To sign "Jonathan", you will fingerspell the name. Hold your dominant hand steady at about shoulder height. Start by drawing a 'J' in the air with your pinky finger. Smoothly transition into an 'O', then form an 'N' by draping your index and middle fingers over your thumb. Continue with an 'A', a 'T' (with your thumb tucked under your index finger), an 'H' (with your index and middle fingers extended sideways), another 'A', and finish with a final 'N'.
Sign 'MY', 'FRIEND', 'NAME', and then smoothly fingerspell J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N.
Sign 'PARTY', fingerspell J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N, and sign 'COME', while raising your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question.
Sign 'I', 'MUST', 'CALL', and then fingerspell J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N to specify who you are calling.
Sign 'MY', 'FRIEND', 'NAME', and then smoothly fingerspell J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N.
Sign 'PARTY', fingerspell J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N, and sign 'COME', while raising your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question.
Sign 'I', 'MUST', 'CALL', and then fingerspell J-O-N-A-T-H-A-N to specify who you are calling.
Yes, unless the specific Jonathan you are referring to has been given a unique name sign by the Deaf community. When introducing someone for the first time, you should always fingerspell their full name.
As a beginner, you should focus entirely on clarity rather than speed. It is much better to fingerspell slowly and clearly than to rush and make mistakes that confuse the person you are signing with.
Using just a 'J' would be considered an initialized name sign. You should only use a name sign if that specific Jonathan has been given one by a Deaf person. Otherwise, stick to fingerspelling the full name.
