J Girls

Josephine

French feminine variation of Joseph, Hebrew

"Jehovah increases"

Josephine, with its large measure of class and character and a gently offbeat quality, has been on a gentle uphill climb in the US for over 30 years, now ranking in the Top 100. With an intriguing…

Juniper

Latin tree name

"young"

Juniper is a fresh-feeling nature name -- it's a small evergreen shrub -- with lots of energy. A new favorite of fashionable parents, Juniper joins such other tree and shrub names as Hazel, Acacia,…

Jane

English

"God is gracious"

Simple, classic, strong, and versatile, Jane has shrugged off her plain associations to become a short, punchy name with plenty of literary significance. Calling to mind Jane Austen and Jane Eyre ,…

Jessica

Hebrew

"behold or wealthy"

When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the…

Jacinta

Spanish for Greek flower name

"hyacinth"

Jacinta, the Spanish word for hyacinth, is a lot softer and sweeter than the English version. The correct Spanish pronunciation is ha-SEEN-ta, though many English speakers would say ja-SIN-ta.…

Jacquetta

English feminine of Jacques

This name has risen to prominence since the publication of Philippa Gregory's White Queen novel. Jacquetta of Luxembourg, was the mother of Elizabeth Woodville who became Queen of England. Jacquetta…

Jelena

Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Estonian

"light"

A pretty international form of Helena used in many Slavic languages, also sometimes spelled Yelena.

Jessamine

English from Persian

"jasmine"

Jessamine, a charming name occasionally heard in England, is just beginning to be appreciated in the U.S. as a possible successor to all the Jess names of the past. It's also spelled Jessamyn, as in…

Joan

English feminine variation of John, Hebrew

"God is gracious"

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…

Jodie

Spelling variation of Jody

The Jodie spelling might be even more obscure, at this point, than the fading original, except actresses Jodie Foster and Jodie Sweetin have kept it in the public eye.