This page lists 43 literary boy names that start with J, from “Jack” to “Justinian”. The names come from novels, plays, poems, and Bible stories, and many belong to heroes, villains, and sidekicks you may already know. They are useful if you are naming a baby, a pet, or a character in your own story, or if you simply enjoy books.

Literary boy names are names borne by male characters in fiction, drama, and poetry, or by the authors who wrote them. Some, like “Jeeves” and “Jarndyce,” were shaped by a single writer, while others, like “Jonah” and “Job,” come from ancient texts that authors keep returning to.

Below you’ll find the table with the name, origin, pronunciation, meaning, and description for each entry.

Name: The name itself, listed in alphabetical order, so you can scan quickly and find the ones that catch your eye.

Origin: The language or culture the name comes from, which helps you see its roots and the traditions behind it.

Pronunciation: A simple guide to saying the name aloud, so you feel confident using it, especially for less familiar choices.

Meaning: What the name originally meant, which can help you pick one that carries a message or value you like.

Description: The book, play, or story where the name appears, and who carried it, so you can connect each name to its literary home.

Literary boy names

NameOriginPronunciationMeaning
JackEnglishJAKGod is gracious (from John)
JacobHebrewJAY-kubSupplanter, holder of the heel
JaggersEnglishJAG-erzSurname of uncertain meaning, possibly from “jagger” (carter or peddler)
JagoCornishJAY-goCornish form of James, supplanter
JamesEnglish/HebrewJAYMZSupplanter
JarndyceEnglishJAR-disInvented surname, with no established meaning
JasperPersianJAS-perTreasurer, bringer of treasure
JayEnglishJAYJaybird, or short form of names starting with J
JeanFrenchZHAHNGod is gracious
JeevesEnglishJEEVZSurname of uncertain origin
JemEnglishJEMShort form of Jeremy or James
JeremiahHebrewjer-uh-MY-uhYahweh exalts
JeremyEnglish/HebrewJER-uh-meeYahweh exalts
JeromeGreek/Latinjuh-ROHMSacred name
JervisEnglishJAR-visSpear servant (Norman form of Gervase)
JimEnglishJIMShort form of James
JimmyEnglishJIM-eeShort form of James
JoEnglishJOHShort form of Joseph
JobHebrewJOHBPersecuted, hated
JocelynOld FrenchJOSS-uh-linMember of the Gauts, a Germanic tribe
JoeEnglishJOHShort form of Joseph
JoelHebrewJOHLYahweh is God
JohanScandinavian/GermanYOH-hahnGod is gracious
JohnHebrewJONGod is gracious
JohnnyEnglishJON-eeShort form of John
JonahHebrewJOH-nuhDove
JonasGreek/HebrewJOH-nusDove
JonathanHebrewJON-uh-thunYahweh has given
JordanHebrewJOR-dunTo flow down
JosephHebrewJOH-zifHe will add
JoshHebrewJOSHShort form of Joshua
JoshuaHebrewJOSH-yoo-uhYahweh is salvation
JoveLatinJOHVAnother name for Jupiter, the sky god
JudeHebrewJOODPraised
JudahHebrewJOO-duhPraised
JulianLatinJOOL-yunYouthful, belonging to Julius
JulienFrenchZHOO-lyanYouthful, belonging to Julius
JuliusLatinJOOL-yusYouthful
JuniperLatinJOO-nuh-perYoung, evergreen shrub
JuniusLatinJOON-yusOf June
JupiterLatinJOO-pih-terFather of the sky
JustinLatinJUS-tinJust, fair
JustinianLatinjus-TIN-ee-unJust, upright

