J is for Josie and Jonah

J is for Josie and Jonah

There are sooo many luscious J names—it’s hard to boil them down to just a few. However, I shall try.

Best Bible Names: Julia, Junia, Jerusha, and Jemima. Julia is probably my favorite girl’s classic—“a perennially stylish slam dunk” I gush in Atticus. Julia is one of Saint Paul’s many pals, mentioned in the Book of Romans.

Junia: Where were you when I was writing “A is for Adam”? Apparently, I was not reading the right translation, now was I? Not like the brilliant Laura Wattenberg, of “Baby Name Wizard” fame, whose squib about Junia got my attention fast:

“In Roman 16: 7, Junia was described as “of note among the apostles.” If you don’t find her in your Bible, it’s because scribes in the Middle Ages thought such a description of a woman must be wrong. They scratched Junia out and came up with the masculine Junias in its place. Translators today are reversing that decision.” Thank goodness for that!

Jerusha was a queen of Judah, the wife of King Uzziah and the the mother of the boy king Jotham. It just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? I love saying it, and this one’s a good option for those seeking a Bible name that’s not overused (Junia too!).

Jemima was one of Job’s daughters and is sorely overlooked in these parts, all due to imitation maple syrup. This drives me crazy, because it’s a pretty, quaint, and literary name that deserves a shot. In England they pronounce it “Je-MEE-ma,” which is lovely, too.

Best Lit Names: Jerusha (Daddy Long Legs) and Jemima (Vanity Fair, Chitty Bang Bang) work as lit names, but my favorite is still—despite the great movie, which kind of brings to mind a pregnant teenager—Juno. Very hip and energetic, Juno was the Roman queen of the Gods and appeared in Shakespeare and Virgil.

Best International Names: Sweet, peppy Julitta comes from our friends the Dutch, while romantic Jacinta blooms (it’s Spanish for hyacinth). Say these J names out loud. See, aren’t they gorgeous?

Best J name: Josephine. You could pay tribute to one of the most cherished heroines in fiction, Jo March of “Little Women,” plus this darling gem boasts two great short forms: Josie (too cute!) and Feeny (an antique nickname). Love it!

BOYS

Best Bible Names: Jonah, of course. At 148 on the Baby name popularity chart, Jonah is a “bargain.” It’s strong and masculine while cute on a little boy, plus it is a symbol of redemption and rebirth. In the 12 years since we picked it for our boy, we’ve grown more and more pleased with our choice. Runners up: Jude, Jotham, Jed (Jedidiah), Jadon (Nehemiah 3:7).

Best Lit Name: Jasper. “Cut from the same old-time-yet-newfangled cloth as Ezra, Leo, Emmett and Phineaus, Jasper is onward and upward,” I cooed in “Atticus.” And since Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, named their baby Jasper, the name has shot up 200 places to the 300’s as of 2009.

Best International Name: Justus. What a power-packed name! The Romans gave it to us, and the Germans are using it well. With this spelling, the in-your-face idea is softened enough to make it a little more accessible. Very strong and bold and stylish, too. Runner up: Joaquin (Spanish), Johan (German). (Johan, you say? Yes! Pronounced “YO-hawn,” “Jo (YO)” is a pretty slick little nickname. Heidi Klum and Seal thought so, and how fabulous are they?

I is for Ivy and Ian

GIRLS

Best Lit Name: Iris. As I said in "Atticus," "This flower name in the bouquet zigs while the others zag. It's not for everyone, but that makes it a cool iconoclast. Iris sounds like the kind of girl who grows up to play bass in the hippest side-stage band." Iris appears as one of three otherworldly messengers in "The Tempest." She's represented by a rainbow. Runners up: India ("Gone with the Wind"), Imogene ("Cymbeline").

Best International Name: Isla. That's "Aisle-a," folks, not Iss-la. The flame-haired actress of "Shopaholic" fame, Isla Fisher, brought this uncommonly lovely Scotch import to our attention. An absolutely novel and gorgeous choice for anyone on the hunt for a Scottish name (Molly and Caitlin are no longer overtly Scottish, at any rate). Runners up: Ingrid (Scandinavia and Germany), and Ilsa (same).

Best Name, period: Ivy. Botanical names are so tasteful and elegant, with a splash of artistic flair. Ivy's also cute, strong, and antique, which means Ivy's got it all.

BOYS

Best Lit Name: Ibsen. I know, you're like, 'Whaaat?' Work with me a minute. Ibsen is theatrical, Scandinavian, and utterly original. Of course, it belonged to Henrik Ibsen, the father of modern drama. "Fantastically creative and evocative," I say in "Atticus." Runner Up: Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond novels, and oddly enough, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

Best Bible Name: Isaiah. Breaking my own popularity rules, I would have to say Isaiah is, though quite common, a beautiful, strong, handsome and poetic name. Runner Up: Isaac (the nickname Ike is pretty slick, though few seem to use it.)

Best International Name: Ingo: I've always liked this German name, attached to actor Ingo Rademacher (he who named his own child Peanut). With an O on the end, it has zip, perhaps a more exotic Milo.

Best name, period: Ian. I used to know this guy from camp, Ian MacBeath (pronounced MacBeth), and I almost developed a crush on him for his name alone, not that he wasn't a nice fella. Scottish Ian is "light and swift," says Laura Wattenberg of The Baby Name Wizard. I concur. It goes with almost any surname, and somehow is so appealing despite the fact that it's no longer original.

F is for Finn

F is for Finn

Girls

Best Lit Name: Fern

I know, here’s where many of you are just going to shake your heads in mild, hopefully fond, disapproval. Fern, which comes from the beloved children’s chestnut Charlotte’s Web, has a “leafy green sensibility,” I write in “Atticus.” I see delicacy, botany, feathery fronds. A landscape architect dude I know of named his baby girl Fern, and that just gave it a green, now boost of (chlorophyll?) juice. It’s also quaint and old-fashioned, and utterly unused in the last 100 years, when it was in the Top 200.
Okay, it’s a tie: Frances is also a stupendous lit name, coming from Frances Hodgson Burnett, not to mention the winsome Francie from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Other marvelous F Lit names: Flannery, Flora (the goddess of flowers and springtime in Roman myths).

Best International Name: Francesca

Drop-dead gorgeous Francesca, Italian, of course, is swooningly beautiful. My spell check is insisting that “swooningly” is not a word, but it is the only word to describe Francesca. Runners up: Finola (Scottish), Fiona (Irish), Freya (Scandinavian, yet popular in England.)

Other F Names I Love:

Faith, Fenella, Felicity. I have a friend who named his daughter Felicity after something one of the founding fathers said. Yes, I have some deep friends. I must ask him that quote of his, so I can post it here for you all, and you can sigh deeply with happiness as I did when I heard it.

Celeb F: Finley. Good job, Lisa Marie Presley, who named one of her twin girls Finley, and the other one Harper. Of course, the aforementioned Harmon-Sehorns (see Emery), blazed this trail with their little Finley Faith. Love it.

BOYS

Best Lit Name: Finn
Best International Name: Also Finn
Best F Name, period: Finn! Finn! Finn!

Obviously, I’ve become carried away. But why not, when you have the perfect name? Finn is literary (Huck Finn), international (as Irish as a jig, and on the Dutch Top Ten!), is charming, energetic, simple, handsome. Recently, a preggers relative said she couldn’t use Finn because her in-laws thought the boy would be made fun of. I wanted to take her in-laws to the baby name woodshed, and show them the what for…! People with no imagination sorely test my sanctification. After all, Finn is rising slowly up the charts—it was 387 in 2007—so it’s not like, weird or anything. Sheesh.

Fergus and Felix are nice, too.

PS: Felicity has a big brother named…can you guess?...Is your heart pounding?...Fionn! Okay, so they added an O for a little more Irish authenticity. This is good stuff, folks.