Javan m BiblicalMeans
"Greece" in Hebrew, probably related to Greek
Ἴωνες (Iones), the name for the tribe of the Ionians. In the Old Testament this is the name of a grandson of
Noah and the ancestor of the Greek peoples.
Javohir m UzbekMeans
"jewels" in Uzbek, ultimately from Persian.
Jax m English (Modern)Short form of
Jackson. It appeared in the video game
Mortal Kombat II in 1993. It first registered as a given name in the United States in 1995 (when it was used only five times) but steadily grew in popularity for two decades, probably inspired by similar names like
Max and
Dax and helped by a character of this name on the American television series
Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014).
Jay 1 m EnglishShort form of names beginning with the sound
J, such as
James or
Jason. It was originally used in America in honour of founding father John Jay (1749-1825), whose surname was derived from the jaybird.
Jaya f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, MarathiDerived from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning
"victory". In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form
जया (long final vowel) and the masculine form
जय (short final vowel), both of which are used as names or epithets for several characters in Hindu texts. As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.
Jayadeva m SanskritMeans
"divine victory" from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning "victory" and
देव (deva) meaning "god". This was the name of a 12th-century Indian poet.
Jayden m & f English (Modern)Variant of
Jaden. This spelling continued to rapidly rise in popularity in the United States past 2003, unlike
Jaden, which stalled. It peaked at the fourth rank for boys in 2010, showing tremendous growth over only two decades. It has since declined.
Jayendra m HindiMeans
"lord of victory" from Sanskrit
जय (jaya) meaning "victory" combined with the name of the god
Indra, used here to mean "lord".
Jean 1 m FrenchModern French form of
Jehan, the Old French form of
Iohannes (see
John). Since the 12th century it has consistently been the most common male name in France. It finally dropped from the top rank in 1958, unseated by
Philippe.
... [more] Jean 2 f English, ScottishMedieval English variant of
Jehanne (see
Jane). It was common in England and Scotland during the Middle Ages, but eventually became rare in England. It was reintroduced to the English-speaking world from Scotland in the 19th century.
Jean-Luc m FrenchCombination of
Jean 1 and
Luc. A famous bearer is the French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard (1930-2022).
Jeanne f French, EnglishModern French form of
Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of
Iohannes (see
John). This has been the most reliably popular French name for girls since the 13th century. Joan of Arc is known as Jeanne d'Arc in France.
Jeb m EnglishSometimes a diminutive of
Jacob. This name may have also resulted from a nickname of James Ewell Brown Stuart (1833-1864), a Confederate general in the American Civil War, which was formed from the initial letters of his three given names.
Jedidah f BiblicalFrom Hebrew
יָדִיד (yaḏiḏ) meaning
"beloved, friend". In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of King Amon of Judah and the mother of
Josiah.
Jefferson m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"son of Jeffrey". It is usually given in honour of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third president of the United States and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
Jeffrey m EnglishMedieval variant of
Geoffrey. In America,
Jeffrey has been more common than
Geoffrey, though this is not true in Britain.
Jefimija f SerbianSerbian form of
Euphemia. This name was adopted by a 14th-century Serbian poet (born Jelena Mrnjavčević).
Jehiel m BiblicalMeans
"God will live" in Hebrew, from
חָיָה (ḥaya) meaning "to live" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This is the name of several people in the Old Testament, including one of King
David's lute players.
Jehoash m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹאָשׁ (Yehoʾash), an extended form of
יוֹאָשׁ (see
Joash). According to the Old Testament, this was the name of a king of Israel. He probably reigned in the 8th century BC.
Jehohanan m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
Yehoḥanan, an extended form of
Yoḥanan (see
John). It is borne by a few minor characters in the English Old Testament.
Jehoiachin m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh will establish" in Hebrew, from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
כּוּן (kun) meaning "to establish". In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah. Also known as
Jeconiah, he was imprisoned in Babylon by
Nebuchadnezzar after a brief reign in the early 6th century BC.
Jehoiakim m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh raises up" in Hebrew, from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
קוּם (qum) meaning "to raise". In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah. He lived in the 7th century BC, and was the son of
Josiah and the father of
Jehoiachin.
Jehoram m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹרָם (Yehoram) meaning
"exalted by Yahweh", derived from
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
רוּם (rum) meaning "to exalt". In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah and a king of Israel, both of whom ruled at about the same time in the 9th century BC.
Jehoshaphat m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh has judged" in Hebrew, from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁפַט (shafaṭ) meaning "to judge". According to the Old Testament he was the fourth king of Judah, noted for having a generally peaceful and prosperous reign.
Jehosheba f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹשֶׁבַע (Yehoshevaʿ) meaning
"Yahweh is an oath", derived from
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". In the Old Testament she is the daughter of King
Jehoram of Judah. With her husband Jehoiada she rescued the future king
Joash, her nephew, from a purge.
