Jonah's name is recorded 12 times in 10 New Testament verses. These verses are Matthew 12:39 - 41, 16:4, Luke 11:29 - 32, and John 21:15 - 17.
Jonah's name, in Hebrew, means "dove" (Strong's Concordance #H3124).
According to Jewish tradition, Jonah was the son of the widow of Zarephath, whom Elijah raised from the dead (1Kings 17:8 - 24).
Why Are They Minor?
The Minor Prophets (in alphabetical order) are Amos, Habakkuk, Haggai, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Malachi, Micah, Nahum, Obadiah, Zechariah, and Zephaniah. Why are these men labeled as "minor?"
The books of the above twelve prophets are considered "minor" since each is much shorter than the writings of "major" prophets such as Isaiah (sixty-six chapters), Jeremiah (fifty-two chapters), and Ezekiel (forty-eight chapters).