José m & f Spanish, Portuguese, FrenchSpanish and Portuguese form of
Joseph, as well as a French variant. In Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions it is occasionally used as a feminine middle name (or the second part of a double name), often paired with
María. This was the most popular name for boys in Spain for the first half of the 20th century. A famous bearer was the Portuguese novelist José Saramago (1922-2010).
Joseph m English, French, German, BiblicalFrom
Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek
Ἰωσήφ (Ioseph), which was from the Hebrew name
יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning
"he will add", from the root
יָסַף (yasaf). In the Old Testament Joseph is the eleventh son of
Jacob and the first with his wife
Rachel. Because he was the favourite of his father, his older brothers sent him to Egypt and told their father that he had died. In Egypt, Joseph became an advisor to the pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled with his brothers when they came to Egypt during a famine. This name also occurs in the New Testament, belonging to Saint Joseph the husband of
Mary, and to Joseph of Arimathea.
... [more] Joséphine f FrenchFrench feminine form of
Joseph. A notable bearer of this name was the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814).
Josephus m Dutch, HistoryLatin form of
Joseph. As a Dutch name, it is used on birth certificates though a vernacular form such as
Jozef is typically used in daily life. In English, it is used primarily to refer to the 1st-century Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus.
Joses m BiblicalFrom
Ἰωσῆς (Ioses), a Greek variant of
Joseph used in the New Testament to distinguish Joseph the brother of James from the many other characters of that name.
Joshua m English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshu'a) meaning
"Yahweh is salvation", from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
יָשַׁע (yasha') meaning "to save". As told in the Old Testament, Joshua was a companion of
Moses. He went up Mount Sinai with Moses when he received the Ten Commandments from God, and later he was one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan. After Moses died Joshua succeeded him as leader of the Israelites and he led the conquest of Canaan. His original name was
Hoshea.
... [more] Josiah m Biblical, EnglishFrom the Hebrew name
יֹאשִׁיָהוּ (Yoshiyahu) meaning
"Yahweh supports". In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah famous for his religious reforms. He was killed fighting the Egyptians at Megiddo in the 7th century BC. In England this name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.
Josip m Croatian, SloveneCroatian and Slovene form of
Joseph. A notable bearer was the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz (1892-1980), also known as Tito.
Jotham m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh is perfect" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of both a son of
Gideon and a king of Judah.
Jove m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From Latin
Iovis, the genitive case of
Iuppiter (see
Jupiter). Though this form is grammatically genitive, post-classically it has been used nominatively as another name for Jupiter.
Jovita f Spanish, PortugueseSpanish and Portuguese feminine form of the Roman name
Iovita (masculine), which was derived from the name of the god
Jove. This was the name of an early saint and martyr, the brother of Faustinus.
Joy f EnglishSimply from the English word
joy, ultimately derived from Norman French
joie, Latin
gaudium. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.
Joyce f & m EnglishFrom the medieval masculine name
Josse, which was derived from the earlier
Iudocus, which was a Latinized form of the Breton name
Judoc meaning
"lord". The name belonged to a 7th-century Breton saint, and Breton settlers introduced it to England after the Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 14th century, but was later revived as a feminine name, perhaps because of similarity to the Middle English word
joise "to rejoice". This given name also became a surname, as in the case of the Irish novelist James Joyce (1882-1941).
Jozafat m Polish (Rare)Polish form of
Josaphat. This was the name of a 17th-century Polish saint and martyr who attempted to reconcile the Catholic and Eastern Churches.
Juan 1 m Spanish, ManxSpanish and Manx form of
Iohannes (see
John). Like other forms of
John in Europe, this name has been extremely popular in Spain since the late Middle Ages.
... [more] Juana f SpanishSpanish form of
Iohanna (see
Joanna), making it the feminine form of
Juan 1. This name was borne by Juana the Mad, a 16th-century queen of Castile.
Jubal m BiblicalMeans
"stream" in Hebrew. This name is mentioned in Genesis in the Old Testament as belonging to the first person to be a musician.
Judah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוּדָה (Yehudah), probably derived from
יָדָה (yadah) meaning "praise". In the Old Testament Judah is the fourth of the twelve sons of
Jacob by
Leah, and the ancestor of the tribe of Judah. An explanation for his name is given in
Genesis 29:35. His tribe eventually formed the Kingdom of Judah in the south of Israel. King
David and
Jesus were among the descendants of him and his wife
Tamar. This name was also borne by Judah Maccabee, the Jewish priest who revolted against Seleucid rule in the 2nd century BC, as told in the Books of Maccabees.
... [more] Judas m BiblicalFrom
Ἰούδας (Ioudas), the Greek form of
Judah. This is the name of several characters in the New Testament including the infamous Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed
Jesus to the Jewish authorities in exchange for money.
Judda f GermanicProbably derived from the name of the Germanic tribe the Jutes, who originated in Denmark and later invaded and settled in England. The name of the tribe, recorded in Latin as
Iutae and Old English as
Eotas, is of uncertain origin.
Jude 1 m English, BiblicalVariant of
Judas. It is used in many English versions of the New Testament to denote the second apostle named Judas, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He was supposedly the author of the Epistle of Jude. In the English-speaking world,
Jude has occasionally been used as a given name since the time of the Protestant Reformation.
Judicaël m French, BretonFrench form of the Old Breton name
Iudicael, derived from the elements
iudd "lord" and
hael "generous". This was the name of a 7th-century Breton king, also regarded as a saint.
