# Jane (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/jane/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | French |
| Meaning | “god is gracious” |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒeɪn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | Janie, Janey |
| Variant spellings | Jayne, Jaine, Janna |
| US babies named this | 381,009 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,133 / 379,876 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,244, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Variant of Jeanne, from French Jeanne, from Middle French Jehanne, from Medieval Latin Johanna, variant of Latin Ioanna under influence from Latin Iōhannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of John and Jack and earlier use of Joan in the same role. Doublet of Gianna, Ivana, Jana, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.

## What it means

Jane is grouped under grace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 868 | 368 |
| 2012 | 927 | 343 |
| 2013 | 898 | 357 |
| 2014 | 1,026 | 322 |
| 2015 | 1,112 | 290 |
| 2016 | 1,135 | 279 |
| 2017 | 1,157 | 282 |
| 2018 | 1,133 | 290 |
| 2019 | 1,189 | 277 |
| 2020 | 1,169 | 264 |
| 2021 | 1,172 | 266 |
| 2022 | 1,089 | 290 |
| 2023 | 1,116 | 281 |
| 2024 | 1,186 | 269 |
| 2025 | 1,380 | 221 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 8 | 4,352 |
| 1979 | 5 | 6,470 |
| 1981 | 7 | 5,166 |
| 1982 | 5 | 6,779 |
| 1983 | 6 | 5,794 |
| 1984 | 6 | 5,897 |
| 1985 | 9 | 4,476 |
| 1986 | 10 | 4,269 |
| 1987 | 6 | 6,447 |
| 1988 | 7 | 6,051 |
| 1989 | 8 | 5,874 |
| 1990 | 8 | 6,078 |
| 1991 | 9 | 5,700 |
| 1992 | 5 | 8,997 |
| 2003 | 5 | 11,652 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | 1,438 |
| 2012 | 31 | 1,099 |
| 2013 | 28 | 1,220 |
| 2014 | 36 | 1,005 |
| 2015 | 28 | 1,204 |
| 2016 | 24 | 1,370 |
| 2017 | 32 | 1,082 |
| 2018 | 26 | 1,272 |
| 2019 | 26 | 1,252 |
| 2020 | 18 | 1,618 |
| 2021 | 11 | 2,341 |
| 2022 | 33 | 1,023 |
| 2023 | 21 | 1,469 |
| 2024 | 29 | 1,160 |
| 2025 | 30 | 1,110 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: جِيهَان, جِين
- Armenian: Հովհաննա
- Bulgarian: Я́на
- Catalan: Joana
- Chinese: 簡 /简, 珍
- Czech: Jana
- Danish: Johanne
- Dutch: Johanna
- Esperanto: Johanino, Ĝejn
- Finnish: Johanna
- French: Jeanne
- German: Johanna
- Greek: Ιωάννα, Τζέιν
- Hindi: जेन
- Icelandic: Jóhanna
- Irish: Siobhán
- Italian: Giovanna, Gianna
- Japanese: ジェーン
- Korean: 제인
- Latin: Iohanna, Johanna, Ioanna, Joanna

## People named Jane

- Jane Austen, English novelist (1775–1817)
- Jane Goodall, English primatologist and anthropologist (1934–2025)
- Jane Fonda, American actress and activist
- Jane Addams, American feminist social activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, philosopher, and 
- Jane Wyman, American actress (1917–2007)
- Jane Birkin, British-French actress and singer (1946–2023)
- Jane Russell, American actress (1921–2011)
- Jane Lynch, American actress
- Jane Seymour, British actress
- Jane Darwell, American actress (1879-1967)
- Jane Alexander, American actress (born 1939)
- Jane Krakowski, American actress and singer, comedian

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.