JINAN m & f ArabicMeans
"garden" or
"paradise" in Arabic.
JING m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle",
精 (jīng) meaning "essence, spirit",
晶 (jīng) meaning "clear, crystal" or
京 (jīng) meaning "capital city". Other characters can also form this name.
JINGYI m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
静 (jìng) meaning "quiet, still, gentle" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". Other character combinations are possible as well.
JIP m & f Frisian, DutchFrisian short form of Germanic names such as
GIJSBERT or
GIJSBERTA. This is the name of a boy in the Dutch children's book series
Jip and Janneke, first published 1952.
JIRŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
二 (ji) meaning "two" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name given to the second son. Other combinations of kanji characters can also be possible.
JI-SU f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" or
智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" combined with
秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful". Other hanja character combinations are possible.
JI-U f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
芝 (ji) meaning "sesame" or
志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" combined with
雨 (u) meaning "rain" or
宇 (u) meaning "house, eaves, universe". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
JI-YEONG f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
知 (ji) meaning "know, perceive, comprehend" combined with
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero" or
榮 (yeong) meaning "glory, honour, flourish, prosper". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
JOAB m BiblicalMeans
"YAHWEH is father" in Hebrew. 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. This is the name of four people in the Old Testament.
JOASH m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יוֹאָשׁ (Yo'ash), possibly meaning
"fire of YAHWEH". In the Old Testament this name was 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 ('Iyyov), 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 Germanic masculine name, variously written as
Gaudelenus,
Gautselin,
Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element
gaut, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats or Goths, 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.
JODY f & m EnglishProbably either a variant of
JUDY or a diminutive of
JOSEPH. It was popularized by the young hero in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' novel
The Yearling (1938) and the subsequent film adaptation (1946).
JOE m EnglishShort form of
JOSEPH. Five famous sports figures who have had this name are boxers Joe Louis (1914-1981) and Joe Frazier (1944-), baseball player Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999), and football quarterbacks Joe Namath (1943-) and Joe Montana (1956-).
JOEL m English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יוֹאֵל (Yo'el) meaning
"YAHWEH is God", from the elements
יוֹ (yo) and
אֵל ('el), both referring to the Hebrew God. Joel is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Joel, which describes a plague of locusts. In England, it was first used as a Christian name after the Protestant Reformation.
JOHANAN m BiblicalForm of
Yochanan (see
JOHN) used in the English Old Testament. It was the name of a military leader in the time of the prophet
Jeremiah.
JOHANN m GermanGerman form of
Iohannes (see
JOHN). Famous bearers include German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German novelist and poet Johann Goethe (1749-1832), and Austrian composers Johann Strauss the Elder (1804-1849) and his son Johann Strauss the Younger (1825-1899).
JOHN m English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, BiblicalEnglish form of
Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name
Ιωαννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name
יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan) meaning
"YAHWEH is gracious", from the roots
יוֹ (yo) referring to the Hebrew God and
חָנַן (chanan) meaning "to be gracious". The Hebrew form occurs in the Old Testament (spelled
Johanan or
Jehohanan in the English version), but this name owes its popularity to two New Testament characters, both highly revered saints. The first is John the Baptist, a Jewish ascetic who is considered the forerunner of
Jesus. He baptized Jesus and was later executed by
Herod Antipas. The second is the apostle John, who is traditionally regarded as the author of the fourth gospel and Revelation. With the apostles
Peter and
James (his brother), he was part of the inner circle of Jesus.
... [more] JOHNNY m EnglishDiminutive of
JOHN. A famous bearer is American actor Johnny Depp (1963-).
JOKTAN m BiblicalMeans
"small" in Hebrew. This is the name of a son of Eber in the Old Testament.
JOLYON m English (Rare)Medieval form of
JULIAN. The author John Galsworthy used it for a character in his
Forsyte Saga novels (published between 1906 and 1922).
JONAH m English, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יוֹנָה (Yonah) meaning
"dove". This was the name of a prophet swallowed by a fish, as told in the Old Testament Book of Jonah. Jonah was commanded by God to preach in Nineveh, but instead fled by boat. After being caught in a storm, the other sailors threw Jonah overboard, at which point he was swallowed. He emerged from the fish alive and repentant three days later.
... [more] JONATHAN m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, French, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
יְהוֹנָתָן (Yehonatan), contracted to
יוֹנָתָן (Yonatan), meaning
"YAHWEH has given", derived from the roots
יְהוֹ (yeho) referring to the Hebrew God and
נָתַן (natan) meaning "to give". According to the Old Testament, Jonathan was the eldest son of
Saul. His relationship with his father was strained due to his close friendship with his father's rival
David. Along with Saul he was killed in battle with the Philistines.
... [more] JONG-SU m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
宗 (jong) meaning "lineage, ancestry" and
秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding", as well as other combinations of hanja characters with the same pronunciations.
JORAH m Biblical, LiteratureFrom the Hebrew name
יוֹרָה (Yorah) meaning either
"he teaches" or
"rain". This name is mentioned briefly in the Book of Ezra in the Old Testament. It was used by George R. R. Martin for a character in his fantasy series
A Song of Ice and Fire (first published 1996) and the television adaptation
Game of Thrones (2011-2019). It is not known if Martin took the name from the Bible.
