Janelle

“Variant of Jane — God is gracious” — Hebrew via French origin

Girl's name · #799 in the US (2025) · 80s

Janelle has appeared in US records since 1912 — best rank #186 (1978) · 56,881 babies named Janelle all-time · 1 in 4,800 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 2,700 girls in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 4,200 girls in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 6,000 girls in Scotland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 29 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Janelles

Janelle Monáe — American singer and actress (born 1985)
Janelle Commissiong — Trinidad and Tobago model
Janelle Salaün — French basketball player
Janelle Bynum — American politician (born 1975)
Janelle James — American comedian

In stories & tradition

Janelle Timmins — Neighbours

What Janelles become

Among 109 notable people named Janelle:

Athletes appear 2.46× more often than among typical names — e.g. Janelle Salaün, French basketball player.

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