Given name & surname · also Old French
Jane
“God is gracious”·“one who is fair; a beautiful girl”
Jane has medieval French roots and a literary history that extends well beyond its compact form.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Hebrew use, Jane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.” In French use, Jane is a diminutive of Jennifer. One Welsh interpretation is “one who is fair; a beautiful girl.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old French.
How it developed
In English use, Jane is used as a feminine counterpart of John.
The story
Lady Jane Grey is one of the name’s historical bearers. In fiction, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre gave it a lasting nineteenth-century association; the novel appeared in 1847.
Jane through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 381,009
- 1,133 boys · 379,876 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 9,961 babies
- 2025
- 1,380
- #221 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,380 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 221 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 2.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 9,943 in 1947. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (124). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 356,607 as a first name in 2020; 1,643 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jane’s family of names
In French usage, Jane is a diminutive of Jennifer. Jane is a feminine form of John. In English usage, Jane has a related form in Janice.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Jane has relatives in 48 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
86 related names in 48 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 85
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Johnvariant · English
- Jensenvariant
- Jenniferfull form · French
- Janellevariant
- Johannavariant · German, Swedish
- Jiannavariant
- Janavariant · Norwegian Bokmål, German
- Janiediminutive · English
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Jennydiminutive · Swedish, English
- Jonivariant
- Janaevariant
- Janessavariant
- Jannavariant · English
- Janicevariant · English
- Jaynevariant · English
- Janetdiminutive
- Jianavariant
- Jandiminutive · English
- Janeydiminutive · English
- Jaynavariant
- Jainavariant
- Jessvariant
- Jeannevariant · English, French
- Gianninadiminutive · Italian
- Janneyvariant
- Janinevariant
- Jenellevariant
- Janiavariant
- Ioannavariant · English, Latin
- Jennipet form · Finnish
- Janinavariant · Polish
- Janellavariant
- Jonellevariant
- Jonievariant
- Jenicavariant
- Jaynievariant
- Jannyvariant
- Janelvariant
- Jannellevariant
- Jeninevariant
- Janeevariant
- Julianefull form · Danish
- Janesvariant · English
- Jaenavariant
- Jaenvariant
- Jeninavariant
- Jeenavariant
- Jonellavariant
- Jinnavariant
- Jensinevariant
- Jenievariant
- Jenivariant
- Jeniecevariant
- Jenellavariant
- Jaynivariant
- Jaynellvariant
- Janyvariant
- Jannelvariant
- Janiquevariant
- Janicavariant
And 25 more.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 74
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Giannadoublet · English, Sicilian
- Joannadoublet · English, Polish
- Ivannadoublet · English
- Joandoublet · English
- Shanedoublet · English
- Hanacognate
- Shawndoublet · English
- Giovannacognate · Italian
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Jeandoublet · English
- Ivanadoublet · English
- Juanadoublet · Spanish, English
- Ivankaequivalent
- Siobhandoublet · English
- Shaundoublet · English
- Johanacognate
- Yanaequivalent
- Joannedoublet · English
- JoanaPortuguese, Catalan
- Siandoublet · English
- Sinadoublet · English
- Sheenadoublet · English
- Shaunadoublet · English
- Jonnacognate
- Janisdoublet · English
- Shawnadoublet · English
- XoanaGalician
- Hannecognate
- Jannikeequivalent
- Kiniborrowing · Hawaiian
- Jaynneequivalent
- Shavonnedoublet · English
- Jendoublet · English
- DjeneWalloon
- JuannaSicilian, Neapolitan
- Ianeequivalent
- Jaaneequivalent
- Johánnáequivalent
- ДжейнRussian
- 簡borrowing · Chinese
- ΙωάνναGreek
- Heenirelated form
- Sinerelated form
- Janedequivalent
- Jehanneroot · Old French, Middle French
- Siâncognate · Welsh
- DjiheneWalloon
- Я́наUkrainian, Russian
- SìneScottish Gaelic
- ДженRussian
- Ива́ннаRussian
- Jeannetonnrf
- Jennînnrf
- Jénînnrf
- HoanaMāori
- HēniMāori
- JinnManx
- IohannaLatin
- 제인Korean
- ジェーンJapanese
- Siobháncognate · Irish
And 14 more.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Jane
- Jane AustenEnglish novelist (1775–1817)
- Jane FondaAmerican actress and activistborn 1937
- Lady Jane GreyQueen of England and Ireland in July 15531537–1554
- Jane BirkinBritish-French actress and singer (1946–2023)
- Jane Seymourthird wife of Henry VIII of England1508–1537
- Jane SeymourBritish actressborn 1951
- Jane LynchAmerican actressborn 1960
- Jane DarwellAmerican actress (1879-1967)
- Jane AlexanderAmerican actress (born 1939)
Characters named Jane: Miss Marple (fictional character appearing in Agatha Christie's crime novels), Jane Foster (Marvel Comics), Eleven (Stranger Things), Jane Porter (Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
- People who changed the world
- Female forms in the John group
- Masculine and feminine pairs
- Names made famous by books, film and popular culture
- Celtic names
- Names influenced by film stars
- Anagrams: examples
- Straight-cut feminine names
- Humorous People
- Old-West Names
- Classic Names
- British Authors
- Presidential Names
- Sitcom Names
Similar names
If you love Jane, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elaine
“the shining light” · “resembling a fawn”
>99% girls
Joy
“a delight; one who brings pleasure to others”
2% boys · 98% girls
Sharon
“rose of Sharon” · “from the plains; a flowering shrub”
1% boys · 99% girls
Martha
“lady”
>99% girls
Maria
“of the shining sea” · “woman of the sea”
>99% girls
Valerie
“strong and valiant”
>99% girls
Anne
“he (God) has favoured me (i.e. with a child)”
>99% girls
Leslie
“garden of hollies” · “from the holly garden; of the gray fortress”
7% boys · 93% girls