I believe Jace actually has its roots in America’s Wild West preoccupied mindset of the 1950s. It was the name of the main character in the radio and tv show Tales of the Texas Rangers. I have read and I believe it’s true that Jace came about as a nickname of the very popular initials JC. Yes, during that era Americans fairly commonly picked boys’ names specifically based on what the initials would be and used those initials instead of the first name. You call someone JC long enough and it becomes their name and a nickname might follow. I knew a man from that era who only went by WA all his life. What was his nickname? “Dub”. Some combinations were more popular and JC was one of the more popular. Besides that, one syllable boys names are pretty common in western and rural America. We named our son Jace in 2004, so I can say after 18 years I am fully settled that I like the name. I will say, it is a little short. People ask why not Jason? I would ask, why Jason? Jace is a far better name for today? Jason is a fine name but it is very much associated with grown men born in the 70s and 80s. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. Like my own name, it was wildly popular for a short time and therefore just has an association with that era. If you like a short and simple first name that has a bit of a western/cowboy association, Jace is great.