Updated October 2026
Across 8 pages
of 8
French
"little pretty one"
Juliet sound-alike Joliet actually derives from the name Jolie, and was historically a term of endearment, later a surname. It's an attractive alternative to Juliet names and could work to honor a…
Modern invented name
A Frenchy name that doesn't exist in France, probably an attempt to create a classy feminine version of John or Johnny by rhyming it with Monet.
Sanskrit
"light"
The slightly complex spelling of this Sanskrit name belies its sweet and simple sound.
Hebrew
"known"
Although there were two male Jadduas in the Bible, this would make an interesting option for a girl today.
Finnish
"Christmas"
A rare Finnish name for Christmas babies.
English occupational name
"carter"
Jagger, made famous as the surname of Rolling Stone Mick, gets an entry in the girls' column thanks to Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross, who chose it for their daughter. For either gender, this name…
French word name
"January"
Used in France as a male name, this would make an appealing and unusual choice, as would two other Gallic month names, Avril and Mai.
Hebrew place-name
"beautiful"
A pleasant and adaptable place name for a part of Tel Aviv.
English, Spanish
"gem, precious stone"
A variant of Gemma/Jemma or possibly James too, Jemsa holds the appeal of Sasha, Misha, Ezra, Rosa, and Anya: international and intriguing.
Greek, meaning unknown
Jocasta is a mythological name fashionably used in England, but mostly ignored here. She was the mother of Oedipus, King of Thebes, whom he (oops) unwittingly married. If you can ignore that small…
Combination of Jo and Beth
A Jo-plus name that sprang up in the 1940s.
Jamaican invented name
This invented name is borne by a Jamaican supermodel.
Invented literary name
A name created for Jellia Jamb, a sweet and beautiful servant in the Royal Palace in the Emerald City of Oz, who appears in several books in the series.
"twin or binoculars"
The French word for "twin," often used to refer to items found in pairs. Its plural form, jumelles, is the word for binoculars.
Place name
Jakarta, the name of the capital and largest city of Indonesia, is located on the island of Java. Both Jakarta and Java could make interesting and unusual choices for a girl.
Anglicization of Indonesian Jawa; place name
A name with something for everyone: for romantics, it's a beautiful Indonesian island; for teckies, it's a computer programming language.
English word name
"joyous"
Along with Joyful, Joyous works as an updated version of Joy. It would make for an inspired middle name to honor an ancestral Joy.
"young"
But what happens when Jeune grows vieille.
Mineral and word name
Though this may be thought of as a short form of the legitimate name Jetta, that one's gone to the cars. This sounds more modern if a bit supersonic. In the Netherlands, it's in the Top 100,…
English combination of Jean and Marie
"god is gracious + drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
Rather dated smoosh name. The meaning of Marie is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and…