A naming thing

May 13, 2020 8:52 PM

If someone would like to recommend some nice names from classical antiquity that begin with the letter I or J, that would be fine.

It doesn't HAVE to be from antiquity, cause we're just spitballing here. If you wanna help, just post the first thing that comes to mind.

posted by Sterros to Grab Bag (22 answers total)

Iolanthe
posted by moonmilk at 8:53 PM on May 13, 2020 [3 favorites]

In before Iulius!
posted by meaty shoe puppet at 8:55 PM on May 13, 2020

Imogen(e)
posted by sacrifix at 8:57 PM on May 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

Janus
Julius
Jar-Jar
Jason
Jocasta
Jupiter
Juno

Io
Indra
posted by amtho at 8:59 PM on May 13, 2020

Justinian
Jove
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:01 PM on May 13, 2020

Julian.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:02 PM on May 13, 2020

Names for people?
posted by NotLost at 9:05 PM on May 13, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I forgot to mention something. The Latin-language names are good because you can make neuter-gendered forms of them. That's what I want to do.
posted by Sterros at 9:06 PM on May 13, 2020

Response by poster: Yes, NotLost. Somebody asked me to name them and I though your folks' input might at least spark my imagination.
posted by Sterros at 9:08 PM on May 13, 2020

Iapetus
posted by unearthed at 9:20 PM on May 13, 2020

Ionia
Icarus
Ignatius
Iris/Irene
Isidore/Isidora
Juvenal
Jupiter
June
Jude
posted by Rhaomi at 9:24 PM on May 13, 2020

Ismene
posted by nakedmolerats at 9:42 PM on May 13, 2020 [2 favorites]

Jarvis
posted by furtive at 9:56 PM on May 13, 2020

Iseult
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 9:59 PM on May 13, 2020

Iphigenia
Iantha
Ianthe
Idola
Ikia
Iliana
Ilithya
Illias
Indigo
Ioannis
Iola
Iolanthe
Ione
Iraia
Irene
Iris
Isadora
Isadore
Isidore
Ismene
Ithaca

Jacinth
Jairus
Jason
Jericho
Jesus
Jocasta
Judas
posted by NotLost at 10:01 PM on May 13, 2020

Here are all the names of sentient beings starting with I or J that I found in my Oxford Classical Dictionary:

Iacchus
Ialmenus
Iambe
Iamblichus
Iambulus
Iamus
Ianuarius
Iapetus
Iasion
Iasus
Iavolenus
Ibycus
Icarius
Icarus
Icilius
Ictinus
Idas
Idmon
Idomeneus
Idrieus
Iliona
Ilus
Innocentius
Ino
Iolaus
Ion
Iophon
Iphicles
Iphicrates
Iphigenia
Iphis
Irenaeus
Iris
Isaeus
Ishtar
Isidorus
Isigonus
Isis
Isocrates
Ister
Isyllus
Iulia
Iulianus
Iulius
Iunius
Iustinianus
Iustitia
Iuvenalis
Iuvencus
Iuventas
Iuventius
Ixion
Janus
Jason
Jerome
Josephus
Jovian
Juba
Judas
Jugurtha
Julian
Juno
Jupiter
Justin
posted by J.K. Seazer at 10:28 PM on May 13, 2020 [4 favorites]

J names of dubious origin: Jellibelli and Jonquil
posted by Transl3y at 2:06 AM on May 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

Isolde
posted by Salamander at 5:14 AM on May 14, 2020

Ida, which was my mom's name and is my daughter's middle name.
posted by lydhre at 5:26 AM on May 14, 2020

Ioleus and his pop Iphicles. I've never seen a woman named Iola but it would be pretty.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:05 AM on May 14, 2020

Inez
Idris
Izzy
Irma
Idina
Israel
Ishmael
Isaiah

Jemima
Joanna
Jehoshaphat
Junio/Junia
Joshua
James
Justine/Justina
Januarius
Juan
Jeanne/Jean
Julia
Josephine
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 10:31 AM on May 14, 2020

I forgot to mention something. The Latin-language names are good because you can make neuter-gendered forms of them. That's what I want to do.

So do you specifically want gender-neutral names from Classical antiquity?

Iphis
Iaspis
Isias
Ialmis
Iasipolis
Ierothemis
Ischopolis

are all names able to be used and/or actually used for both men and women in Ancient Greece (specifically Attica, the Aegean, the Peloponnese, and Magna Graecia) that being with I.

Iphis (above) is also the name of a transgender person in mythology.

Note that most of these end in -is. Making a Latin name ending in -us or -a into -um (is this what you mean by "neuter-gendered"?) probably doesn't actually do what you want (depending on what it is you want, of course).
posted by lysimache at 4:11 PM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]