Stop dating average Joes — or Justins, Josephs, Jasons and Johns, for that matter.
In the wake of Taylor Swift’s recent breakup with actor Joe Alwyn, fans were left speculating where the relationship went wrong, but according to proponents of the J-name theory, their love was doomed from the start.
Names that begin with the letter J, particularly those which are typically applied to males, are considered a red flag among some superstitious singles. For years, the abecedarian dating advice has been touted by women who claim to have been victimized by a J-named man in the past.
Per Urban Dictionary, the J name theory states that “any guy who’s name starts with a J is complete crap and you shouldn’t date them…Very few guys with a name that starts with a J is worth anyone’s time.”
The harsh hypothesis has gained millions of supporters online, especially on TikTok where J-haters have shared their harrowing anecdotes of surviving J-named men, in videos stamped with the trending hashtag #jname[s].
“A phase I recommend all girls to skip,” one TikTok user wrote in a video. “The J-name phase.”
The theory gained traction in a November 2022 episode of the podcast “I Love You So Much,” when vlogger Kenzie Elizabeth insisted to her listeners that men whose names begin with J cannot be trusted. “This is a universal thing that needs to be brought to the masses.”
“The worst guys that I’ve dated had J names,” she declared.
Elizabeth’s guest, country music singer Dani Taylor, agreed with her assessment, adding that the J-name theory is rooted in “fact.”
Based on the overall social media commentary, gents whose names begin with J are cheaters, womanizers, untrustworthy, toxic and in need of therapy — and they will break your heart. In short, the “J” also stands for “jerk.”
One Twitter user has even begged a higher power to stop putting J guys in her life, writing, “God I’m not your strongest soldier, plz stop sending me J names.”
Meanwhile, music fans have applied the theory to Swift’s situation, blaming ex-boyfriend Alwyn’s — plus Gyllenhaal’s, Mayer’s and Jonas’ — given name for the “Love Story” singer’s relationship woes.
“Notice how every man she’s dated whose name starts with a j ends up being a piece of shit low-life loser? it’s time to swear off all j names, Taylor,” one Swiftie on Twitter declared.
“I feel like Taylor Swift is out here single handedly proving that what they say about dudes with J names is 100% true,” agreed another.
The growing stigma against J-names could relegate millions of men from the dating pool. According to the Social Security Administration, three of the top 10 most popular names for males over the past 100 years are J names: James in first place, John in third and Joseph at number 8.
The metric is still going strong today: In 2021, James was ranked number 5 for most popular baby names for males.
The trend begs the question: will names that start with J go the way of “Karen”? The name Karen comes loaded with preconceptions of middle-aged women with bad haircuts who call the cops or demand to speak to a manager at any inconvenience.
The K-name has seen a sharp drop in popularity as a name chosen for daughters in recent years as some, already saddled with the controversial moniker, have gone so far as to legally change theirs.
So it should come as no surprise that dudes with J-names don’t appreciate the assumptions, and are defending themselves in response to many of the #jnames clips.
As one J-named dude proclaimed on TikTok: “I’m a J and I get judged, but I’m kind, I help my parents, I play sports and I have good grades in school — so just leave J’s alone.”