Jehovah m TheologyForm of
Yahweh used in older translations of the Bible, produced by blending the letters of the Tetragrammaton with the vowels from
Adonai.
Jehu m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh is he" in Hebrew, from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
הוּא (hu) meaning "he". In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Israel. He ruled in the 9th century BC, coming to power by overthrowing
Jehoram. This was also the name of a prophet during the reign of the king Baasha.
Jehudi m BiblicalMeans
"Jew" in Hebrew, ultimately referring to a person from the tribe of
Judah. In the Old Testament this is the name of a servant of King
Jehoiakim.
Jehudijah f BiblicalMeans
"Jewess" in Hebrew, a feminine form of
יְהוּדִי (yehuḏi) meaning "Jew". As mentioned in the Old Testament, this was one of the wives of Mered.
Jelle m Frisian, DutchOriginally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the Old German element
gelt meaning
"payment, tribute, compensation". It can also be a Dutch diminutive of
Willem.
Jemima f Biblical, EnglishTraditionally said to mean
"dove", it may actually be related to Hebrew
יוֹמָם (yomam) meaning
"daytime". This was the oldest of the three daughters of
Job in the Old Testament. As an English name,
Jemima first became common during the Puritan era.
Jenna f English, Finnish, FrenchVariant of
Jenny. Use of the name was popularized in the 1980s by the character Jenna Wade on the television series
Dallas.
Jennifer f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, SpanishFrom a Cornish form of the Welsh name
Gwenhwyfar (see
Guinevere). This name has only been common outside of Cornwall since the beginning of the 20th century, after it was featured in George Bernard Shaw's play
The Doctor's Dilemma (1906). It barely ranked in the United until the late 1930s, when it began steadily growing in popularity, accelerating into the early 1970s. It was the most popular name for girls in America between 1970 and 1984, though it was not as common in the United Kingdom.
... [more] Jenő m HungarianFrom the name of an ancient Hungarian tribe. Since the 19th century it has been used as a Hungarian form of
Eugene.
Jephthah m BiblicalMeans
"he opens" in Hebrew, derived from the root
פָּתַח (paṯaḥ) meaning "to open". In the Old Testament this is the name of a ruling judge. He successfully defended Israel from the Ammonites, but was then obliged to sacrifice his daughter because of a vow he had made.
Jerahmeel m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְרַחְםְאֵל (Yeraḥmeʾel) meaning
"God will have pity", derived from
רָחַם (raḥam) meaning "to pity" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". This name is borne by a few minor characters in the Old Testament.
Jeremiah m English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יִרְםְיָהוּ (Yirmeyahu) meaning
"Yahweh will exalt", from the roots
רוּם (rum) meaning "to exalt" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations (supposedly). He lived to see the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC.
... [more] Jeremy m English, BiblicalEnglish form of
Jeremiah, originally a medieval vernacular form. This is the spelling used in some English versions of the New Testament.
Jeriah m BiblicalMeans
"taught by Yahweh" in Hebrew, from
יָרָה (yara) meaning "to teach" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament, Jeriah is a descendant of Hebron.
Jericho m English (Modern)From the name of a city in Israel that is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. The meaning of the city's name is uncertain, but it may be related to the Hebrew word
יָרֵחַ (yareaḥ) meaning "moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word
רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance".
Jerioth f BiblicalMeans
"curtains, drapes" in Hebrew. This name occurs in the Old Testament belonging to a wife of
Caleb the son of Hezron.
Jermaine m African AmericanVariant of
Germain. This name rapidly increased in popularity in the early 1970s as a result of the newfound fame of Jermaine Jackson (1954-), a member of the singing group The Jackson 5.
Jeroboam m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יָרָבְעָם (Yarovʿam) meaning
"the people will contend", derived from the roots
רִיב (riv) meaning "to strive, to contend" and
עַם (ʿam) meaning "people, nation". According to the Old Testament, this was the name of the leader of the revolt against King
Rehoboam of Israel. The kingdom was split into Judah in the south and Israel in the north, with Jeroboam becoming the first king of the latter.
Jerome m EnglishFrom the Greek name
Ἱερώνυμος (Hieronymos) meaning
"sacred name", derived from
ἱερός (hieros) meaning "sacred" and
ὄνυμα (onyma) meaning "name". Saint Jerome was responsible for the creation of the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible, in the 5th century. He is regarded as a Doctor of the Church. The name was used in his honour in the Middle Ages, especially in Italy and France, and has been used in England since the 12th century.
Jerry m & f EnglishDiminutive of
Jeremy,
Jerome,
Gerald,
Geraldine and other names beginning with the same sound. Notable bearers include the American comedians Jerry Lewis (1926-2017) and Jerry Seinfeld (1954-), as well as the American football player Jerry Rice (1962-).
Jescha f BiblicalForm of
Iscah found in the medieval Wycliffe Bible. This name was probably the basis for Shakespeare's created name
Jessica.
