformer who lived from 1493 to 1555. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.

Another historical figure bearing the surname JONAS was Justus Jonas, a German lawyer and diplomat who lived from 1493 to 1555. He served as a legal advisor to the Elector of Saxony and was involved in the negotiations during the Reformation.

In the 16th century, the name JONAS appeared in various place names across Germany and Scandinavia, such as Jonasdorf, a village in Saxony, and Jonastorp, a locality in Sweden.

During the 17th century, the surname JONAS gained prominence in England, where it was likely introduced by German and Scandinavian immigrants. One notable English bearer of the name was Benjamin Jonas, a Puritan minister and author who lived from 1617 to 1697.

In the 18th century, the JONAS surname spread further across Europe and beyond. Gottfried Jonas, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1758 to 1827, was a notable figure from this period.

As the name JONAS expanded globally, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Jonass, Jonasson, and Jonassen, reflecting regional differences and language adaptations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Jonas families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jonas surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 187 Jonas' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.72x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 187 3.72x
Lancashire 35 0.59x
Cornwall 34 5.98x
Norfolk 34 4.40x
Cheshire 26 2.34x
Devon 23 2.20x
Yorkshire 23 0.46x
Cambridgeshire 20 6.29x
Surrey 20 0.82x
Essex 18 1.82x
Kent 17 0.99x
Lanarkshire 17 1.05x
Midlothian 9 1.34x
Suffolk 9 1.47x
Warwickshire 9 0.71x
Glamorgan 7 0.80x
Berkshire 6 1.59x
Merionethshire 6 6.53x
Hampshire 3 0.29x
Staffordshire 3 0.18x
Sussex 3 0.35x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.21x
Derbyshire 1 0.13x
Flintshire 1 0.74x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.15x
Rutland 1 2.71x
Stirlingshire 1 0.54x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Paddington London in Middlesex leads with 33 Jonas' recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.87x.

Place Total Index
Paddington London 33 17.87x
Spitalfields London 21 55.59x
Hackney London 17 6.04x
Kensington London 16 5.73x
Chester St John Baptist 13 65.23x
St Botolph Aldgate London 13 125.60x
Mile End Old Town London 12 11.22x
Wood Dalling 12 1445.78x
Islington London 10 2.05x
Old Monkland 10 15.51x
St George Bloomsbury 10 34.70x
Whitechapel London 10 20.19x
Deptford St Paul 9 6.81x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 3.32x
Lambeth 9 2.05x
York St Mary 9 43.65x
Chelmsford 8 47.03x
Holt 8 303.03x
Long Melford 8 140.60x
St Austell 8 41.15x
West Derby 8 4.59x
Dalziel 7 40.05x
Edgbaston 7 17.82x
Modbury 7 262.17x
Pendleton In Salford 7 9.86x
Shoreditch London 7 3.21x
St Luke London 7 8.69x
Chester St Mary On Hill 6 63.09x
Ecclesall Bierlow 6 5.93x
Fulham London 6 8.24x
Ickleton 6 526.32x
Newchurch 6 12.30x
St Andrewthe Less 6 16.51x
Thurning 6 2000.00x
Towyn 6 103.81x
Ardwick 5 9.30x
Cardiff St Mary 5 10.38x
Chester St Oswald 5 24.90x
Mile End New Town London 5 50.35x
St Marylebone London 5 1.86x
Duxford 4 300.75x
Kilburn 4 597.01x
Paignton 4 50.25x
Phillack 4 54.50x
Sandhurst 4 54.79x
South Brent 4 177.78x
Altarnun 3 151.52x
Barnes 3 28.99x
Bethnal Green London 3 1.37x
Canterbury St Gregory 3 132.74x
Chrishall 3 303.03x
Kingston On Thames 3 5.10x
North Meols 3 5.14x
Putney 3 13.10x
Redruth 3 18.65x
Sharples 3 46.37x
St Merryn 3 319.15x
Stoke Newington London 3 7.67x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 1.67x
Bradford 2 1.66x
Chelsea London 2 1.32x
Chorley 2 5.98x
Felstead 2 58.82x
Great Yarmouth 2 3.13x
Heydon 2 454.55x
Lewannick 2 180.18x
Llandaff 2 6.87x
Newington 2 1.08x
Plympton St Mary 2 33.11x
South Petherwin 2 140.85x
Speen 2 32.41x
St Breock 2 65.15x
St Issey 2 172.41x
St Thomas Apostle 2 114.29x
Stibbard 2 246.91x
West Ham 2 0.91x
West Wickham 2 253.16x
Woolwich 2 3.16x
Charlton Next Woolwich 1 5.59x
Hammersmith London 1 0.81x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Jonas surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 30
Elizabeth 18
Sarah 13
Kate 10
Eliza 9
Jane 8
Emily 7
Alice 6
Ann 6
Annie 6
Emma 6
Margaret 6
Ellen 5
Harriet 5
Charlotte 4
Maria 4
Susan 4
Edith 3
Fanny 3
Julia 3
Louisa 3
Nellie 3
Rosa 3
Sophia 3
Ada 2
Amy 2
Constance 2
Florence 2
Grace 2
Jemima 2
Laura 2
Lily 2
Lizzie 2
Lucy 2
Mabel 2
Martha 2
Miriam 2
Nancy 2
Rachael 2
Rachel 2
Rosey 2
Betsy 1
Bloom 1
Catherine 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.J. 1
Emilly 1
Hester 1
Hilda 1
Tina 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Jonas surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 31
William 16
Thomas 12
Henry 11
Samuel 9
Joseph 8
Charles 6
Alfred 5
George 5
James 5
Robert 5
Albert 4
Frederick 4
Harry 4
Benjamin 3
Edward 3
Isaac 3
Louis 3
Richard 3
Sidney 3
Arthur 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Elijah 2
Francis 2
Herbert 2
Jacob 2
Levi 2
Lewis 2
Morris 2
Percy 2
Walter 2
Alexander 1
Allan 1
Andrew 1
Coleman 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Harold 1
Henery 1
Jessold 1
Jim 1
Johan 1
Jonah 1
Jonas 1
Josiah 1
Lazarus 1
Zaccheus 1

FAQ

Jonas surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jonas surname in 1881?

In 1881, 515 people were recorded with the Jonas surname. That placed it at #6,619 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jonas surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,222 in 2016. That gives Jonas a modern rank of #4,872.

What does the Jonas surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jonah, meaning "dove" in Hebrew.

What does the Jonas map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Jonas bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.