Yunus means “Jonah (name of the prophet)”. It comes from Arabic (from Greek and Hebrew). It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz and also used in Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Tatar.
- Yunus is a name of Arabic, Hebrew and Greek origin.
- It is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Tatar.
- 2 syllables (counted from the spelling) and 5 letters.
What does Yunus mean?
Yunus is the Islamic form of the prophet Jonah's name. Wiktionary records it as a male name in Turkish, Kyrgyz (Жунус) and Kazakh (Жүніс) and traces it from Arabic Yūnus through Greek Iōnâs to Hebrew.[1,2,4,5]
The sources identify the figure; they do not give a lexical meaning for the Hebrew original.
Yunus in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Tatar
What does Yunus mean in Turkish?
In Turkish the name is written Yunus. No separate Turkish gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “Jonah (name of the prophet)” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[1,6]
What does Yunus mean in Uyghur?
In Uyghur the name is written يۇنۇس, Yunus (ULY transliteration), يونۇس, Yonus, يونۇسجان and Yonusjan. Here it is glossed as “companion”[5]. It is recorded as a boy's name.[5]
What does Yunus mean in Kazakh?
In Kazakh the name is written Жүніс, Jünis (Wiktionary romanization) and Yunis (as given on Wiktionary (xlit)). No separate Kazakh gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “Jonah (name of the prophet)” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[4,6,7]
What does Yunus mean in Kyrgyz?
In Kyrgyz the name is written Жунус and Junus (as given on Wiktionary (xlit)). No separate Kyrgyz gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “Jonah (name of the prophet)” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.[2]
What does Yunus mean in Uzbek?
In Uzbek the name is written Yunus and Юнус (rule-based Latin-to-Cyrillic conversion). No separate Uzbek gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “Jonah (name of the prophet)” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.
What does Yunus mean in Azerbaijani?
In Azerbaijani the name is written Yunus. No separate Azerbaijani gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “Jonah (name of the prophet)” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.
What does Yunus mean in Turkmen?
In Turkmen the name is written Ýunus. No separate Turkmen gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “Jonah (name of the prophet)” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.
What does Yunus mean in Tatar?
In Tatar the name is written Yunus (common romanization). No separate Tatar gloss is recorded, so the general meaning “Jonah (name of the prophet)” applies. It is recorded as a boy's name.
Where does the name Yunus come from?
Arabic (from Greek and Hebrew), borrowing. From Arabic Yūnus, borrowed from Greek Iōnâs, from Hebrew yônā; Turkish has it through Ottoman Turkish.[1,2,4]✓ Documented
Hebrew, borrowing. The Dictionary of Uyghur Names gives the origin as Hebrew.[5]✓ Documented
Arabic and Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew, borrowing. From Arabic يُونُس (yūnus), from Ancient Greek Ἰωνᾶς (Iōnâs), from Biblical Hebrew יונה (yônā).[3,4]Likely
How do you pronounce Yunus?
In IPA: /juˈnus/, as given in the cited dictionary entry.
Which languages use the name Yunus?
Yunus is used as a given name in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Tatar. Its origin is Arabic (from Greek and Hebrew), Hebrew and Arabic and Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew. The table shows for each language whether the use is documented by a cited source or comes from our editorial research.
Yunus across Turkic languages
| Language | Spelling | Gender | Meaning in this language | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish | YunusLatin | Boy | same as above: “Jonah (name of the prophet)” | Documented[1,6] |
| Uyghur | يۇنۇسArabic script يونۇسArabic script, variant YonusLatin, variant يونۇسجانArabic script, variant YonusjanLatin, variant | Boy | “companion” | Documented[5] |
| Kazakh | ЖүнісCyrillic | Boy | same as above: “Jonah (name of the prophet)” | Documented[4,6,7] |
| Kyrgyz | ЖунусCyrillic | Boy | same as above: “Jonah (name of the prophet)” | Documented[2] |
| Uzbek | YunusLatin | Boy | same as above: “Jonah (name of the prophet)” | Editorial |
| Azerbaijani | YunusLatin | Boy | same as above: “Jonah (name of the prophet)” | Editorial |
| Turkmen | ÝunusLatin | Boy | same as above: “Jonah (name of the prophet)” | Editorial |
| Tatar | YunusLatin, romanized | Boy | same as above: “Jonah (name of the prophet)” | Editorial |
Similar spellings in different languages do not prove a shared origin: two languages can arrive at the same sound from different words. The origin section above states what the sources say.