Jessamine f English (Rare)From a variant spelling of the English word
jasmine (see
Jasmine), used also to refer to flowering plants in the cestrum family.
Jesse m English, Dutch, Finnish, BiblicalFrom
Ἰεσσαί (Iessai), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
יִשַׁי (Yishai). This could be a derivative of the word
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or
יֵשׁ (yesh) meaning
"existence". In the Old Testament Jesse is the father of King
David. It began to be used as an English given name after the Protestant Reformation.
... [more] Jessica f English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, SpanishThis name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in his play
The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of
Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name
Iscah, which would have been spelled
Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century. It reached its peak of popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top ranked name for girls between 1985 and 1995, excepting 1991 and 1992 (when it was unseated by
Ashley). Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909-1994) and Jessica Lange (1949-).
Jesus m Theology, Biblical, PortugueseEnglish form of
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous), which was the Greek form of the Aramaic name
יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshuaʿ).
Yeshuaʿ is itself a contracted form of
Yehoshuaʿ (see
Joshua). Yeshua ben Yoseph, better known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of the New Testament and the source of the Christian religion. The four gospels state that he was the son of God and the Virgin
Mary who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. He preached for three years before being crucified in Jerusalem.
Jethro m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יִתְרוֹ (Yiṯro), which was derived from the Hebrew word
יֶתֶר (yeṯer) meaning
"abundance". According to the Old Testament, Jethro was a Midianite priest who sheltered
Moses when he fled Egypt. He was the father of
Zipporah, who became Moses's wife. A famous bearer of the name was Jethro Tull (1674-1741), an English inventor and agriculturist.
Jewel f & m EnglishIn part from the English word
jewel, a precious stone, derived from Old French
jouel, which was possibly related to
jeu "game". It is also in part from the surname
Jewel or
Jewell (a derivative of the Breton name
Judicaël), which was sometimes used in honour of the 16th-century bishop of Salisbury John Jewel. It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Jezebel f BiblicalFrom Hebrew
אִיזֶבֶל (ʾIzevel), probably from a Phoenician name, possibly containing the Semitic root
zbl meaning
"to exalt, to dwell". According to one theory it might be an altered form of the Phoenician name
𐤁𐤏𐤋𐤀𐤆𐤁𐤋 (Baʿlʾizbel) meaning "Ba'al exalts" with the first element removed or replaced.
... [more] Jimmy m EnglishDiminutive of
James. This was the usual name of American actor James Stewart (1908-1997). It is also used by the former American president Jimmy Carter (1924-).
Jip m & f Frisian, DutchOriginally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the Old German element
geba meaning
"gift". This is the name of a boy in the Dutch children's book series
Jip and Janneke, first published 1952.
Jitka f CzechOld Czech variant of
Judith. This name was borne by an 11th-century duchess of Bohemia, a German noblewoman who was abducted by her husband Duke Bretislav.
Joab m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh is father" in Hebrew, from
יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father". According to the Old Testament, he was the commander of King
David's army. In separate incidents he killed both
Abner and
Absalom. When
Solomon came to power he was executed.
Joah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh is brother" in Hebrew, from
יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and
אָח (ʾaḥ) meaning "brother". This is the name of four people in the Old Testament.
Joan 1 f EnglishMedieval English form of
Johanne, an Old French form of
Iohanna (see
Joanna). This was the usual English feminine form of
John in the Middle Ages, but it was surpassed in popularity by
Jane in the 17th century. It again became quite popular in the first half of the 20th century, entering the top ten names for both the United States and the United Kingdom, though it has since faded.
... [more] Joanna f English, Polish, BiblicalEnglish and Polish form of Latin
Iohanna, which was derived from Greek
Ἰωάννα (Ioanna), the feminine form of
Ioannes (see
John). This is the spelling used in the English New Testament, where it belongs to a follower of
Jesus who is regarded as a saint. In the Middle Ages in England it was used as a Latinized form of
Joan (the usual feminine form of
John) and it became common as a given name in the 19th century.
Jóarr m Old NorseFrom Old Norse
jór "horse" and
herr "army, warrior". This name appears on runestones as
ioar and
iuar, though the latter form could also represent
Ívarr.
Joash m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יוֹאָשׁ (Yoʾash), possibly meaning
"fire of Yahweh". In the Old Testament this name is borne by several characters including the father of
Gideon, a king of Judah, and a son of King
Ahab of Israel.
Job m Biblical, Biblical French, DutchFrom the Hebrew name
אִיּוֹב (ʾIyyov), which means
"persecuted, hated". In the Book of Job in the Old Testament he is a righteous man who is tested by God, enduring many tragedies and hardships while struggling to remain faithful.
Jocelyn f & m English, FrenchFrom a Frankish masculine name, variously written as
Gaudelenus,
Gautselin,
Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *
gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans brought this name to England in the form
Goscelin or
Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname
Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.
Jock m ScottishScots form of
Jack. Among the English, this is a slang term for a Scotsman.