Biblical Girl Names That Start with J

If you're looking for biblical girl names that start with the letter J, here's a handy list of 20 names that fit the bill, along with information about their biblical origins and meanings. Whether your ideal biblical baby name is a tried-and-true classic like Julia, Joanna or Judith, or you're looking for a more unusual or unique biblical J-name (Jerusha, anyone?), this list should offer plenty of inspiration.

Julia

• Meaning: downy; soft and tender hair ^[1]
• Biblical origin: In his letter to the Romans, Paul sends greetings to a group of Christians living in Rome, including a woman named Julia (Romans 16:15). The fact that Paul mentions her by name suggests that he probably had quite some respect for her and her work. However, Julia is not mentioned again in Scripture, so she remains a minor character in the biblical narrative. Because of this, the name Julia might be perfect for parents who want a J-beginning name that's biblical in origin but doesn't scream religious.

Joanna

• Meaning: Grace or gift of the Lord ^[1]
• Biblical origin: This faith-filled New Testament name traces its roots to the Gospel of Luke. Though Joanna is mentioned only a few times in Scripture (Luke 8:3, Luke 24:10), it's clear from the context that she was an influential character who played a significant role in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Judith

• Meaning: Praise; confession ^{[1, 2]}
• Biblical origin: In protestant Bibles such as the New International Version (NIV), the King James Version (KJV), and the New Living Translation (NLT), the name Judith is only mentioned briefly as belonging to one of the two Hittite wives of Esau, the elder son of the biblical patriarch Isaac (Genesis 26:34). However, the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles, as well as the apocrypha of the protestant versions, introduce another Judith, a beautiful, brave and clever widow whose courage and resourcefulness helped the Israelites defeat the Assyrians (Book of Judith).

Jada

• Meaning: wise, knowing ^{[1, 3]}
• Biblical origin: In 1 Chronicles 2, Jada is listed as a son of Onam, grandson of Jerahmeel, and the father of Jether and Jonathan (but not the famous Jonathan who helped David become king). Given that the biblical Jada is a man briefly mentioned in the Old Testament, the name doesn't give off major "biblical girl name" vibes. But all is forgiven because it's such a pretty name, and because its biblical meaning—wise or knowing—is too appealing to ignore.

Johanna

• Meaning: Grace or gift of the Lord ^[1]
• Biblical origin: In English transliterations of the Bible, the loyal and generous woman who accompanied Jesus and the twelve disciples on their travels is called Joanna, but in the German, Dutch and Scandinavian Bibles, she's Johanna. Despite not being an English biblical name, Johanna is quite a common name in English-speaking countries, too.

Julie

• Meaning: downy; soft and tender hair ^[1]
• Biblical origin: Like Johanna, Julie is a continental version of an English biblical name, but instead of tracing its roots to Germany, it comes from—yup, you guessed it—France (the -ie ending kind of gives it away). In the French Bible, Julie appears as the name of the devout Christian woman known as Julia to English speakers, and being simply a variation of the English Julia, it of course also has the same meaning, "downy" or "soft and tender hair".

Jael

• Meaning: he that ascends; climber; ibex; kid ^[1-3]
• Biblical origin: The biblical Jael is best known for her pivotal role in the defeat of Sisera, the commander of King Jabin's Canaanite army. By inviting Sisera into her tent under the pretense of offering hospitality and then killing him while he slept, Jael fulfilled the prophecy of Deborah and secured a critical victory for the Israelites (Judges 4). Praised in the Song of Deborah as "most blessed of women" (Judges 5:2–31), Jael is celebrated as a heroine who delivered Israel from its enemies, but her use of deception and violence also introduces moral ambiguity, making her a figure of both heroic and controversial aspects.

Junia

• Meaning: youth ^{[1, 3]}
• Biblical origin: Julia may be the most common J-beginning girls' name of biblical origin, but Junia is every bit as beautiful and biblical. Like Julia, this ia-ending biblical name comes from the New Testament, where Junia is mentioned as the name of a devout Christian woman who was in prison with the apostle Paul for proclaiming Jesus and who was Christian even before Paul was (Romans 16:7). As a Bible-inspired girl's name, Junia also gets points for an appealing meaning, "youth", and the cute nickname June!

Jaala

• Meaning: ascending; (wild) goat ^[1-3]
• Biblical origin: The popular girl's name Jayla is not in the Bible, but soundalike Jaala claims biblical roots. In Nehemiah 7:58, Jaala appears as the name of a family head whose descendants returned to the Promised Land after spending years in exile. The same biblical figure is also mentioned in Ezra 2:56, though in the Book of Ezra, the name is spelled Jaalah.

Janai

• Meaning: Answering; The Lord hears; afflicting, making poor ^[1-3]
• Biblical origin: This name makes a brief appearance in 1 Chronicles 5:12 as a leader of the tribe of Gad who lived in the region of Bashan. While the biblical Janai/Jaanai being a male, the name is firmly in female territory in the contemporary U.S. Note also that while the New International Version, the Standard American Version and the New Living Translation spell the name Janai, some versions, such as the King James Version, use the spelling Jaanai.

