Given name & surname
January
January is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “a winter child; born during the month of January.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “a winter child; born during the month of January.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
Possibly from Anglo-Norman genever, from Latin Iānuārius (“(month) of Janus”), built from Latin Iānus + -ārius.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1951. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
January through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,170
- 0 boys · 2,170 girls
- Most popular year
- 1978
- 257 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #10,448 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −26%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 10,448 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 25.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 257 in 1978. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,024 as a first name in 2020; 2,464 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.
January’s family of names
In Filipino usage, January shares an earlier linguistic root with ENERO. In Polish usage, January has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Gennaro. January has a related form in Januarea.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
January has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
6 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Gennarodoublet · English, Italian
- Januárioequivalent
- Januarioequivalent
- Januariaequivalent
- Januariusequivalent
- ЯнуарийBulgarian
- ЯнуарыйBelarusian
- ЯнуарBelarusian
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People named January
- January JonesAmerican actressborn 1978
- January SuchodolskiPolish artist (1797-1875)
- January MakambaTanzanian politicianborn 1974
- January ZyamboZambian footballerborn 1980
- Jenaro Sánchez DelgadilloMexican saint (1886–1927)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love January, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“a dear friendship”
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“one who is just and upright”
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Immacolata
Immacolata is a feminine given name. It is used in Italian.
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“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls