Jonathan

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to Jonathan. This has been my favourite boy name forever... or at least since sixth grade, when a new kid called Jonathan joined our class and immediately made friends with everybody. He was that kind of guy. The name has almost been ruined for me a couple of times when I've met some badly-named Jonathans who were jerks. Seriously, you don't deserve such a nice name if you aren't going to live up to it.

Jonathan

From the Hebrew name Yehonatan, meaning "Yahweh has given". Peaked as the 15th most popular name for boys in the U.S. in 1988; currently, it's #31. Interestingly, it peaked as the 838th most popular girls' name in 1984. Around the world, Norway and Denmark have almost as many baby Jonathans as the U.S.; it's the 36th and 37th most popular boys' name, respectively. In Canada it's 77th and in Australia it's 88th. As for the British Isles... not even on the charts. Bummer. (Also, this paragraph started to feel like a weather report right about the middle.)

Famous Jonathans: The Biblical son of King Saul and best friend of future King David; Jonathan Swift (writer); Jonathan Franzen (writer); Jonathan Edwards (Puritan minister); Jon Stewart (I was surprised, too!); Jonathan Taylor Thomas (actor); Jonathan Frakes (actor); Jonathan Gilbert (actor; played Willie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie)... you know, this could go on for a while.

Love, love, love this cast. They rock
the entire universe. Source.

Fictional Jonathans: Jonathan Garvey, Little House on the Prairie; Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill, Stargate SG-1 (I had no idea the character's name was Jonathan!); Jonathan Kent, Superman; Jonathan Archer, Star Trek: Enterprise; I'm just going to stop before it gets really nerdy around here.

My Jonathans: Most of the real-life Jonathans I know go by Jon. But I do know a few. As for my writing: Well, it's hard for me to avoid putting a Jonathan into everything I write. I manage to resist from time to time, but I'm not having a lot of luck. The Jonathan that's been with me the longest (in a story that will never, ever, be seen by anyone but me, but I can't let it go) is also one I've had a lot of fun writing over the years. He does a lot of things that I wouldn't have dared to do as a kid. A more recent Jonathan has sneaked into my current WIP as Sybil's (MC) current love interest. I mentioned him once before and my friend Jenni commented that she was never allowed to date boys that were more than a year older than her (Jonathan is two years older than Sybil). I had never heard that rule before, and I've decided that Sybil's parents don't have such a rule but might wish they had before all is said and done.

Yeah. Can you tell this is my favourite boy name ever? I bet if Chadwick had been named Jonathan he wouldn't have had to work so hard to convince me to marry him. ;)

Are you a Jonathan? Do you know a Jonathan? What fun quirks should I include in my Jonathans?

Sources
Baby Name Wizard
Behind the Name