# Janet (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/janet/  
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 | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒænɪt/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Jaz |
| Variant spellings | Janette, Jannette |
| US babies named this | 558,291 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,515 / 556,776 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 364, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Jane + -et, q.v. Chiefly Scottish until the 19th century. Doublet of Jeanette, Jeannette, Juanita, Shanae, and Sinead.

## 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 | 269 | 953 |
| 2012 | 212 | 1,160 |
| 2013 | 189 | 1,261 |
| 2014 | 168 | 1,378 |
| 2015 | 155 | 1,481 |
| 2016 | 162 | 1,427 |
| 2017 | 171 | 1,358 |
| 2018 | 159 | 1,408 |
| 2019 | 123 | 1,704 |
| 2020 | 93 | 2,011 |
| 2021 | 92 | 2,078 |
| 2022 | 104 | 1,923 |
| 2023 | 97 | 2,027 |
| 2024 | 74 | 2,448 |
| 2025 | 61 | 2,791 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 13 | 3,334 |
| 1981 | 14 | 3,113 |
| 1982 | 14 | 3,185 |
| 1983 | 12 | 3,505 |
| 1984 | 8 | 4,732 |
| 1985 | 15 | 3,131 |
| 1986 | 23 | 2,386 |
| 1987 | 18 | 2,885 |
| 1988 | 13 | 3,782 |
| 1989 | 21 | 2,942 |
| 1990 | 9 | 5,559 |
| 1991 | 15 | 3,898 |
| 1992 | 8 | 6,358 |
| 1994 | 9 | 6,054 |
| 1995 | 6 | 8,243 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 8 | 2,893 |
| 2012 | 13 | 2,095 |
| 2013 | 15 | 1,864 |
| 2014 | 11 | 2,314 |
| 2015 | 12 | 2,195 |
| 2016 | 10 | 2,547 |
| 2017 | 6 | 3,583 |
| 2018 | 5 | 3,985 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2,643 |
| 2020 | 5 | 3,899 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4,634 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3,970 |
| 2023 | 11 | 2,346 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3,318 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4,867 |

## People named Janet

- Janet Jackson, American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress (born 1966)
- Janet Yellen, 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury
- Janet Gaynor, American actress (1906–1984)
- Janet Leigh, American actress (1927–2004)
- Janet McTeer, British actress
- Janet Napolitano, American politician, lawyer, and academic administrator (born 1957)
- Janet Reno, former Attorney General of the United States (1938-2016)
- Janet Evans, American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, former world record-holder
- Janet L. Kavandi, American astronaut
- Janet Baker, British opera and concert singer
- Janet Montgomery, British actress
- Janet T. Mills, American politician and 75th governor of Maine (born 1947)

## 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.