Juniper Name Meaning: Origin, Popularity & Nicknames

What Does Juniper Mean?

Juniper is the name of a tree and its berries that you can find growing native worldwide in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. The berries of the Juniper tree were the original flavoring for the alcoholic drink gin.

This tree and its berries were likely the inspiration for the name.

What Is the Origin of the Name Juniper?

Juniper comes from the Latin word “Juniperus.” Juniperus combines junio, which means young, and parere, which means “to produce” ⁽¹⁾.

Juniper was often used in the UK, US, and Canada as a surname in its earliest usages ⁽²⁾. Eventually, the beautiful, plant-inspired name made its way into first name status.

How Popular Is the Name Juniper?

The name Juniper is increasing in popularity every year. It used to be a more unisex name in its earliest usages, with both boys and girls being given the name. Lately, however, it has been overwhelmingly given to girls.

In 2021, Juniper was the 138th most common name for a baby girl born in the United States ⁽³⁾. This spot is a drastically increased position from the years before that. It will not be surprising if Juniper breaks into the top 100 in the future.

Juniper only became one of the top 1000 most common baby girl names in 2011 ⁽⁴⁾. So historically, it has been not popular, but now, it’s certainly popular.

How Do I Pronounce Juniper?

The name Juniper is pronounced the same as the tree. The proper pronunciation is “JOO-nuh-per.”

Is Juniper a Boy or Girl Name?

In 2021 and beyond, Juniper is overwhelmingly a girl’s name. Though there are some instances of men being named Juniper in history, the name has not ever broken into the top 1000 boy names in the US ⁽⁵⁾.

Variations of Juniper

You can find a few different spellings of Juniper:

• Juneyper
• Junniper
• Junipur

There are also some variations that people believe could be an alternative origin of the name Juniper:

• For example, Guinevere is a Welsh girl’s name that may be a name that Juniper is a variation of ⁽⁶⁾.
• Jennifer is a Cornish variation of Guinevere, which could’ve also inspired Juniper.
• Geneva is the French language translation of Juniper.

Nicknames for Juniper

Juniper has a lot of great possible nicknames. Since it’s so fun to call our babies cute little nicknames, we’ve made sure to list the best options here:

• Jay
• Junie
• June Bug
• Junie Bear
• June
• Juno
• Juju
• Nini
• Pear
• Piper

Similar Names to Juniper

A few names sound much like Juniper or have similar origins to the name Juniper. Here are some:

• Aspen
• Clover
• Guinevere
• Hazel
• Jasper
• June
• Julia
• Juliet
• Lavender
• Luna
• Piper
• Poppy

Middle Names for Juniper

It’s just as essential to pick a suitable middle name for your baby as it is to choose the perfect first name. We know it can be challenging to find a second name you like that also goes well with Juniper, so we’ve compiled our favorites here:

• Juniper Alice
• Juniper Anne
• Juniper Claire
• Juniper Deidre
• Juniper Dawn
• Juniper Evelyn
• Juniper Jasmine
• Juniper Joy
• Juniper Lea
• Juniper Mae
• Juniper Maisie
• Juniper Olive
• Juniper Paige
• Juniper Reese
• Juniper Rose
• Juniper Sophia
• Juniper Summer
• Juniper Theresa
• Juniper Veronica
• Juniper Willa

Sibling Names for Juniper

If you already have a sweet baby Juniper and you’re looking for names for the next child, we’ve compiled some here that we think sound great when paired with Juniper:

For a brother:

• Juniper and Basil
• Juniper and Emmett
• Juniper and Forrest
• Juniper and Gabriel
• Juniper and Harrison
• Juniper and James
• Juniper and Maverick
• Juniper and Sage
• Juniper and Sebastian
• Juniper and Theodore

For a sister:

• Juniper and Annabelle
• Juniper and Clementine
• Juniper and Delilah
• Juniper and Eloise
• Juniper and Eve
• Juniper and Isabella
• Juniper and Julia
• Juniper and Lily
• Juniper and Victoria
• Juniper and Willow

Famous People Named Juniper

Not many famous people are named Juniper, but you can expect to see more in the next few decades since the name steadily increases in popularity.

Here are some of the most well-known people by the name of Juniper currently:

• Jennifer-Juniper Angeli: An American actress with many supporting roles.
• Juniper Sage: The pen name of the American author Margaret Wise Brown.
• Juniper Shuey: An American visual artist.
• Saint Juniper: A famous friar who followed Saint Francis of Assisi.
• Tony Juniper: A British writer and environmentalist.

Juniper in Popular Culture

Many beloved characters in popular culture are named Juniper. Here are some of the most notable:

• Brother Juniper: The main character in the novel “The Bridge of San Luis Rey.”
• Junie B. Jones: The title character (Junie is short for Juniper) in the children’s books by Barbara Park.
• Juniper: The main character played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie “Mud.”
• Juniper Lee: The title character in the cartoon “The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.”
• Juniper (Joon) Pearl: The title character in the movie “Benny & Joon.”

Juniper FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the name Juniper.