25 Baby Girl Names Starting With J That Feel Joyful

Baby girl names starting with J extend beyond the realms of Jessica and Jennifer. J-names offer a unique sound and are roundly beloved for baby girls. J is the most frequent letter for boy names and the second most common letter for names overall. J baby names for girls are led by Julie, Jade, and Jasmine which are contemporary and classic favorites that show the variety of this category of appellations.

Because of the popularity of these names for girls, we have pulled a mix of names you will find in the top 1000 baby names for girls in the US as well as more unique options for adventurous parents who wish to impart a touch of style and character with a moniker. So, if you are feeling quite jovial, joyful, and jolly, please jump on as we reveal our 25 favorite baby girl names for boys starting with J.

25. Jamila

Jamila is a gorgeous Arabic name that has the added benefit of rhyming with vanilla. Jamila was favored by new parents most in the seventies and eighties but the name has since fallen from the US top 1000 chart. Bring Jamila back! The name means “beautiful, graceful.”

24. Joy

Joy is from an older generation of word names, which also included Merry, Bliss, and Glory that feel perfectly retro today. The name has a long history in this country as it was once favored by Puritans who intended the name to mean “bing joyful to the Lord.” It’s still a top 1000 name today and we think it’s a most cheerful choice.

23. Jewel

Just like Flora is for botanicals, Jewel is the generic gemstone name, not used much since the early twentieth century when it was seen as a symbol of how precious a daughter could be. However, the name is still in the top 1000 today. We think it has quite the shine to it.

22. Jemima

Of all the baby girl names starting with J, Jemima has suffered the most from its association with the racist stereotype of a brand of pancakes and syrup. We think the dust from that fallout has settled and this beautiful, biblical name is ready to be put to use once more. The name has Hebrew origins and means “dove.”

21. Joanna

Joanna is a classic that can be spelled with or without an H as in Johanna. Joanna derives from the Greek name Ioanna, which in turn came from the Hebrew name Yohannah. It means “God is gracious.” The name is still fairly popular today but it’s nowhere near its peak popularity in the 1980s.

20. Juniper

Are you looking for baby girl names starting with J that sound super fresh? Juniper might be the perfect choice for zesty, new parents. This gender-neutral option entered the top 1000 in 2011 for the first time and its popularity has only grown since then. The name of an evergreen shrub takes its origins from Latin and means “young.”

19. June

June, a sweetly old-fashioned month name derived from the goddess Juno (also an excellent name), has seen its favor dramatically change over the last twelve years. It began to trend again in 2008 and has been skyrocketing up the charts since then. If you are looking for something with a bit more variety, the Scandinavian form of the name, Juni, is a blast as well.

18. Justice

Justice is a fashionable word name, used for both girls and boys. Justice has the distinction of being a virtue name without the religious implications of Faith or Grace. It’s one of our very favorite baby girl names starting with J because of its egalitarian meaning. The name has been on the top 1000 list for baby girls since 1994.

17. Juliet

One of the most romantic baby girl names starting with J, the lovely and stylish Juliet seems finally to have shaken off her limiting link to Romeo. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, it was Juliet who said “What’s in a name?” Juliet has English and Latin in it and means “youthful” or “sky father.”

16. Jolene

Stuck in the shadow of the classic Dolly Parton song. In spite of its dated feel, Jolene reentered the charts in 2010 and has been rising in recent years. This name is an American invention that most likely is a female form of Jor or Joel. Thus, it means “the Lord is God.”

15. Janelle

Janelle is an option for new parents who have been steadily choosing this classic since the thirties. Janelle, like Jolene, is a fairly modern invention that’s a flourishing form of Jane. Thus, the name has come to mean “God is gracious.” This baby girl names starting with J has the added benefit of containing two rockstar nicknames, Jan and Elle.

14. Jade

Jade is a name that’s red hot right now and it shows potential for breaking into the US top 100 this year. This completely wonderful name has origins in Spanish meaning “stone of the side.” This name might seem as old as the stone, but it, in fact, was not widely given as a name in the US until the late seventies!

13. Julian

Julian like Juliet comes from Latin and is another female form of the name Julies. Julian is a perfectly unisex name that’s common for both boys and girls around the world. If you want to put a more femme spin on the name consider Julianne. This name has never appeared in the top 1000 names for girls.

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12. Journee

Journee or spelled Journey are very popular names for baby girls and have been for a decade. We love the sense of adventure this name brings to the table. Journee, like many other baby girl names starting with J, is more popular today than ever before.

11. Jemma

Jenna feels fairly overused at this point, and so we suggest instead Jemma. The traditional spelling is Gemma but we love it with a J. This name is super popular in Australia and it has been a favored option in the US since 2010. Go for it! This name means exactly what you think it does, “precious stone.”

10. Jael

Jael is a gorgeous gender-neutral option that you do not hear often outside of Israel. Jael pronounced yah-el is mentioned in the bible but also is a name to a city in northern Israel. The cute name has a very cute meaning in “mountain goat.”

9. Jala

Not too far from Jael, Jala is pretty and delicate and has plenty of charm. This Arabic favorite means “great, illustrious.” Neither Jael or Jala have been in the US top 1000 but we foresee that changing soon.

8. Janae

Janae is a baby girl name starting with a J that has a French sound but it was 100% manufactured in the US. In France, you will hear Janet (with a silent “T,” meaning “little Joan”). Janae is simply an attempt at that or an elongated form of Jane or Jan.

7. Juanita

Jaunita is a name that is beloved in Spanish-speaking cultures along with the similar Juana. Juanita is the Spanish form of Johanna and means “God is gracious.” The name was popular in the US for decades before falling off the charts in the early nineties. We miss this lyrical name!

6. January

January finally joined contemporaries April, June, and August briefly in the seventies before falling out of the top 1000 once more. We love this snowy-sounding month name and think it might be our favorite of them all. We hope she makes a comeback.

5. Jinx

Not just the name of your favorite drag queen, Jinx is a playful word name that was made possible by the James Bond franchise. In the film Die Another Day, the actual first name of the character played by Halle Berry is Giacinta. This baby girl names starting with J has an ominous meaning in “curse” but sounds the most fun!

4. Jojo

Jojo is seen primarily as a nickname but we believe it has the potential to stand all on its own. Typically, this name is used for girls with Jo- name beginnings and almost all of them come from the same root which means “Jehovah increases.” Feel free to go with Jojo adventurous parents!

3. Joni

Joni was most likely popular decades thanks in no small part to folk music legend Joni Mitchell. Of the baby girl names starting with J, Joni was on the top 1000 list from 1953-1989. We are still fond of this one which is a form of Joanie and thus means “God is gracious.”

2. Jules

Jules is the perfect name for a baby boy or girl that you seldom find in the US. In fact, we have only heard it in the wild a handful of times. It’s yet another form of Julius and probably our favorite of the lot. Jules is often spelled like Jools. Live your life!

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1. Jocelyn

Jocelyn has gotten new life and popularity as a result of the current passion for -lyn endings. Though it was a male name in medieval times, now Jocelyn couldn’t sound more softly feminine. The name has German origins and means “member of the Gauts tribe.”

There you go! We hope you enjoyed these baby girl names starting with J and will jump at the chance to use one of them for your daughter. Elegant, charming, and full of characters these names will never let you down.