Jonah (English)

Where does "Jonah" come from?

The English given name 'Jonah' derives from the Hebrew 'יוֹנָה', which translates to 'dove'[1]. The Hebrew form itself traces back to the Proto-Semitic form '*šawmān-'[2]. The name is shared by a minor prophet in the Old Testament, a book of the Bible, and a sura of the Qur'an.

Open questions

• The Proto-Semitic form '*šawmān-' is a reconstructed ancestor. [2]

Full etymology tree

• Jonah (English), 'A male given name from Hebrew.'
  • borrowed יונה (yônâh) (Hebrew), 'pigeon, dove'
    • inherited *šawmān- (Proto-Semitic), 'dove'

Cognates and doublets

• Jonas (English)

Descendants and derived words

• Jonah fishing (English)

Sources

1. Jonah (English) - Wiktionary
2. יונה (yônâh) (Hebrew) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris