What are the coolest surnames that begin with J? Well, this is subjective.
But here are my ten picks from the U.S. census and the reasons why I think they are so cool.
Jaeger
There were over twelve thousand people named Jaeger in America in 2010.
The meaning of this name comes from the German word for a hunter.
Think of hardy medieval woodsmen roaming through forests with a bow and quiver full of arrows. How cool is that?
Jupiter
Unlike Jaeger, you could only bump into 836 people named Jupiter in 2010.
Who wouldn’t want to be called after the Roman sky god?
And if that doesn’t grab you, the name comes with a whole planet.
Justman
You need a hard-boiled name for the hero of your noir detective story?
Justman is perfect. And there were only about 550 bearers in 2010.
Justman is much better than the more common Justice. I mean, that one is a bit on the nose.
Jurney
Are you writing epic fantasy fiction? Is your main character perhaps going on a…long visit somewhere?
There were 430 people named Jurney in the U.S. in 2010.
The only problem is that your spell-checker will keep changing it to the more common name of Journey (1,529 people).
Trust me – It took twenty minutes of back-spacing to write the last few lines.
Journigan
But wait! What if your hero is Irish?
I’ve got you covered. Journigan is the only man for the job.
I’m Irish and I’ve never heard of this name. But it sounds like it’s from the old country.
They must all have emigrated to America. It belonged to 333 people in the 2010 U.S. census.
Janvier
Do you want an exotic name that people with high school French can pronounce?
I give you Janvier. It signifies the start of the year when possibilities for the future are endless.
But if you want to play safe with pronunciations, just use January instead.
Jolicoeur
What about the cheery sidekick who makes everybody laugh with clever quips and amusing japes?
I’ve picked Jolicoeur on the same principles as Janvier. People will figure out that it belongs to a lighthearted but cool dude.
Jenison
Looking for a name for your femme fatale with beautiful hair and great comic timing?
Look no further than Jennison, which had 945 bearers in 2010.
Actually, you could look a bit further and find Jenison (one “n”), which had 606 bearers.
Why so cool? It’s all about evoking subconscious thoughts.
Readers of a certain age will have the incomparable Jennifer Anniston in the back of their minds, bringing your creation to life.
Jumbo
There were 336 people with the surname of Jumbo in 2010.
This is a fitting name for the huge villain who towers over the room.
But I’d use it for a sidekick who is very small. That’s dramatic irony, right?
Jourdain
Margaret (or Margery) Jourdain appears in Shakespeare’s Henry II (Part 2) as a witch who summons spirits to tell prophecies.
Unfortunately, one of the prophecies predicted the death of the king. Because he croaked shortly afterward, this Jourdain came to a sticky end.
The Archbishop of Canterbury had her burned at the stake.
Dramatic and tragic. I’d resurrect the name for a witch who lived to tell the tale.
Ja
If you want a snappy name, we have an article on the shortest names starting with J.
We go into two, three, and four letter names. I’ve grabbed one of the few two letter names that appears in the census.
Although many of the two-letter names are of Asian origins, Ja has the widest representation across ethnicities:
- Asian & Pacific Islands: 41%
- White: 26%
- Black: 19%
- Hispanic: 9%
Finding More Cool Names
I’ve picked names that are fairly uncommon but they aren’t the least common names in the United States.
If you want names that are more unique, check out our article on rare last names starting with J.
If you want to know the most common names, then check out our big list of surnames beginning with J. There are over three hundred names covered in that article.
If you have friends who would be entertained by this list, send them a link. Or send them to our web story on cool J last names.
