JONATHAN HALL

Biblical name, meaning ‘God has given’, composed of the same elements as those of Matthew, but in reverse order. This is the name of several characters in the Bible, most notably a son of King Saul, who was a devoted friend and supporter of the young David, even when David and Saul were themselves at loggerheads (1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 1:19–26). The name is often taken as symbolic of steadfast friendship and loyalty. Well-known bearers of the name include the Irish clergyman and writer Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), British theatre director Jonathan Miller (b. 1934), British actor Jonathan Pryce (b. 1947), and British television presenter Jonathan Ross (b. 1960).

English, Scottish, Irish, German, and Scandinavian: from Middle English hall (Old English heall), Middle High German halle, Old Norse hōll all meaning ‘hall’ (a spacious residence), hence a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a hall or an occupational name for a servant employed at a hall. In some cases it may be a habitational name from places named with this word, which in some parts of Germany and Austria in the Middle Ages also denoted a salt mine. The English name has been established in Ireland since the Middle Ages, and, according to MacLysaght, has become numerous in Ulster since the 17th century.