In Spanish, the letter ‘J’ is often pronounced as a ‘Y,’ making ‘Y’ a fairly common sound. Names beginning with ‘Y’ are therefore found more frequently in Hispanic families than in American or English ones. Yolette, meaning ‘violet flower’, and Yanira, meaning ‘she who is strong’ are good examples of this.
For a boy, Yamir, meaning ‘moon’ is a popular choice, as is Ynez, meaning ‘pure’ or ‘nice.’ Ynez is also starting to be used more frequently for girls or as a gender-neutral name.
The Spanish pronunciation of ‘J’ as a ‘Y’ has led to some ‘J’ names being spelled with a ‘Y’ such as Yoana (Joana) meaning ‘God is gracious.’ While this isn’t very common, it can be an interesting way of changing the spelling without changing the pronunciation of a name. You could use this principle for other ‘J’ names to make your name choice more unique.
Yadra
Meaning: Mother
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yago
Meaning: Supplanter
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Yaima
Meaning: Water Conduit
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yanamaria
Meaning: Bitter grace
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yanira
Meaning: She who is strong
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yamir
Meaning: Moon
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Yeni
Meaning: Peace
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yesenia
Meaning: The Gypsy title character of a Spanish soap opera from the 1970s
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yina
Meaning: A Victorious Woman
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Ynez
Meaning: Pure or nice
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Yoana
Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yolanda
Meaning: Violet
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yolette
Meaning: Violet flower
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yula
Meaning: Jupiter’s Child; Sea Jewel
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yumi
Meaning: Beauty
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Yza
Meaning: God is My Oath; God is Perfection
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
