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Original poster

Opinions on calling 'J' named boys Jay as a nickname

44 replies

NearlyThere91 · 12/03/2025 08:51

What do you think of the sound of J (Jay). Is it too Inbetweeners? I think it's a beautiful sound

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mathanxiety · 12/03/2025 16:39

HoldingThePoisonDown · 12/03/2025 09:15

I don’t like it. It sounds daft to me. If you want to call the name Jay across the park, just name them Jay. You wouldn’t call a Kiera K, so why call a James J?

Why wouldn't you call a Kiera 'K'? I know a few families who call their kids by their first initial, including A (Anya), K (Kara), C (Celeste), E (Edward), D (Daniel), Z (Zara), and T (Tessa). Sometimes they use the full name or a nickname (Eddie, Danny, Tessie, Zaza).

Comefromaway · 12/03/2025 15:26

I know a few Jay's & J's. It's a nice name in it's own right.

One boy called James Cooper (fictional surname) is nicknamed JC
My own ds I used to nickname AJ but that fell off.
Then I also know a couple of Jay's.

I'd find J a strange nickname if the name was John but not James or Jason.

raininginlanzarote · 12/03/2025 15:15

MaloryJones

I don’t like it at all. Sounds like a lad off the estate.

Snob

Depends on what kind of estate...

DuchessOfNarcissex · 12/03/2025 15:03

@Chunkilumptious , Jason Rayner and Jimmy Gatz.

KayEmAy · 12/03/2025 15:01

I love Jay as a stand alone name so it's not surprising I like J as well :)

ScentOfAMoomin · 12/03/2025 12:25

I like it if the name begins with that sound … Jason Jamie etc

Moreteaandchocolate · 12/03/2025 12:13

Nooa · 12/03/2025 09:30

It's fine as a standalone or if the full name starts with that sound. Not otherwise.
So Jay, James, Jason etc fine.
But Jay isn't a natural shortening for Jonathan, Jarvis, Jeremy etc.

Yes I agree

username462025 · 12/03/2025 09:33

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This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Chunkilumptious · 12/03/2025 09:33

I think Jay is a beautiful name in itself, Jays Rayner and Gatsby predate the Inbetweeners. And I say that as someone for whom the naughtiest boy in school was a Jay. Absolute gobshite. Hope he's a bit better behaved now! Didn't spoil his elegant name though! It wasn't shortened but it was lengthened creatively a lot.

Nooa · 12/03/2025 09:30

It's fine as a standalone or if the full name starts with that sound. Not otherwise.
So Jay, James, Jason etc fine.
But Jay isn't a natural shortening for Jonathan, Jarvis, Jeremy etc.

Throwitback · 12/03/2025 09:27

I don’t like it at all, I think it sounds overly trendy. Though I think that’s just me, given Gatsby was written in the twenties!

Uricon2 · 12/03/2025 09:24

I think it's quite nice but immediately reminds me of Jay Gatsby (formerly Jimmy Gatz)

One thing, it is never going to be shortened!

MotherJessAndKittens · 12/03/2025 09:24

What’s the point in giving them a name if you are going to call them J? Just call them Jay, it’s a nice name. Some people say jay for J and some pronounce it (j a ee).

MaloryJones · 12/03/2025 09:17

DarkMagicStars · 12/03/2025 09:01

I don’t like it at all. Sounds like a lad off the estate.

Snob

HoldingThePoisonDown · 12/03/2025 09:15

I don’t like it. It sounds daft to me. If you want to call the name Jay across the park, just name them Jay. You wouldn’t call a Kiera K, so why call a James J?

SparklyGlitterballs · 12/03/2025 09:05

I don't particularly like it. I have a friend who uses my first initial as a nickname in messages and I think "what's wrong with my full name?" It's only 5 letters long FFS!

oldwhyno · 12/03/2025 09:02

Sounds fine in my head for a Jason or a Jamie.

DarkMagicStars · 12/03/2025 09:01

I don’t like it at all. Sounds like a lad off the estate.

AubernFable · 12/03/2025 08:59

I do immediately think of the inbetweeners but that’s probably a generational thing and the child's future peers obviously won’t. Theres also ‘J’ and ‘JJ’ which I know a lot of children with J names get called.

Jasper
Julian
Jeremiah
Jameson
Jackson
Jonas
Joseph
Jamison
Jethro
Josiah
Judah

The letter J no longer looks real to me, I’ve written it too many times 😂