JORAM m BiblicalContracted form of
Yehoram (see
JEHORAM). This name belongs to several minor characters in the Old Testament, as well as being another name for the kings Jehoram of Israel and Jehoram of Judah.
JORDAN m & f English, French, MacedonianFrom the name of the river that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is
יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from
יָרַד (yarad) meaning
"descend" or
"flow down". In the New Testament
John the Baptist baptizes
Jesus Christ in its waters, and it was adopted as a personal name in Europe after crusaders brought water back from the river to baptize their children. There may have been some influence from the Germanic name
JORDANES, notably borne by a 6th-century Gothic historian.
... [more] JORDANES m Ancient GermanicGermanic name, probably related to the Norse element
jord meaning
"land". This name was borne by a 6th-century Roman author of Gothic background, who wrote a history of the Goths. It is possible that the spelling of his name was influenced by that of the
Jordan River.
JOSÉ m & f Spanish, Portuguese, FrenchSpanish and Portuguese form of
JOSEPH, as well as a French variant. In Spanish-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.
JOSEPH m English, French, German, BiblicalFrom
Ioseph, the Latin form of Greek
Ιωσηφ (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] JOSEPHUS m Dutch, HistoryLatin form of
JOSEPH. This form is used by Dutch Catholics. In English, it is used primarily to refer to the 1st-century Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus.
JOSES m BiblicalFrom
Ιωσης (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.
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.
JOUKAHAINEN m Finnish MythologyMeaning unknown. In the Finnish epic the
Kalevala this is the name of a youth who challenges
Väinämöinen to a chanting (or spellcasting) duel. Joukahainen loses, and must promise his sister
Aino to Väinämöinen.
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 formed the basis for 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.
JU f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
菊 (jú) meaning "chrysanthemum" (which is usually only feminine) or
巨 (jù) meaning "big, enormous" (usually only masculine), besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
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. It is borne by Don Juan, a character from Spanish legend who, after killing his lover's father, is dragged to hell by the father's ghost.
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.
JUDA m ArabicMeans
"goodness, excellence", derived from Arabic
جاد (jada) meaning "to be excellent".
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
Ιουδας (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.
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, prince" and
hael "generous". This was the name of a 7th-century Breton king, also regarded as a saint.
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.
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).
JULIUS m Ancient Roman, English, German, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, CzechFrom a Roman family name that was possibly derived from Greek
ιουλος (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] JUN (1) m & f Chinese, KoreanFrom Chinese
君 (jūn) meaning "king, ruler",
俊 (jùn) meaning "talented, handsome" (which is usually only masculine) or
军 (jūn) meaning "army" (also usually only masculine). This is also a single-character Korean name, often from the hanja
俊 meaning "talented, handsome". This name can be formed by other characters besides those shown here.
JUN (2) m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
淳 (jun) meaning "pure",
潤 (jun) meaning "moisture",
純 (jun) meaning "pure, clean, simple", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
JUNAYD m ArabicMeans
"small army", derived from Arabic
جند (jund) meaning "army, soldiers".
JUN-HO m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome" combined with
鎬 (ho) meaning "stove, bright" or
昊 (ho) meaning "summer, sky, heaven". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
JUN'ICHI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
順 (jun) meaning "obey, submit" or
淳 (jun) meaning "pure" combined with
一 (ichi) meaning "one". Other kanji combinations are possible.
JUNIOR m EnglishFrom a nickname that was originally used for a boy who had the same name as his father.
JUNÍPERO m VariousThis was the name assumed by the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan monk Miguel José Serra, a missionary to California. He named himself after one of Saint Francis's companions, who was named from Latin
iuniperus "juniper".
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.
JUNPEI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
純 (jun) or
淳 (jun) both meaning "pure" combined with
平 (pei) meaning "level, even, peaceful". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
JUN-SEO m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome" combined with
舒 (seo) meaning "open up, unfold, comfortable, easy" or
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
JUPITER m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From Latin
Iuppiter, which was ultimately derived from the Indo-European *
Dyeu-pater, composed of the elements
Dyeus (see
ZEUS) and
pater "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.
JŪRŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
十 (jū) meaning "ten" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". Traditionally this name was given to the tenth son. Other combinations of kanji characters are possible as well.
JUSTICE m & f EnglishFrom an occupational surname meaning
"judge, officer of justice" in Old French. This name can also be given in direct reference to the English word
justice.
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 20th century. Famous modern bearers include pop stars Justin Timberlake (1981-) and Justin Bieber (1994-).
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.
JUVENAL m History, PortugueseFrom the Roman cognomen
Iuvenalis, which meant
"youthful" in Latin. Juvenal was a Roman satirist of the 1st century.
JU-WON m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
周 (ju) meaning "circumference" combined with
元 (won) meaning "first, origin" or
媛 (won) meaning "beautiful woman". Other hanja character combinations are possible.