Given name & surname
Janna
“God is gracious”
Janna is a variant of Jane. In Hebrew use, Jane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Janna is a variant of Jane. In Hebrew use, Jane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German usage, Janna is a short form of Johanna. In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Janna developed from IOHANNA.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Janna 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
Janna through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 16,097
- 0 boys · 16,097 girls
- Most popular year
- 1979
- 428 babies
- 2025
- 84
- #2,203 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 84 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,203 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 4.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 428 in 1979. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,222 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.
Janna’s family of names
In German usage, Janna is a short form of Johanna. In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Janna developed from the Latin form IOHANNA. Janna has a related form in Jane.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Janna has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
8 related names in 8 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Janna
- Janna LevinAmerican theoretical cosmologistborn 1967
- Janna JihadPalestinian journalistborn 2006
- Janna van KootenDutch swimmerborn 2004
- Janna GurIsraeli linguist and journalist (born 1958)
- Janna HurmerintaFinnish singer, songwriter and pianistborn 1981
Characters named Janna: Jenny Calendar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Janna, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jayne
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1% boys · 99% girls
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“a gracious man”
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Janice
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Janelle
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Jinna
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Jenina
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Jannelle
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Jandy
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