Given name & surname
Janusz
“God is gracious”
In Polish use, Janusz is an affectionate form of Jan. In Slavic use, Jan carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Polish use, Janusz is an affectionate form of Jan. In Slavic use, Jan carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Polish use, Janusz is an affectionate form of John. John comes from Hebrew Johanan through the Greek Iōannēs and Latin Johannes. John’s many language forms include Jean, Giovanni, Juan, Johann and Ivan. Janusz is a variant of Janus. An origin associated with Janus is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Polish use, Janusz is used as an affectionate form of Jan. In Polish use, Janusz is an affectionate form of John. The shared background comes through John: Greek Iōannēs represents a contracted form of Johanan; Latin used Johannes, and English developed John. The different language forms preserve the name family without all sharing the same spelling or pronunciation.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1994. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Polish use, Janusz is an affectionate form of John. The history of John gives this family its wider story. John the Baptist is associated with baptism in the River Jordan, while John the Apostle is the fisherman and brother of James. Later saints, popes and rulers extended the name’s reach. Christian tradition also identifies the apostle with John the Evangelist, although that identification is debated. Janusz is a variant of Janus. The history of Janus gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Janus is associated with the god of gateways and beginnings.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Janusz through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1994
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1994. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,537 as a first name in 2020; 1,070 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.
Janusz’s family of names
Janusz is an affectionate form of John. Janusz has a related form in Janus. In Polish usage, Janusz is a diminutive of Jan.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Janusz has relatives in 4 languages.
6 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Janusz
- Janusz KamińskiPolish cinematographerborn 1959
- Janusz KusocińskiPolish long distance runner (1907-1940)
- Janusz Korwin-MikkePolish far-right politician and publicist (born 1942)
- Janusz PalikotPolish politician, activist and businessmanborn 1964
- Janusz KupcewiczPolish association football player (1955–2022)
- Janusz WojciechowskiPolish politicianborn 1954
- Janusz GajosPolish actorborn 1939
- Janusz LewandowskiPolish politicianborn 1951
- Janusz ZakrzeńskiPolish actor (1936-2010)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Janusz, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.