Explore the Family Name Jonas
The meaning of Jonas
English, German, French, Dutch, Polish, Lithuanian, Sorbian, and Jewish (Ashkenazic); Czech (Jonáš); Slovak (mainly Jonáš, also Jónáš, Jónás); Hungarian (Jónás): from a personal name, which is a variant of the Biblical name Jonah, Hebrew Yonah, meaning ‘dove’ in Hebrew. In the book of the Bible which bears his name, Jonah was appointed by God to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh, but tried to flee instead to Tarshish. On the voyage to Tarshish, a great storm arose and Jonah was thrown overboard by his shipmates to appease God’s wrath, swallowed by a great fish, and delivered by it on the shores of Nineveh. This story exercised a powerful hold on the popular imagination in medieval Europe, and the personal name was a relatively common choice. The Hebrew name and its reflexes in other languages (for example Yiddish Yoyne) have been popular Jewish personal names for generations. In North America, this surname is also an altered form of the Polish variant Jonasz. Compare Yonas.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Jonas in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Jonas has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the last decade. In 2000, it was ranked as the 3800th most popular surname in the U.S., falling to 3937th place by 2010 – a change of -3.61%. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of people with the Jonas surname increased from 8572 in 2000 to 9043 in 2010, marking a growth of 5.49%. The proportion per 100k also saw a slight decline from 3.18 to 3.07 over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,800 | #3,937 | -3.61% |
| Count | 8,572 | 9,043 | 5.49% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.18 | 3.07 | -3.46% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Jonas
The ethnicity breakout of individuals with the surname Jonas, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, shows varying shifts between 2000 and 2010. There was substantial growth within the Asian/Pacific Islander group, which saw an increase of 86.30%, while the percentage identifying as two or more races grew by 19.85%. The majority of those with the Jonas surname identified as White, but the percentage decreased from 85.14% in 2000 to 82.06% in 2010. There was also a rise in the Hispanic and Black categories, which saw increases of 13.86% and 20.02% respectively. Conversely, the American Indian and Alaskan Native category had a slight decrease of -5.00%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.14% | 82.06% | -3.62% |
| Black | 9.29% | 11.15% | 20.02% |
| Hispanic | 2.67% | 3.04% | 13.86% |
| Two or More Races | 1.36% | 1.63% | 19.85% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.73% | 1.36% | 86.3% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.8% | 0.76% | -5% |
Jonas ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Jonas is British & Irish, which comprises 30.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.8%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (11.5%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 30.4% |
| French & German | 26.8% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 11.5% |
| Other | 31.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Jonas
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Jonas have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 55.10% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 55.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 54.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 54.70% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 54.70% |
What Jonas haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Jonas is I-L460, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L460 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-L2 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Rizzo, Koenig, Marx, Engel, Fuchs, Haas, Blank, Bader, Wagner, Schmidt.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Jonas surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Jonas have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Jonas" Surname 46.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Jonas" Surname 19.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Jonas" Surname 13.5%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Jonas" Surname 17.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Jonas?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Jonas are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition