Given name
Janella
“God is gracious”
Janella is a variant of Jane. In Hebrew use, Jane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Janella is a variant of Jane. In Hebrew use, Jane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Janella is a variant of Jane. The history of Jane gives this family its wider 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Janella through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,968
- 0 boys · 1,968 girls
- Most popular year
- 1971
- 58 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #9,119 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −39%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,119 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 38.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 58 in 1971. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,671 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.
Janella’s family of names
Janella has a related form in Jane. Janella has a related form in Janelle.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Janella
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Janella, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Janel
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janeane
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janene
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janeen
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Jannelle
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Jaynell
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Jonna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls