Jonas

Jonas has a slightly more grandfatherly image than the English version of his name, but that only adds to its retro appeal. And though it may lag behind Jonah in this country, Jonas is riding a huge wave of popularity in Europe, where it ranks highly in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Norway--where it was the top name for several recent years.

Over time, it has been associated with Dr. Jonas Salk, developer of the anti-polio vaccine and tween fave group the Jonas Brothers. Charles Dickens used the name for a character in Martin Chuzzlewit.