Hebrew Names that Start With J

The authentic Biblical form of a name that has become even more popular alongside Jaden, Jayden, Jaidan et al. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, whose children are named creatively after their parents as Willow and Jaden, helped launch the trend. This spelling peaked at Number 372 in 2003, though it has dropped drastically in usage over the last decade.

Not a biblical name, but one with authentic Hebrew roots that's used in Israel; would fit in with the current trend for two-syllable J names. Jaaron, Jairon, Jaran, Jaren, Jarin, Jarone, Jarran, Jarren, Jarrin, Jarron, Jaryn, Jayron, Jayronn, Je Ronn, J'ron.

Jesus -- pronounced hay-SOOS -- is used exclusively and extensively among Spanish speakers, though JEE-zus as in the first name of Christ is never used in the Anglophone world. Jesus Quintana was a character in The Big Lebowski and Jesus Velasquez appeared on True Blood.

Jacoby, a surname spin on Jacob shot up the charts in the middle of the 2000's, thanks largely to the popularity of Jacoby Ellsbury, the first Native American of Navajo descent in the Major Leagues, but has been dropping steadily since it peaked at Number 423 in 2008. As of 2022, it dropped out of the US Top 1000 and is given to around 170 boys each year.

If you focus on the patience of the biblical Job, rather than his trials, the name becomes more usable. He was, after all, the Old Testament hero of the Book of Job, whose faith was severely tested by God but remained faithful. The name was was used by Puritans and Christian fundamentalists and can be found in the novels of Dickens, George Eliot and Robert Louis Stevenson..

Jorah, a Biblical name with a lovely nature-related meaning, might make a fresher alternative to the overused Jordan. It's similar to the feminine Nora, Cora, and Laura, but depending on your viewpoint, that may be an advantage.

In the Old Testament, Jair is a son of Manasseh as well as a judge of the Israelites. Jair is off its 2003 peak but is still hanging on in the Top 1000 and as a simple yet distinctive name with serious history, is worthy of consideration.

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 biblical name of the mother of King Jotham of Judah has an appealing soft Russian accent.

This spelling is now more popular than the original, though it's not quite as popular as Jayden or Jaden.

This Old Testament name feels feminine to a modern English speaker, thought the Biblical Jarah was male. In the most recent year counted, there were seven girls and five boys given the name. With the rise of Biblical boys' names that end in vowel sounds like Noah and Ezra, Jarah may have new possibilities for boys. An alternate spelling is Jarrah, which is also a distinct Arabic name. Jared and Jareth are unrelated but similar-sounding Biblical choices for boys.

While the biblical Javan, the son of Japheth, is spelled with two a's, the -on version is by far the favorite in contemporary America. Variant spellings and pronunciations abound. This name has ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1976, though it's in danger of falling off.

A son of Noah in the Bible who is also thought to be an ancestor of the Greek people and the guardian angel of Greece. An alternative to Jason or Jayden, perhaps.

Quintessentially sweet and innocent unisex name of the 1960s and 70s, now gone the way of hot pants and disco balls.

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.

The undiscovered Biblical Jemuel -- he was a son of Simeon -- was used for just a handful of boys last year but could be prime for rediscovery now that Old Testament names like Noah and Ethan dominate the Top Ten. And it comes with user-friendly modern nickname Jem.

Jotham is an Old Testament name that today would certainly be the only one in his class, having something of an urban feel via its similarity to the word 'gotham'. In the Bible one Jotham is the sole surviving son of Gideon after the massacre of his brothers, the other is a king of Judah who was an enthusiastic builder. Jotham Riddle is a character in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Pioneers, while Jotham Powell appears in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome.

Jothan or Jotham was both a son of Gideon and a king of Judah in the Bible. One of the biblical boys' names that's still obscure -- though like so many others in this class, it could be rediscovered.

Like its better known cousin Jedidiah, Jebediah is one of those four-syllable Old Testament names that is being shorn of its long white-bearded image, with the help of its modern-sounding Jeb nickname.

A French name that's lost its chic.