Given name & surname
Janney
“God is gracious”
Janney is a variant of Jane. In Hebrew use, Jane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Janney 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 1947. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Janney 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
Janney through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,029
- 0 boys · 1,029 girls
- Most popular year
- 2013
- 224 babies
- 2025
- 23
- #5,472 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 23 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,472 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 20.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 224 in 2013. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 587 as a first name in 2020; 2,344 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.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Janney, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jaynie
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janessa
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Jania
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Alli
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
Jayna
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Roslynn
>99% girls
Allis
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
Johana
Johana is used as a given name. Johana is connected with Joanna.
>99% girls