`J´ Names That I Like - Girls & Boys

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Though every Spanish student knows that the male classic is pronounced HY-me, for girls this is a straight homonym for Jamie, a favorite ambisexual 1970s nickname name. Another way to think of it is as a variation of the French "J'aime" (meaning I love).

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.

Some people may prefer this spelling to clarify the name's connection to John, but it could be one h too many, exemplified by its steady decline over the past two decades.

Jen is a short, crisp feminine name that originated primarily as a diminutive of Jennifer, though it can also be a nickname for names like Jenna, Jenny, or Genevieve. The root name Jennifer comes from the Welsh 'Gwenhwyfar,' meaning 'white wave' or 'fair spirit.' Jen gained independent usage during the 1970s and 1980s when Jennifer was at peak popularity, with some parents choosing to put just 'Jen' on the birth certificate. Its simplicity and directness appeal to those preferring unpretentious, straightforward names. While Jen's popularity as a stand-alone name has declined since the 1990s, it maintains appeal for its brevity and friendly, approachable quality. The name carries a casual confidence and remains recognizable without being overly common as a formal name.

Jackie Kennedy gave this name a lot of style, but it doesn't seem destined for a comeback the way brother name Jack has. Jackie and Jacqueline both peaked in 1961.

A feminization used more before Jordan joined the girls' camp.

A sweet name with many cross-cultural ties: it's an equivalent of Jane in languages including Czech, Slovak, Dutch, German, Slovene, Catalan, Estonian, and Latvian.

The line should end with Junior Soprano. While most would expect this to be a nickname rather than an actual given name, Junior has always ranked in the US Top 1000, hitting its peak in 1925 at Number 116.

Both Jeb and Jed are very attractive Old Testament short forms with long and bright futures. Jeb's main current association is with the Bush brother and former governor of Florida, but the name was a mainstay on early TV westerns, and then went upscale as the nickname (his birth name being Josiah) of the President on "The West Wing."

A modern invention that's been in use since the 80s and in the charts since the 90s, which combines the sounds of Jasmine (or Jasper or just the word jazz) with the popular suffix, -lyn. Inspiration might also have come from Joslyn, Jocelyn, or Roslyn. Trendy but snazzy too, Jazlyn remains in the US Top 600.

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.

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.

Once rare, this streamlined form of Jessica has been boosted by two very different television figures: the Jemima Kirke character on HBO series Girls, and reality television daughter Jessa Duggar.

This variation of Jordan entered the Top 1000 in 1989. Jordyn as well as Jordan trended throughout the 90s and early 2000s, but are beginning to fall slightly on the girls' side. While the Jordan spelling reached the highest point in popularity out of the 2, making it into the Top 50 in the late 90s and early 2000s, today Jordyn has taken the lead.

Long used in Spanish-speaking countries, this strong but feminine name was jump-started here by the rise of actress Jada Pinkett Smith. The Italian Giada is a popular variation. In the Bible, the name Jada was borne by a man and has a different root and meaning: It's Hebrew and means "he knows".