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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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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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 😂

DarkMagicStars · 12/03/2025 09:01

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

oldwhyno · 12/03/2025 09:02

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

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!

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?

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

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).

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!

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!

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.

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.

username462025 · 12/03/2025 09:33

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

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

ScentOfAMoomin · 12/03/2025 12:25

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

KayEmAy · 12/03/2025 15:01

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

DuchessOfNarcissex · 12/03/2025 15:03

@Chunkilumptious , Jason Rayner and Jimmy Gatz.

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...

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.

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).

DuchessOfNarcissex · 12/03/2025 16:53

P, I, O, U, X, Y

Lavablue · 12/03/2025 17:11

I like Jay! Doesn’t make me think of inbetweeners and I loved that show.

sel2223 · 12/03/2025 17:38

Absolutely fine - we have a J, a T and a G in my family

BoleynMemories13 · 12/03/2025 18:15

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 with this. I would imagine a 'Jay' to be short for Jayden, Jason, Jamie etc. It would be a weird shortening for something like Jude or Joshua.

So I think it's fine for names which start with the Jay sound, but not just the letter J in general.

sel2223 · 12/03/2025 18:48

BoleynMemories13 · 12/03/2025 18:15

Yes I agree with this. I would imagine a 'Jay' to be short for Jayden, Jason, Jamie etc. It would be a weird shortening for something like Jude or Joshua.

So I think it's fine for names which start with the Jay sound, but not just the letter J in general.

I disagree with this. Jay/J could be used for any name starting with the letter J (in my opinion).

Same as people who might go by their initials......a Dillon Jack going by 'DJ' for example..... the names don't have to start with the sounds of the letters

or I know a Gracie who gets called 'G' and a Tony and a Thomas who both get called 'T'. It's their first initial, nothing to do with the letter sound being the first part of their name

HundredMilesAnHour · 12/03/2025 18:56

I’m female and have a name starting with J and I get called J by quite a few people (from work people to my neighbours). Note that I have never called myself J!!

I think it’s fine as a nickname as that’s not something we have any/much control over (hence my J above!) but to deliberately choose to shorten a boy’s name to J/Jay, it only really makes sense if they’re a Jason or Jayesh etc.

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