Judith f English, Jewish, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, French, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוּדִית (Yehudit) meaning
"Jewish woman", feminine of
יְהוּדִי (yehudi), ultimately referring to a person from the tribe of
Judah. In the Old Testament Judith is one of the Hittite wives of
Esau. This is also the name of the main character of the apocryphal Book of Judith. She killed Holofernes, an invading Assyrian commander, by beheading him in his sleep.
... [more] Judy f EnglishDiminutive of
Judith. A well-known bearer of this name was the American singer and actress Judy Garland (1922-1969).
Jugurtha m Ancient Berber (Latinized), BerberLatinized form of Berber
Yugurten meaning
"he surpassed them, he overcome them". Jugurtha was a 2nd-century BC king of Numidia who fought against the Roman Republic. He was eventually captured and executed in Rome.
Jules 1 m FrenchFrench form of
Julius. A notable bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), author of
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and other works of science fiction.
Julia f English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Roman, BiblicalFeminine form of the Roman family name
Julius. Among the notable women from this family were Julia Augusta (also known as Livia Drusilla), the wife of Emperor
Augustus, and Julia the Elder, the daughter of Augustus and the wife of
Tiberius. A person by this name has a brief mention in the New Testament. It was also borne by a few early saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Additionally, Shakespeare used it in his comedy
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
... [more] Julian m English, Polish, GermanFrom the Roman name
Iulianus, which was derived from
Julius. This was the name of the last pagan Roman emperor, Julian the Apostate (4th century). It was also borne by several early saints, including the legendary Saint Julian the Hospitaller. This name has been used in England since the Middle Ages, at which time it was also a feminine name (from
Juliana, eventually becoming
Gillian).
Juliana f Dutch, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Iulianus (see
Julian). This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr from Nicomedia, and also of the Blessed Juliana of Norwich, also called Julian, a 14th-century mystic and author. The name was also borne by a 20th-century queen of the Netherlands. In England, this form has been in use since the 18th century, alongside the older form
Gillian.
Juliet f EnglishAnglicized form of
Giulietta or
Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of
Romeo in the play
Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as
Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.
Julius m Ancient Roman, English, German, Finnish, Lithuanian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, CzechFrom a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Greek
ἴουλος (ioulos) meaning
"downy-bearded". Alternatively, it could be related to the name of the Roman god
Jupiter. This was a prominent patrician family of Rome, who claimed descent from the mythological Julus, son of
Aeneas. Its most notable member was Gaius Julius Caesar, who gained renown as a military leader for his clever conquest of Gaul. After a civil war he became the dictator of the Roman Republic, but was eventually stabbed to death in the senate.
... [more] June f EnglishFrom the name of the month, which was originally derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century.
Junia f Biblical, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Junius. This was the name of an early Christian mentioned in the New Testament (there is some debate about whether the name belongs to a man or a woman).
Junius m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was possibly derived from the name of the Roman goddess
Juno. It was borne by Lucius Junius Brutus, the founder of the Roman Republic in the 6th century BC. It was also borne by the 1st-century BC Roman politician Marcus Junius Brutus, commonly known as Brutus, who was one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.
Juno f Roman MythologyMeaning unknown, possibly related to an Indo-European root meaning
"young", or possibly of Etruscan origin. In Roman mythology Juno was the wife of
Jupiter and the queen of the heavens. She was the protectress of marriage and women, and was also the goddess of finance.
Jupiter m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From Latin
Iuppiter, which was ultimately derived from the vocative form of Indo-European *
Dyēws-pətēr, composed of the elements
Dyēws (see
Zeus) and
pətēr "father". Jupiter was the supreme god in Roman mythology. He presided over the heavens and light, and was responsible for the protection and laws of the Roman state. This is also the name of the fifth and largest planet in the solar system.
Justin m English, French, SloveneFrom the Latin name
Iustinus, which was derived from
Justus. This was the name of several early saints including Justin Martyr, a Christian philosopher of the 2nd century who was beheaded in Rome. It was also borne by two Byzantine emperors. As an English name, it has occasionally been used since the late Middle Ages, though it did not become common until the second half of the 20th century. Famous modern bearers include pop stars Justin Timberlake (1981-) and Justin Bieber (1994-).
Justine f French, EnglishFrench form of
Iustina (see
Justina). This is the name of the heroine in the novel
Justine (1791) by the Marquis de Sade.
Justinian m HistoryFrom the Latin name
Iustinianus, which was derived from
Iustinus (see
Justin). This was the name of a 6th-century Byzantine emperor who attempted to restore the borders of the Roman Empire.
Juta f Estonian, LatvianEstonian and Latvian form of
Jutta. This is the name of a character in the Estonian legend
Lake Endla and Juta (1852) by Friedrich Robert Faehlmann.
Jutta f GermanProbably a medieval Low German form of
Judith. It might also derive from an Old German name such as
Judda.
Juvenal m History, PortugueseFrom the Roman cognomen
Iuvenalis, which meant
"youthful" in Latin. Juvenal was a Roman satirist of the 1st century.
Kai 1 m Frisian, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, EnglishMeaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of
Gerhard,
Nicolaas,
Cornelis or
Gaius. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.
Kailash m Hindi, MarathiFrom the name of a mountain in the Himalayas that is believed to be the paradise of the Hindu god
Shiva. It possibly means "crystal" in Sanskrit.
Kaiser m VariousGerman form of the Roman title
Caesar (see
Caesar). It is not used as a given name in Germany itself.