Spelling variations of Yunus
Forms are shown as recorded, in their original script. Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled with their system and are not presented as attested spellings.
| Form | Language | Script | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yunus[1] | Turkish | Latin | Native spelling |
| Zhunis[7] | Latin spelling | Latin | Variant |
| يۇنۇس[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Native spelling |
| Yunus[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Romanization (ULY transliteration) |
| يونۇس[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Yonus[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| يونۇسجان[5] | Uyghur | Arabic script | Variant |
| Yonusjan[5] | Uyghur | Latin | Variant (ULY transliteration) |
| Жүніс[4] | Kazakh | Cyrillic | Native spelling |
| Jünis[4] | Kazakh | Latin | Romanization (Wiktionary romanization) |
| Yunis[4] | Kazakh | Latin | Romanization (as given on Wiktionary (xlit)) |
| Жунус[2] | Kyrgyz | Cyrillic | Native spelling |
| Junus[2] | Kyrgyz | Latin | Romanization (as given on Wiktionary (xlit)) |
| Yunus | Uzbek | Latin | Native spelling |
| Юнус | Uzbek | Cyrillic | Cyrillic transliteration (rule-based Latin-to-Cyrillic conversion) |
| Yunus | Azerbaijani | Latin | Native spelling |
| Ýunus | Turkmen | Latin | Native spelling |
| Yunus | Tatar | Latin | Romanization (common romanization) |
Names related to Yunus
Sibling names for Yunus
Names recorded for the same languages that start with a different letter, so two children are not mixed up. Names that share a meaning theme or an element with Yunus rank first. Siblings do not have to match; these are only ideas.
- TimurlenkBoy“Timur the Lame, founder of the Timurid dynasty”same language (turkish)
- MasturaGirl“modest, veiled”same language (kazakh, uzbek)
- AymuhemmedBoy“ever praised, one eulogised and lauded”same language (uyghur)
- XekimBoy“sage, wise, intelligent”same language (uyghur)
- RishitBoy“one who shows the right path”same language (uyghur)
- AmineGirl“safe, secure (feminine)”same language (turkish, uyghur, kazakh, uzbek, azerbaijani)
- AnnasoltanGirl“Friday sultana”same language (turkmen)
- AnnagülGirl“Friday flower”same language (turkmen)
Common questions about Yunus
What does the name Yunus mean?
Yunus means “Jonah (name of the prophet)”. It comes from Arabic (from Greek and Hebrew). It is documented as a boy's name in Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz and also used in Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Tatar.
Is Yunus a girl's or a boy's name?
Yunus is recorded as a boy's name. By language: Turkish: boys; Uyghur: boys; Kazakh: boys; Kyrgyz: boys; Uzbek: boys; Azerbaijani: boys; Turkmen: boys; Tatar: boys.
Where does Yunus come from?
Yunus is of Arabic (from Greek and Hebrew), Hebrew and Arabic and Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew origin according to our origin records. Read the origin section above for the sources.
Which languages use Yunus?
Yunus is recorded for Turkish, Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Tatar. The table shows each language's spelling, gender and evidence label, and a language is listed only when our data records the name for it.
How is Yunus spelled in other scripts?
Recorded spellings: Yunus (Latin), Zhunis (Latin), يۇنۇس (Arabic script), يونۇس (Arabic script), Yonus (Latin), يونۇسجان (Arabic script). Romanizations and rule-based conversions are labelled as such in the spelling table.
How many syllables does Yunus have?
Yunus has 2 syllables by our approximate count of vowel groups in the spelling, and 5 letters. Pronunciation can differ by language.
Sources
Numbers in the text point to these sources. The descriptions on this page are written by our editors; source texts are not copied.
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Yunus”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 92290615. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Turkish proper noun Jonah (biblical character, Islam); given name equivalent to Jonah, Jonas; classified as a male given name in the Turkish section; IPA /juˈnus/ (Turkish Pronunciation section); listed as a male given name in the Turkish section (+2 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Жунус”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 88313755. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Kyrgyz proper noun Jonah; given name equivalent to Jonah, Jonas; classified as a male given name in the Kyrgyz section; listed as a male given name in the Kyrgyz section; borrowed from Arabic, from Ancient Greek, from Biblical Hebrew (+2 more)
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “يونس”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 93436773. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: Arabic proper noun Jonah, Jonas (prophet); Arabic يُونُس ‘Jonah, Jonas (prophet)’
- Wiktionary contributors. Wiktionary entry “Жүніс”. Wikimedia Foundation, revision 89169426. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Supports: classified as a male given name in the Kazakh section; classified as Kazakh given names, Kazakh male given names; etymology: From Arabic يُونُس (yūnus), from Ancient Greek Ἰωνᾶς (Iōnâs), from Biblical Hebrew יונה (yônā).; listed as a male given name in the Kazakh section (+5 more)
- Uyghur Language. Dictionary of Uyghur Names. Uyghur Language (GitHub: uyghur-language/names), revision 075ed994f116b4b9e06c7d013b4fb880db679883. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: MIT License.
Supports: entry in the Dictionary of Uyghur Names; Uyghur gloss: يۇنۇس پەيغەمبەرنىڭ ئىسمى. مەنىسى: ئۈلپەت; listed as a Uyghur given name (masculine); origin: Hebrew (+6 more)
- Wikidata contributors. Wikidata item Q1158220 (Yunus, male given name). Wikimedia Foundation, revision 2504505268. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC0 1.0.
Supports: Wikidata given-name item lists Turkish under P407; Wikidata given-name item lists Kazakh under P407
- Rustem Yeshpanov. KazPER Kazakh person-name list. Accessed 2026-10-28. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Supports: listed in KazPER; KazPER English spelling Zhunis
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