Jonathan

¹ American  

[jon-uh-thuhn] / ˈdʒɒn ə θən /

noun

1. a variety of red apple that matures in early autumn.

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Jonathan ² American  

[jon-uh-thuhn] / ˈdʒɒn ə θən /

noun

1. (in the Bible) a son of Saul and friend of David.

2. Archaic. an American, especially a New Englander.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “God gave.”

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Jonathan ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒɒnəθən /

noun

1. a variety of red apple that ripens in early autumn

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Jonathan ² British  

noun

1. Old Testament the son of Saul and David's close friend, who was killed in battle (I Samuel 31; II Samuel 1:19–26)

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Etymology

Origin of Jonathan

First recorded in 1875–80; named after Jonathan Hasbrouck (died 1846), American jurist

Example Sentences

This post originally ran on Jonathan Larsen’s Substack.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

Joshua Robinson, The Wall Street Journal’s sports editor, and Jonathan Clegg, executive news editor at the Journal, will be answering your questions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

“He’s certainly, in relative terms, underpriced for all that he’s done for the team,” said Jonathan Boyar, principal at the Boyar Value Group and a longtime investor in MSG Sports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said he "felt sorry" for the batters involved, while BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew said the pitch was "really poor".

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Jonathan grabbed one of the roots and rode along for a few seconds, resting.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret