English Names that Start With J
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- James
Origin:
English variation of Jacob, HebrewMeaning:
"supplanter"Description:
James is one of the classic Anglo-Saxon names, a stalwart through the ages that is more popular—and yes, stylish—than ever today. It recently came out Number 1 in a poll of America's favorite boys' baby names, and is the most common male name, counting people of all ages, in the US.
- Julian
Origin:
English from Latin, variation of JuliusMeaning:
"youthful, downy-bearded, or sky father"Description:
Cool and charming, with plenty of flair and sophistication, Julian manages to strike the balance between being a sensible classic and contemporary choice. Appealingly international, it is no wonder Julian is a rising star.
- Jack
Origin:
English, diminutive of JohnMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Jack may have fallen from its Number 1 place in England, but in the US it's as popular as it was at its height in the 1920s and 1930s. A durable, cheery, everyman form of John, Jack ranks as one of the most popular boy names starting with J.
- Jane
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
No, we don't consider Jane too plain. In fact, for a venerable and short one-syllable name, we think it packs a surprising amount of punch, as compared to the related Jean and Joan.
- Juliet
Origin:
English from LatinMeaning:
"youthful or sky father"Description:
One of the most romantic names, the lovely and stylish Juliet seems finally to have shaken off her limiting link to Romeo. In Shakespeare's play, it was Juliet who said "What's in a name?"
- Jackson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of Jack"Description:
Jackson is one of those names that's much more popular than you think, coming in near the top of our annual Playground Analysis, which ranks names by grouping all their spellings together. Last year, nearly 17,000 baby boys were named Jackson -- along Jaxon, Jaxson, Jaxxon, Jaxen, Jaxyn, Jaxsen, and Jaxsyn -- which counted together makes it the Number 3 boys' name.
- Josie
Origin:
English, diminutive of Josephine, feminine of Joseph, HebrewMeaning:
"Jehovah increases"Description:
Josie is jaunty and friendly: among the most winning of all nickname names. She's been on the Social Security list since records began being kept.
- Joan
Origin:
English variation of JohannaMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Joan was the perfect name choice for one of the leading characters on Mad Men, being a quintessential girls' name of the period. A Top 10 name in the 30s, a Top 50 name from the 40s through the early 60s, it was the fifth most popular name in the country for three years running and ranks as one of the most common names for girls in the 20th century. But alas, Joan hasn't even appeared in the Top 1000 for a dozen years, and these days it's primarily associated with Joans of the generation of Joan Crawford, Joan Collins and Joan Rivers--just a few of the noted Joans whose ranks also include the singers Joan Sutherland, Joan Baez, Joan Armatrading and Joan Jett. But it's possible that modern parents who are reviving Jane might move on to Joan, inspired by Joan Hollaway Harris.
- Jean
Origin:
English and Scottish, from French variation of JohannaMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Originally a feminine of John, Jean was popular in Scotland long before it found favor elsewhere, and had its most shining moment here in the era of Jean Harlow (born Harlean), ultimate symbol of silver screen glamour. Now, though there are many grandmas and even moms with the name, it doesn't seem all that baby-friendly. Though that could change, and Jean could join Jane.
- Jameson
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"son of James"Description:
This is a strong new James varietal, sometimes shared by girls. An original way to honor Grandpa Jim, Jameson is swiftly moving up the charts, entering the Top 100 for the first time ever in 2017. Jameson is one of the hottest boy names starting with J, still the most popular first initial for boys' names. One small caveat: Jameson is also a brand of whiskey.
- Jeremy
Origin:
English form of JeremiahMeaning:
"appointed by God"Description:
This one-time trendy form of Jeremiah hovered just outside the Top 25 throughout the 1970s and 80s.
- Jagger
Origin:
English occupational nameMeaning:
"carter"Description:
Jagger is a swaggering Rolling Stone of a name that's been picked up by a number of fellow celebs, including Lindsay Davenport and Brett Scallions--while Soleil Moon Frye pulled a gender switch when she bestowed it on her daughter. It's edgy with a touch of danger.
- Jenna
Origin:
English, diminutive of JenniferMeaning:
"white shadow, white wave"Description:
Jenna was first noted on the 1980s TV series Dallas, later associated with one of the First Twin Daughters. Jenna is still being used, but no longer feels much fresher than Jennifer. You can also spell it Jena, but then many people will pronounce it jeen-a, as in Gina.
- Janet
Origin:
Diminutive of JaneMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of Jeannette, a derivative of Joan and another feminization of the name John.
- Jeffrey
Origin:
Spelling variation of GeoffreyMeaning:
"pledge of peace"Description:
The mostly Americanized version of Geoffrey was a trendy mid-century hit, with nickname Jeff the epitome of cool. Jeffrey entered the pop list in 1934 and was a Top 20 name from the mid-fifties to 1978.
- Joy
Origin:
English word nameMeaning:
"joy"Description:
Joy is from an older generation of word names, which also included Merry, Bliss, and Glory -- all of which exert a certain amount of personality pressure on a child. However, Joy, like Grace, Hope, and Rose, has crossed more into name-territory than other word choices, which lightens some of that pressure.
- Jill
Origin:
Diminutive of Gillian or JulianaMeaning:
"youthful"Description:
Probably due to its nursery rhyme association, Jill has the perpetual air of a rosy-cheeked tot -- even though it is one of the oldest names on the roster, a medieval variation on the Roman Julia. The pairing of Jack and Jill to connote a generic boy and girl goes back at least to the fifteenth century. But can knowing Jill's history keep it from sounding like a cute mid-twentieth century invention? There may be some possibility of Jill making it back up the hill.
- Jones
Origin:
English surname derived from JohnMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
This quintessentially common last name makes a distinctive if first, given to more than 230 babies in the US in the most recent year counted. It has doubled in use over the last decade.
- Jaxon
Origin:
Spelling variation of JacksonMeaning:
"son of Jack"Description:
Jaxon has been mostly climbing in popularity since it entered the Top 1000 in 1997, proving that many parents have decided to rev up the cool factor of Jackson by giving it this streamlined spelling. (Though we still prefer the original.)
- Jonesy
Origin:
Diminutive of Jones, English surname derived from JohnMeaning:
"God is gracious"Description:
It's difficult to imagine anyone using the first name Jonesy -- and in fact, in the most recent US tally, there were nearly 100 babies named Jones but none named Jonesy. Still, this is a name that many people with Jones for a name, last or first, end up being known by, and as a nickname, it's sorta cute in a Skip, Chip, Bitsy kind of way.