Descriptions

Jack
Used by Jack Dawson in Titanic’s source culture and by Jack Kerouac’s narrators; the name appears in Jack London’s adventure tales and countless fairy-tale heroes like Jack and the Beanstalk.
Jacob
The biblical patriarch who wrestled an angel, and a name carried by Jacob Marley in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Jacob Black in Twilight.
Jaggers
Mr. Jaggers is the shrewd, intimidating London lawyer in Dickens’ Great Expectations who manages Pip’s mysterious fortune.
Jago
The name of a character in Arthur Morrison’s A Child of the Jago, and a Cornish favorite in fiction set in the West Country.
James
A classic of literature, from James Bond to James Gatz, the real name of Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby.
Jarndyce
John Jarndyce is the kindly guardian in Dickens’ Bleak House, tied to the endless court case Jarndyce and Jarndyce.
Jasper
Jasper Fforde’s detectives, Dickens’ sinister choirmaster Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and a Narnia-era favorite share this gemstone name.
Jay
Made famous by Jay Gatsby, the mysterious millionaire at the center of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Jean
Jean Valjean is the ex-convict hero of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, one of the most famous redemption stories in literature.
Jeeves
The brilliant valet in P. G. Wodehouse’s comic stories who rescues Bertie Wooster from one scrape after another.
Jem
Jem Finch is Scout’s older brother in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, growing up during the book’s trial.
Jeremiah
Named for the weeping prophet; the name shows up in Melville’s Moby-Dick and in many American novels.
Jeremy
Jeremy Fisher is Beatrix Potter’s frog who goes fishing, one of her best-loved characters.
Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome’s own narrator in Three Men in a Boat, and a name tied to St. Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin.
Jervis
A name used for several gentleman characters in Victorian fiction, including Jervis in Daddy-Long-Legs.
Jim
Jim Hawkins is the young hero of Treasure Island, and Jim is the runaway slave who travels with Huck on the Mississippi.
Jimmy
Jimmy Gatz is the young Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, and the name appears in many realist novels.
Jo
Often a girl’s name, but male in many novels; Jo March’s friend Laurie and others use it in the Little Women circle.
Job
The long-suffering figure of the Book of Job, referenced as a symbol of patience in countless novels.
Jocelyn
Used for male characters in medieval romances and historical novels, including Jocelin in William Golding’s The Spire.
Joe
Joe Gargery is Pip’s gentle blacksmith brother-in-law in Great Expectations, one of Dickens’ most loved characters.
Joel
A biblical prophet’s name, borne by Joel Chandler Harris’s Uncle Remus stories’ collector and many modern novel heroes.
Johan
A literary favorite in Scandinavian fiction, including Henrik Ibsen’s and Selma Lagerlöf’s works.
John
One of the most common names in literature, from Dr. John Watson to John Proctor in The Crucible.
Johnny
Johnny Tremain is the apprentice silversmith of Esther Forbes’ Revolutionary War novel, and Johnny Cade is a character in The Outsiders.
Jonah
The biblical prophet swallowed by a great fish, whose story echoes through Melville’s Moby-Dick.
Jonas
Jonas is the Receiver of Memory in Lois Lowry’s The Giver.
Jonathan
Jonathan Harker is the solicitor who visits Count Dracula’s castle in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Jordan
Jordan Baker is the golfer in The Great Gatsby, and the name is used for characters in many modern novels.
Joseph
Joseph is the biblical dreamer sold into slavery, and the name appears in Conrad’s and Heller’s novels, among others.
Josh
A common name in contemporary fiction, used for the easy-going friend in many young adult novels.
Joshua
The biblical leader who took Jericho, and a name borne by Joshua Slocum, the writer of Sailing Alone Around the World.
Jove
Used in the exclamation “By Jove!” in Victorian fiction and Sherlock Holmes stories.
Jude
Jude Fawley is the stonemason in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, a story of thwarted ambition.
Judah
Judah Ben-Hur is the title hero of Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
Julian
Julian Sorel’s name echoes in Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, and Julian is a character in Enid Blyton’s Famous Five.
Julien
Julien Sorel is the ambitious young hero of Stendhal’s The Red and the Black.
Julius
The Roman dictator Julius Caesar is the title character of Shakespeare’s play.
Juniper
A rare boy’s name used in modern fiction, including Juniper in Barbara Kingsolver’s novels.
Junius
Junius Brutus appears in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and Junius was the pen name of an 18th-century political letter writer.
Jupiter
The Roman king of the gods, appearing in Ovid’s Metamorphoses and in later poems and plays.
Justin
Justine’s brother characters appear in Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet, and Justin Quayle is the hero of John le Carré’s The Constant Gardener.
Justinian
The Byzantine emperor, whose reign inspires characters in historical novels and in Gibbon’s histories.
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