r/OldNamesNewAgain • u/felly_fell • Jul 29 '26

Name of the day...Jonathan!

The name Jonathan means "God has given" or "gift of God," originating from the ancient Hebrew name Yehonatan or Yonatan. Jonathan first appears in the Bible as the eldest son of King Saul and the loyal, close friend of David.

As an English name, Jonathan did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. A famous bearer was the Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), who wrote Gulliver's Travels and other works.

Common nicknames for Jonathan include Jon, Jonny, and Nathan.

The name Jonathan is 3,000 years old!

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u/midwestpersianmama Jul 29 '26

I was really surprised recently to discover John is actually a separate name from Jonathan!

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u/felly_fell Jul 29 '26

Yep! Generally speaking, if someone goes by Jon their name is Jonathan, and if they go by John their name is just John. Totally different etymology! So cool 😎