Jael

LisaG09 · October 2013

Pronounced Jay-Elle. I was looking for names that incorporate the Jay sound since that is my BF's nn. He's mentioned that he'd like to name a son Jay but I don't like that they'd have the same name even though his name isn't actually Jay. I do love Jay as a name though and not very many people use the Jay nickname for him but I do. This name popped up and I'm not sure how I feel about it really. Opinions? I should clarify that Jael is a biblical girl name. Sort of like a Will Smith, Willow Smith thing.

Kmommy91 · October 2013

I like it a lot

Cat&S · October 2013

It's okay, but I would be prepared for pronounciation issues. Specifically "Jail".

erb82 · October 2013

I think it's great! I love offbeat biblical names.

blu-eyedwife · October 2013

It sounds very similar to the place they put bad guys when they break the law

magsugar13 · October 2013

I would pronounce it jail

stahlop · October 2013

There was a contestant on America's Next Top model a few seasons back with this name. She was very edgy and punk rock. That's what I think of with this name.

CarrieB. · October 2013

I like Jaceleen better as a name that starts w a Jay sound.

Not sure if this looks like a made up name, but I know a girl with this name and she's cool.

diamondduck13 · October 2013

I'm not familiar with it, so when I saw it in the subject line I read it as "jail"

The likelihood of that mispronunciation would make it a no-go for me

RedCardinal · October 2013

There's a girl at my work named this. It's okay.

sporklemotion · October 2013

I like this name and it doesn't look made up to me. However, I know two boys with this name, but no girls. They both pronounced it Jah-el.

Mytaras · October 2013

I like it

scorch · October 2013

I don't love the name BUT the Jael from the bible was so badass, and I do love that.

Scarlett&Gatsby · October 2013

Jael was a pretty crazy biblical character (she lured the king of a warring nation into her tent, got him drunk, and drove a tent spike through his temple...which is obviously awesome), but I've always found the sound of the name unappealing to me personally. Still, it's legit and works with your "Jay" thing. As far as Jay for a boy, what about James? I'm just taking that one all the way to The Great Gatsby (Jay Gatsby's real name was James Gatz).

Abclyons · October 2013

My sister's name is jael, but she spells it Jaelle. Less confusing for people on pronunciation. But a lot of people think its J.L. And ask her what it stands for. Definitely a name that will come with a lot of explanation through her life. But if u don't mind that then go for it!

spinsoffresonance · October 2013

I may be in the minority here but I don't like it, it looks like you misspelled Yael

abbyful · October 2013

Not a fan, makes me think "jail".

annabelle.27 · October 2013

Yeah, all I see is "jail."

AlphabetFish · October 2013

I fear it would be mispronounced as "Jail" and could lead to awkward nicknames... The "ay" and "eh" sounds together also sound awkward to me. I just don't like it at all.

Scarlett&Gatsby · October 2013

lica001 said:

I may be in the minority here but I don't like it, it looks like you misspelled Yael

I believe they're different spellings/pronunciations of the same name, just like Zipporah/Tsipporah and Rebecca/Rebekah. Yael is closer to the original Hebrew pronunciation and more common among Jewish people. Jael is the English translation/pronunciation of the same name, and more common among Christians.

mh89 · October 2013

I too would pronounce it "Jail" if I saw it written or think it was "J.L." if I heard it spoken. I'd also think it was made up.

If you really love it, use it, but you'll likely need to explain the name to people through the child's life.

Laura_Elaine · October 2013

DH loved this name for DD2... I did not. Just a preference, not necessarily a bad name... I liked it as a middle name, but DH didn't want it as a middle name.

It means mountain goat, but the story of Jael in the Bible is a very good one to compensate for the kind of lame meaning. :-p

GingerBear1128 · October 2013

I love it... but I would pronounce it Ji-el

capulet · October 2013

Scarlett&Gatsby said:

Jael was a pretty crazy biblical character (she lured the king of a warring nation into her tent, got him drunk, and drove a tent spike through his temple...which is obviously awesome), but I've always found the sound of the name unappealing to me personally. Still, it's legit and works with your "Jay" thing. As far as Jay for a boy, what about James? I'm just taking that one all the way to The Great Gatsby (Jay Gatsby's real name was James Gatz).

I guess what gets me about this name is that I do know the origin and pronunciation, so the first thing I think is "that chick who put a spike through some dude's head." That is badass, but in such a grisly way that I'm not sure I would want to name my daughter after her, totally aside from the pronunciation issue and my ambivalence about the name aesthetically.

talkthewholetime · October 2013

My husband looked over my shoulder and said "JAIL?"

and that's going to be your kids whole life.

Scarlett&Gatsby · October 2013

capulet said:

Scarlett&Gatsby said:

Jael was a pretty crazy biblical character (she lured the king of a warring nation into her tent, got him drunk, and drove a tent spike through his temple...which is obviously awesome), but I've always found the sound of the name unappealing to me personally. Still, it's legit and works with your "Jay" thing. As far as Jay for a boy, what about James? I'm just taking that one all the way to The Great Gatsby (Jay Gatsby's real name was James Gatz).

I guess what gets me about this name is that I do know the origin and pronunciation, so the first thing I think is "that chick who put a spike through some dude's head." That is badass, but in such a grisly way that I'm not sure I would want to name my daughter after her, totally aside from the pronunciation issue and my ambivalence about the name aesthetically.

I can see that being a deterrent. It's an important connection to know with the name, but I suppose it depends on how you look at what Jael did. The Bible in general is pretty grisly, and lots of more popular names are associated with people who did grisly things. With Jael, I think it's a matter of looking at her as a violent person vs. looking at her as someone who chose to take action (even though it was violent) and save her people. I can definitely see her actions being a deterrent, though, especially in light of all the women in the Bible who acted when necessary without resorting to violence.