Yunus means dove — the Arabic form of Jonah, from the Hebrew. In the Quran, Yunus IS the prophet swallowed by the whale — Dhun-Nun, 'the one of the fish.' Muhammad Yunus IS the father of microfinance — Nobel Peace Prize. Two syllables of the prophet-swallowed-by-the-whale, the father-of-microfinance, and Arabic-dove.
Yunus IS the Arabic Jonah — swallowed by the whale. Muhammad IS the father of microfinance — Nobel.
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First recorded
Earliest known use: Arabic; Quranic Yunus; Muhammad Yunus (born 1940).
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Today
Yunus remains a beloved choice, ranking #1947 in the US. 1,218 babies have been named Yunus since 1988.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, Islamic tradition, SSA data
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How popular is Yunus?
2023peak year
Today, Yunus is rarely chosen — ranked well outside the top 1,000 (around #1947), with only about 84 babies given the name per year. But it wasn't always this way. At its peak in 2023, 127 babies were given the name (ranked #1438 nationally). Its strongest stretch was the 2020s. Yunus has been trending upward in recent years. In all, around 1,218 babies have been registered as Yunus since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Yunus's Life Path 9 is the humanitarian's number — microfinance humanitarianism. People named Yunus tend to be gentle, peaceful, and gifted at being the whale-prophet AND Nobel father of microfinance.
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Whale-prophet AND Nobel microfinance
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Swallowed
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Dhun-Nun
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Arabic-dove
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Gentle-peaceful
Y7
U3
N5
U3
S1
Sum: 19 → Life path 1
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Personality of Yunus
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Independent & bold
These individuals chart their own course. They lead, they don't follow.
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Ambitious drive
Quiet determination sits behind everything they do.
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Original ideas
Their minds work differently — seeing angles others walk past.
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