Save Gender Masculine Usage English (Puritan, Rare) Meaning & History From Aramaic 𐡁𐡓𐡉𐡅𐡍𐡄 (barjonah) meaning "son of Jonah". This was the patronymic of Simon Peter, appearing in the Bible in Matthew 16:17. It has had some sparse usage as a forename in English-speaking countries since the 15th century.