Janna

• Meaning: Who speaks or answers; afflicted, poor ^{[1, 3]}
• Biblical origin: While the meaning of Janna is essentially the same as that of Janai (see above), the biblical Janna is not the same as the Old Testament character mentioned in 1 Chronicles. In fact, the name Janna comes from the New Testament, where a man called Janna appears in the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:24). He is also called Jannai in some versions of the Bible, including the New International Version, but regardless of whether it's Janna or Jannai, this biblical J-name feels rather feminine to the modern English speaker.

Jemima

• Meaning: dove; handsome as the day ^{[1, 2]}
• Biblical origin: Of Hebrew origin, this Old Testament name belongs to one of Job's beautiful daughters borne to him after his fortunes were restored. As a contemporary girl's name, Jemima is in use in the U.K. but in the U.S., the "Aunt Jemima" associations have put a bit of a damper on the name.

Judea

• Meaning: praised, or praise of the Lord; confession ^{[1, 2]}
• Biblical origin: Baby names borrowed from biblical places are red hot right now, but if you find Eden and Shiloh too popular, here's a pretty place-inspired girl's name you don't hear every day—and it starts with J, to boot! As for its biblical background, Judea is simply another name for the vast mountainous biblical region known as Judah, though depending on the context, it may also refer to a smaller region surrounding the city of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem

• Meaning: vision, foundation or possession of peace ^[1-3]
• Biblical origin: Carrying on with biblical place names, next up is Jerusalem—a name that needs to introduction! Whether it's too big of a name for a little baby, however, is up for debate, but the name does appear in the Social Security Administration's extended baby name lists (i.e. beyond the Top 1000 girl names lists), meaning it is in actual use as a girl's name in the U.S.

Jochebed

• Meaning: glorious, God's glory; honorable ^[1-3]
• Biblical origin: As the daughter of Levi and the mother of Moses, Miriam and Aaron, Jochebed's biblical credentials are impeccable. Now, add to that a wonderful meaning, "glorious", and Jochebed should be a top choice for a parent looking for a J-beginning girl's name with biblical gravitas. Yet, Jochebed has somehow managed to escape notice and remains an unusual biblical name choice for girls in America.

Jerusha

• Meaning: possession (of inheritance); or exiled, banished, rejected ^[1-3]
• Biblical origin: Another biblical mother with an influential son, Jerusha is the mother of Jotham, a righteous king who reigned in Judah for sixteen years (2 Kings 15:33-34, 2 Chronicles 27:1) and who also appears in Matthew's account of the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:9). Other than that Jerusha was the mother of Jotham, and that her father's name was Zadok, we don't learn anything else about her in the Bible.

Jarah

• Meaning: wood; honeycomb; watching closely ^[1]
• Biblical origin: Reminiscent of the classic biblical girl name Sarah, Jarah makes for a modern girl's name, but in the Bible, it belongs to a man: in the Old Testament, Jarah is listed as a descendant of King Saul (1 Chronicles 9:42). In some versions of the Bible, such as the New International Version and the New Living Translation, the name is spelled Jadah (not to be confused with Jada, which belongs to a completely different biblical personage).

Jerah

• Meaning: moon, month; scent, smell ^[1-3]
• Biblical origin: Just one letter away from the previous name, Jerah with an "e" is another appealing biblical possibility for a baby girl—if you don't mind that also Jerah's biblical bearer was a male. In the Old Testament, Jerah is mentioned briefly as a son of Joktan, a descendant of Shem (Genesis 10). Its meaning, "moon", also makes it a possibility for parents interested in the special group of baby names that mean moon.

Jedidah

• Meaning: well beloved; amiable ^[3]
• Biblical origin: At first glance, Jedidah is just a minor biblical character, mentioned in a single verse in the Old Testament (2 Kings 22:1). But she's not just any woman: she's the mother of Josiah, the last good king of Judah. As Josiah became king at the age of eight, his mother must have had tremendous influence on his reign and ultimately on his standing as one of the godliest kings in biblical history.

Jaazaniah

• Meaning: Whom the Lord will hear ^{[1, 3]}
• Biblical origin: A male name in ancient times, Jaazaniah might sound more like a girls' name to the contemporary English-speaker thanks to the -niah ending. As for its biblical background, Jaazaniah belongs to several individuals in the Bible, none of them of particularly memorable. In fact, it's rather the meaning, "Whom the Lord will hear", that might endear this ancient biblical name to modern parents.

Sources used for the name meanings:

• [1] Hitchcock, R. D. (1869). Hitchcock's New and Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible: Or, The Whole of the Old and New Testaments Arranged According to Subjects in Twenty-Seven Books. A.J. Johnson.
• [2] Jones, A. (1856). The proper names of the Old Testament scriptures expounded and illustrated. Bagster and Sons.
• [3] Smith, W. (1884). Smith's Bible Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin.