From John to Jackie and every J name in between, baby names that start with the letter J run the gamut. Here’s a great list of J baby names to help you find the perfect fit for your little one.
- James — James is a classic favorite among top names for boys. The name has ranked in the top 20 names for boys every year since 1900. James was also the number-one most popular boy name from 1940-1952.
- John — John was originally a more popular name among Byzantine Christians in western Europe than the Puritans in eastern Europe. During the Crusades, however, the Christians from England brought the name back, especially to England.
- Jackson — Jackson is one of the most popular baby names used among celebrities. MAria Bello, Scott Wolf, Maya Rudolph, Spike Lee, and Katey Sagal have all named their children this.
- Jonathan — Jonathan as a boy’s name has remained consistently in the top 100 names given in more than 24 countries around the world.
- Jolette — Jolette is likely a combination of Jo and "-lette." Some believe that it is a variation of Julia, however. Julia was an ancient Roman name that translated to "youthful" or "sky father."
- Jovana
- Jabez — Jabez is a character in the Bible who prayed to God asking for blessings. One author took this prayer to create a book called "The Prayer of Jabez" that is about this type of request of God.
- Jayquan — Jayquan isn't a name that's popular with celebrities just yet, but there is a rapper who uses the moniker but spells it "J-Kown." His real name is Jerrell C. Jones, and he's best known for his hit single "Tipsy" in 2004.
- Jessy — Jessy is the least popular of the three spelling variations. It is only a top 6,000 option at rank 5,992. Jessie is a top 1,200 baby name at number 1,160. Jesse is on the top 400 list at rank 346.
- Jarren
- Jack — Jack was popular during the Medieval period. Jack was a slang word that was synonymous with the word “man” and thus many fairy tales and stories came to feature characters named Jack.
- Jerrell — Jerrell first appeared among the top 1,000 baby names for boys in 1934. The name Jerrell remained on the popularity list for six decades. Jerrell is also a highly respected name among athletes. Experts credit famous football players like Jerrell Alexander Freeman, Jerrell Harris, and Jerrell Jackson with popularizing the name. Jerrell is also the middle name of Heisman Trophy winner Cameron Jerrell Newton.
- Jkwon
- Jailene — Jailene as a given name was popular in the late 1990s, but disappeared off of the list in 1999. It was immediately replaced by variant spelling Jaylene, which remained on the top 1000 list until 2018.
- Jeancarlos — Jeancarlos is one of nearly a dozen different ways to spell this name!
- Jami
- Jancarlos
- Jahseh — Jahseh rose in usage as a given name during the late 2010s. In 2020, over 80 newborn boys received the name Jahseh in the United States. Some experts attribute this rise to the fame of rapper Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy. Jahseh is also the namesake of the song "Jahseh Higgins" by King Coleman.
- Jacinda — Jacinda is a rare classic baby name. In the United States, a total of nine baby girls received the name Jacinda at birth in 2020. Some experts project that the name will rise in popularity due to the fame of New Zealand politician Jacinda Ardern. In honor of this politician, Jacinda is the namesake of the song "A Leader Called Jacinda" by the Indian duo M.C. Vasisht and Ashish Thomas George.
- Jeniffer
- Juliann — Juliann consistently ranked among the top 1,000 baby names for girls for three decades from 1940-1970.
- Jaimie
- Jakiya
- Janel — Janel is one of a group of names that comes from Iohannes. Iohannes helped form John, Jane, Johanna, and more.
- Jesica
- Jaiceon — Fewer than five hundred babies in the United States have been named Jaiceon in the last decade!
- Judd
- Jayveon
- Jaceyon — Jaceyon is likely a variation of the ancient Greek baby name Jason. Jason, as mentioned, was a mythological hero. He married Medea, an ancient sorceress, who helped him get the golden fleece.
- Jenni
- Johannah
- Jacob — Jacob and the name James actually are both based on the same Latin root. That root word is Iacobus. Some languages actually use the same word for each of these names.
- Jalia — Jalia Kaibarta is name of a community of people in India. The community is largely made of fishermen who were considered low status, but they were prosperous enough to raise their social standings. They are a Schedule Caste in Assam under the name Jal Keot or Kaibarta
- Jayleigh — Jayleigh as a given name is a variant spelling of Jaylee. Jayleigh is related to other -lee names that have been popular since the turn of the century.
- Jupiter — Jupiter is predicted to be a baby name on the rise during the 2020s. Some say that's due to the fact that singer and actress Ashley Tisdale chose the name for her daughter. In March 2021, she gave birth to baby Jupiter Iris.
- Jalani
- Jaydah — Jaydah is not near as popular as the original, Jada. Jada, as of 2020, was a top 600 option.
- Jia
- Jannat — Jannat appears 147 times in the Quran.
- Jailyne — Jailyne is a unique name variation rising in popularity among girls. In the United States, a total of 90 newborn girls received the name Jailyne in 2020.
- Joceline — In 1993, only 15 babies with the name Joceline were born in the state of California. There were only 30 in the United States.
- Jesslyn — Jesslyn is considered a modern name, but it wasn't totally unheard of during the 19th century. Actress Jesslyn Fax was born in Canada in 1893. She appeared in several popular films, including "Rear Window," "The Family Jewels," and "The Music Man."
- Joselyne
- Jizelle
- Jose
- Julian — Julian is a masculine given name but for a brief window of time during the Middle Ages Julian was also commonly used as a feminine name. Eventually the feminine Julian became Jillian.
- Julia — Julia has been utilized since Biblical times, even mentioned in the New Testament. It did not become commonly used among English speakers, however, until the 1700s.
- Joshua — Joshua is a baby name with a nickname that is more commonly used than even the full spelling. That nickname is Josh.
- Joseph — Joseph has been a very popular name since the publication of the Old Testament. Throughout the Bible there are several Josephs, and with the broad reach of the Bible, many cultures and countries have found the name to be a great one to bestow upon their baby boys.
- Jeremiah — Jeremiah as a name has been consistently popular in the United States for more than a century. It has never dropped below #615 most popular boy’s baby name since 1900.
And of course, if you'd like to discover more gender-specific names, you can check out baby boy names that start with J and baby girl names that start with J.