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`J´ Names That I Like - Girls & Boys

  1. Julius

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "youthful, downy-bearded"

    • Description:

      Immortal through its association with the ancient Caesar (it was his clan name), Julius may still lag behind Julian, but is definitely starting to make a comeback, and in fact feels more cutting edge, in line with the current trend for Latin -us endings.
  2. Justice

    • Origin:

      English word name

    • Meaning:

      "the quality of being just, impartial, or fair"

    • Description:

      Justice, one of the rare virtue names for boys, entered the popularity ranks in 1992, and has remained on the list ever since. Parents' search for names implying virtue has led to a mini-revival of this long-neglected name in both its German homonymic form, Justus, and as the word itself. Steven Seagal was ahead of the curve when he used it back in 1976.
  3. Joyce

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "merry, joyous"

    • Description:

      Joyce was once a boy name, but took off for girls during the mid-twentieth century, when it spent 1930 to 1947 in the Top 20.
  4. Jaden

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "God has heard"

    • Description:

      While Jadon is the authentic biblical name, Jaden is by far the more popular spelling, first noticed when Will and Jada Pinkett Smith used it for their now grown (and famous) son. It has since swept the country for both sexes, with a wide variety of spellings and rhyming cousins.
  5. Jo

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Joanna or Josephine, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "Jehovah increases"

    • Description:

      The name Jo still evokes the spunky image of the character in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Its literary status makes Jo one of the OG boyish nicknames for girls, ala Frankie, Billie, and Stevie. If you like that form, you can lengthen it to Joey.
  6. Jaxon

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Jackson

    • Meaning:

      "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.)
  7. Juan

    • Origin:

      Spanish and Manx variation of John

    • Meaning:

      "the Lord is gracious"

    • Description:

      Juan, the Spanish version of John, is ubiquitous in the Spanish-speaking world, and is familiar internationally via such references as Don Juan and San Juan.
  8. Jessie

    • Origin:

      Anglicized form of Teasagh or diminutive of Jessica, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "behold or wealthy"

    • Description:

      Jessie has never been used as much as Jennie/Jenny, partly because it's a boys’ name as well (spelled Jesse), but it does have a friendly and unpretentious pioneer feel. In Scotland, it's found as an Anglicized form of Teasagh, itself a form of Jean, and is used as a full name. And in the rest of the world, Jessie may be short for Jessica or used on its own.
  9. Jerome

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "sacred name"

    • Description:

      Jerome has a bespectacled, serious, studious image, just like its namesake saint, who was a brilliant scholar. St. Jerome is the patron saint of students, librarians, and archaeologists.
  10. Johanna

    • Origin:

      Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"

    • Description:

      Johanna is the version of this name used in Holland, Germany, and Scandinavia. The extra h makes Johanna a slightly more dignified version of Joanna.
  11. Jed

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Jedidiah, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "beloved of the Lord"

    • Description:

      Cowboyish short form that's both macho and cool. Got prime time exposure on The West Wing.
  12. Johnny

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of John

    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"

    • Description:

      The ultimate midcentury nickname, retaining a good measure of retro charm, was chosen for her son by Mira Sorvino.
  13. Josh

    • Description:

      Josh is a friendly, approachable masculine name that originated as a shortened form of Joshua, which comes from Hebrew meaning 'God is salvation.' While Joshua has biblical significance as the successor to Moses, Josh emerged as a standalone name in the 20th century, embodying a casual, down-to-earth quality. It gained significant popularity in the 1970s through the 1990s in the United States, ranking consistently in the top 100 names. Josh conveys an accessible, unpretentious character with its brief, one-syllable structure. The name suggests a straightforward, trustworthy personality and has maintained steady usage without seeming dated or trendy. Josh represents a perfect balance of familiarity and timelessness in contemporary naming practices.

  14. Jaxson

    • Origin:

      Variation of Jackson, English

    • Meaning:

      "son of Jack"

    • Description:

      One of several phonetic spellings of Jackson moving up the charts, Jaxson entered the Top 100 in 2013 and has remained there since. It's also picking up steam in England and Wales.. Actor Eric Mabius used it as his son Rylan's middle name.
  15. Jacoby

    • Origin:

      Variation of Jacob, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "supplanter"

    • Description:

      Jacoby, a surname spin on Jacob shot up the charts in the middle of the 2000's, thanks largely to the popularity of Jacoby Ellsbury, the first Native American of Navajo descent in the Major Leagues, but has been dropping steadily since it peaked at Number 423 in 2008. As of 2022, it dropped out of the US Top 1000 and is given to around 170 boys each year.
  16. Jimmy

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of James

    • Meaning:

      "supplanter"

    • Description:

      Every other little kid's name in 1957 but few Jameses are called Jimmy today; they're more often James or Jamie.
  17. Jayden

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Jaden

    • Meaning:

      "thankful"

    • Description:

      This once obscure name was propelled to fame by Britney Spears, and by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in the 2000's. It skyrocketed into the US Top 10 for boys, but it also saw significant use for girls.
  18. Johan

    • Origin:

      Scandinavian and Dutch variation of John

    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"

    • Description:

      With Old European vibes, Johan is a variant of the classic John, similar to the Latin, Hebrew, and Germanic forms, Iohannes, Yohanan, and Johannes. Conjuring up the image of the classical composer Brahms or the astronomer Kepler, while still feeling timeless and distinctive, Johan has been in the US Top 600 for most of the 21st century, helped along by Heidi Klum and Seal using it for their son in 2006.
  19. Joe

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Joseph

    • Meaning:

      "Jehovah increases"

    • Description:

      Joe is still the ultimate good-guy name, not at all diminished by its longevity or popularity or its everyman rep as Regular Joe, Cowboy Joe, G.I. Joe, Joe Exotic, Joe Blow, Joe Millionaire, Average Joe — and now President Joe (Biden).
  20. Joelle

    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Joel, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "Jehovah is his God"

    • Description:

      Joel is one of those boys’ names that's never been super-popular yet has never been UNpopular either -- it's been in the Top 400 in the US since we started keeping statistics in 1880. So it's inevitable that its female form Joelle would gain visibility too, and indeed Joelle was used most widely during Joel's reign in the Top 100, from the late 1960s through the early 1990s.