User-created list
Names I Love, But Can't Use
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of 21
Isannah
Origin and meaning unknown
A name that seems to be a combination of Isabel and Susannah, used in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, most notably for a daughter of Paul Revere. Isannah was also a character in the…
Janie
Diminutive of Jane, English
"God is gracious"
Will this old-fashioned nickname make a comeback, now that Jane has shed her "plain" image? Janie is cute and approachable, and would stand as well on the birth certificate as Josie and Jessie do…
Jeb
Diminutive of Jebediah, Hebrew
"beloved friend"
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…
Jed
Diminutive of Jedidiah, Hebrew
"beloved of the Lord"
Cowboyish short form that's both macho and cool. Got prime time exposure on The West Wing .
Jenny
Diminutive of Janet, Jane, Jean, and Jennifer
At the height of the Jennifer craze, many parents were cutting straight to the nickname and putting Jenny on the birth certificate. But now that Jennifer is the mom rather than the daughter, Jenny,…
Jess
This short form of Jesse has an androgynous, cowperson feel. It's Jess rather than Jesse or Jessie that can be considered among the truly androgynous baby names
Jill
Diminutive of Gillian or Juliana
"youthful"
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.…
Jillian
Phonetic spelling of Gillian
"youthful"
This spelling of Jillian is now much more popular than the original, maybe because the G version invites pronunciation problems.
Jo
Diminutive of Joanna or Josephine, Hebrew
"Jehovah increases"
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…
Joby
Diminutive of Job, Hebrew
"persecuted"
A jaunty diminutive of Job, or simply a soundalike to Toby, Koby et al.
Joey
Diminutive of Joanna or Josephine, Hebrew
"Jehovah increases"
Fun, friendly and fresher than Jo or Josie as a nickname for Joanna or Josephine. Joey can be thought of as one of the Stevie/Billie/Frankie boyish nicknames for girls so fashionable today.
Josh
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…
Juna
English, Latin
"June"
Juna, a variation of the newly stylish month name June, goddess name Juno, or literary Djuna, is among the fresher-feeling girl names starting with J . While Juna has never been given to more than 50…
Junia
Latin, Feminine variation of Junius
"born in June"
Juno is hot, June is showing signs of a comeback along with other month and day names, whereas Junia, the name of the the first century Christian referred to by the apostle Paul as an apostle (and…
Junie
Diminutive of June
A cute nickname, but June is a much better bet for the birth certificate.
Katharine
Spelling variation of Katherine, Greek
"pure"
This is the spelling that old-time film star Katharine Hepburn used, and it's still favored by fans wanting to reference her classic strength and beauty. But in general, it's losing ground to…
Keller
German occupational name
"cellar master"
Keller is a German surname that originated as an occupational name for a cellar or store master, which seems to be the background of several of the most stylish new German names for boys . One of the…
Keyston
Laine
English variation of Elaine, Estonian and Latvian
"bright, shining light; wave"
Lainey is one of the many fast-rising nickname names of the last few years, and longer forms like Elaine, Alaina, and Delaney are enjoying their own bouts of popularity. Simple and tailored, but…
Lainie
Diminutive of Elaine
"bright shining one"
Lainie is a nickname for Elaine that has been in the public eye via Lainie Kazan (that was her full given name), who was a popular singer in the 1960s and 1970s (she was Barbra Streisand's understudy…