Jane

“God is gracious” — Hebrew via French origin

Girl's name · #221 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Jane — on the books since 1880, #221 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 380,000 girls share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Jane's short forms are Jennie, Janie, and Janey.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,100 girls in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 1,300 girls in New Zealand (2025) · about 1 in 1,500 girls in N. Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 47 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Janes

Jane Austen — English novelist (1775–1817)
Jane Goodall — English primatologist and anthropologist (1934–2025)
Jane Fonda — American actress and activist
Jane Addams — American feminist social activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, philosopher, and writer (1860–1935)
Jane Wyman — American actress (1917–2007)

In stories & tradition

Jane (Miss Marple) — The Body in the Library · A Pocket Full of Rye
Jane (Dolores Umbridge) — Harry Potter · Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Mary Jane Watson — The Amazing Spider-Man · Spider-Man

What Janes become

Among 2,900 notable people named Jane:

Artists & writers appear 1.63× more often than among typical names — e.g. Jane Austen, English novelist (1775–1817).

Similar names: Janie · Rosemary · Jamie · Anne · Sylvia · June

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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