Given name
Janaki
“descendant of Janaka”
Janaki is a Sanskrit name whose family relationship is part of its meaning.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Sanskrit interpretation is “descendant of Janaka.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
Janaki is a feminine form of Sanskrit.
The story
In epic tradition, Janaki refers to Sita as the daughter of King Janaka and wife of Rama. The poem Janakiharana retells the Ramayana episode in which Ravana carries Sita to Lanka; the title itself preserves this name for her.
Janaki through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 197
- 0 boys · 197 girls
- Most popular year
- 1981
- 9 babies
- 2025
- 8
- #11,328 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 8 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 11,328 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 842 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Janaki’s family of names
Janaki is a feminine form of Sanskrit. In English usage, Janaki has a conventional equivalent in the Hindi form जानकी.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: across languages.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Janaki
- V. N. JanakiIndian actress and Former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu (1924-1996)1923–1996
- K. P. Janaki AmmalIndian politician1917–1992
- Janaki VenkataramanFirst Lady of India1921–2010
- Janki VasantIndian activistborn 1965
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Janaki, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tawanna
“a wanderer”
>99% girls
Tawanda
“a wanderer”
>99% girls
Tristia
“one who is sorrowful”
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Taiwana
“a wanderer”
>99% girls
Tawana
“a wanderer”
>99% girls
Titania
“of the giants” · “queen of the fairies”
>99% girls
Tristana
“one who is sorrowful”
>99% girls
Triste
“one who is sorrowful”
>99% girls