The first name Jean
A girl’s name from French meaning “god is gracious”.
Pronounced /d͡ʒiːn/ 1 syllable Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
French origin
Jean means “god is gracious” in French.
Variant of Jeanne, from French Jeanne, from Old French Jehane, 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). Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena. The unincorporated community in Nevada, originally named Goodsprings Junction, was renamed Jean on 28 June 1905 by postmaster George Arthur Fayle in honor of his wife.
More names that mean grace.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 10 girls were named Jean, making it the 2,605th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2006, with 28 births (#1,004).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Jean with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Jean at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 176 boys born in the United States were named Jean, the 1,172nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1927, when 12,512 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Jean
1,383 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Jean de La FontaineFrench poet, fabulist and writer (1621–1695)
- Jean CocteauFrench writer and film director (1889–1963)
- Jean RacineFrench dramatist (1639-1699)
- Jean Le Rond d'AlembertFrench mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher and music theorist (1717-1783)
- Jean-Marie Le PenFrench politician (1928–2025)
- Jean GabinFrench actor and singer (1904–1976)
- Jean-Baptiste PerrinFrench physicist (1870–1942)
- Jean BaudrillardFrench sociologist, philosopher and cultural theorist (1929–2007)
- Jean JaurèsFrench / Occitan socialist leader (1859-1914)
- Jean de La Bruyère17th-century French writer and philosopher (1645–1696)
- Billie Jean KingAmerican tennis player (born 1943)
- Jean MaraisFrench actor and theatre director (1913-1998)
More French girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Jean mean?
- Jean means “god is gracious” in French.
- What is the origin of the name Jean?
- Variant of Jeanne, from French Jeanne, from Old French Jehane, 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).…
- How popular is the name Jean?
- In 2025, 10 girls born in England and Wales were named Jean, ranking 2,605th. Its peak was 2006, with 28 births.
- What are nicknames for Jean?
- Common nicknames for Jean include Jeanie, Jeannie.
- Is Jean a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 95% of the 483,475 US babies named Jean since 1880 were girls.
- When was Jean most popular?
- 1927 in the United States, when 12,512 babies were named Jean, its highest rank at 14th.
- How do you pronounce Jean?
- Jean is /d͡ʒiːn/, one syllable.
- Is Jean also a surname?
- Yes. Jean is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.