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THE ORIGIN OF NAMES

- J -

JAMES
James Frederick 1813 - 1870
Christopher James 1894 - 1967
In origin, a form of Jacob. In Greek as Iakobos, which in Latin became Iacobus and Iacomus - hence James.

JEAN / JANE (JAYNE)
Jean Arbor Klitz 1926 - 07.09.2017
Ann Jayne Klitz 1936 - date
Like Jane and Joan, a medieval variant of Old French Je(h)anne. No record about the spelling Jayne.

JEANETTE
Jeanette Kim
Harding 1958 - to date
French feminine diminutive of Jean, the French version of John.

JENNY (JENNIFER)
Jenny
Keely 1969 - to date
Now universally taken as the short form for Jennifer this name in fact existed during the Middle Ages as a pet form of Jean.
Jennifer - is of Celtic origin, the Cornish form of the name of King Arthur’s unfaithful wife, Guinevere.

JOANNA
Joanna
Perrett 1972 - to date
Joanna is a Latinate form of Joan, regularly found in medieval documents, but only used as a given name in its own right since the 19th Century.

JOHN / JOHANN / HANS
Johann Christophe 1742 - 1818
John 1806 ?
Robert John 1815 - 1899
John Henry 1816 - 1880
Charles John 1843 - 1907
Henry John 1848 - 1934
John ? 1800
John (Jack) 1883 - 1941
John Neville 1910 - 1989
John
Blundell 1912 - 1981
Thomas John
Harding 1966 - to date
John 1943 - ?
John Martin
Blundell 1947 - to date
Johann Philipp 1812 - 1883
Frederich Johann Philipp Wilhelm 1863 - 1925.
From the Greek Ioannes, Latin Johannes, contracted forms of the Hebrew name Johanan, which means ‘God is Gracious’.
John is the spelling used in the Authorized version of the Bible. In addition to John, the Baptist and John The Evangelist there has been several hundred other Christian Saints with the name. In it’s numerous European forms it has for centuries been the most common of all boys’ names in the Christian world. - French - Jean, Italian - Giovanni, Spanish - Juan, German - Hans - Dutch Jan - Russian - Ivan.

JONATHAN
Jonathan
Keely 1981 - to date
Old Testament name composed of the same Hebrew elements as Matthew, ‘God’ and ‘Gift’ but in reverse order. It was the name of several biblical people but most notably by a son of King Saul, who was an inseparable friend of the young David.

JOSEPH
Charles Joseph
Landeta 1989 - to date
Old testament name meaning ‘(God) shall add (another son)’ in Hebrew. Name of the son of Jacob who became chief steward to Pharaoh in Egypt. In the New Testament it is the name of the husband of the Virgin Mary. It was also borne by Joseph of Arimathea, who according to legend brought the Holy Grail to Britain.

JULIA - Hilary Julia Lichfield 1950 - to date
Feminine form of the Latin family name, Julius. Various early Saints. Not used in England before the 18th Century.

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