Given name & surname
Jeanette
“God is gracious”
Jeanette is a variant of Jean. In French use, Jean carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Original FrenchJeannette
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jeanette is a variant of Jean. In French use, Jean carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From French Jeannette, built from English Jean + ette.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Jeanette through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 163,977
- 537 boys · 163,440 girls
- Most popular year
- 1939
- 2,902 babies
- 2025
- 75
- #2,391 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 75 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,391 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 2,893 in 1939. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 98,707 as a first name in 2020; 416 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.
Jeanette’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Jeanette has a diminutive in JENJEN. In English usage, Jeanette shares an earlier linguistic root with Janet. Jeanette has a related form in Jean.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Jeanette has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its French roots to each of them.
Frenchwhere Jeanette comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 30
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Jessiedoublet · English
- Jennadoublet · English
- Janelledoublet · English
- Jennydoublet · English
- Ivankadoublet · English
- Joaniedoublet · English
- Juanitadoublet · English
- Janetdoublet · English
Show 22 moreShow fewer
- Vannadoublet · English
- Jodydoublet · English
- Jandoublet · English
- Janeydoublet · English
- Jodoublet · English
- Jeanneequivalent
- Janinedoublet · English
- Jeaniedoublet · English
- Sineaddoublet · English
- Jeanninedoublet · English
- Shanaedoublet · English
- Jendoublet · English
- Jenetteequivalent
- Gianettiequivalent
- Sionedequivalent
- Yinethequivalent
- Sinéadequivalent
- Zsanettequivalent
- ЖанетRussian
- ДженетRussian
- ŻanetaPolish
- ŽanetaCzech
People named Jeanette
- Jeanette WintersonEnglish writerborn 1959
- Jeanette MacDonaldAmerican singer and actress (1903-1965)
- Lady Randolph ChurchillAmerican-born British mother of Winston Churchill (1854–1921)1851–1921
- Jeanette BiedermannGerman singer and actressborn 1981
- Jeanette EppsAmerican aerospace engineer and NASA astronaut (born 1970)
- JeanetteSpanish singerborn 1951
- Jeanette NolanAmerican actress (1911–1998)
- Netti Witziers-TimmerDutch sprinter (1923-2005)
- Jeanette OttesenDanish swimmerborn 1987
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jeanette, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Joanne
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janice
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Bonnette
Bonnette is a surname from French.
>99% girls
Carole
“a joyous song; a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Loretta
“crowned with laurel; from the laurel tree”
>99% girls
Josefina
Josefina is a feminine given name. It is used in Spanish, Swedish, Catalan, and Faroese.
>99% girls
Jane
“God is gracious” · “one who is fair; a beautiful girl”
>99% girls
Rosalie
“of the rose garden”
>99% girls