Janae
A feminine name of French origin meaning "God is gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 17,292 living Americans carry the first name Janae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Janae today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Janae births was 2000 (589 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Janae. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
17K
~ 1 in 19,822 Americans
Peak year
2000
589 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1989 SSA rank
#1,408
Tracked since 1939
Gender
Gender distribution for Janae
Out of the 17,934 babies given the name Janae since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Janae as a male name
- Ranked #7,371 in 1989
- 6 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (6 births)
Janae as a female name
- Ranked #1,408 in 2024
- 158 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2000 (589 births)
Popularity
Janae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Janae from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5,019 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Janae by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Janae during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Janaes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 43 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Janae, while Wyoming, Hawaii, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 350 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Janae
Janae is a feminine given name with origins tracing back to the late 19th century. It is believed to be a variant or feminine form of the Hebrew name Janai, which itself derives from the biblical name Janna meaning "God is gracious" or "God has favored." The name Janae also bears similarities to the French name Janée, meaning "born in January."
The earliest recorded use of the name Janae can be found in the United States census records from the late 1800s. It is possible that the name gained popularity as a more modern and unique variation of the traditional names Jane or Janie during this time period. However, its usage remained relatively rare until the mid-20th century.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Janae was Janae Silas, an American actress and dancer born in 1909. She appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Another historical figure was Janae Hodges, a British suffragette and women's rights activist born in 1892. She was a prominent figure in the Women's Social and Political Union and was arrested multiple times for her participation in protests and demonstrations.
In the realm of literature, Janae Everett was an American novelist and poet born in 1923. She is best known for her critically acclaimed novel "The Remembered Earth," which explored themes of identity, loss, and resilience.
Moving into the 20th century, Janae Gammage was an Australian athlete who competed in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics as a sprinter. She won a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Lastly, Janae Bakken was a Norwegian artist and sculptor born in 1945. Her works, often featuring abstract forms and organic shapes, have been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout Scandinavia and Europe.
While these are just a few examples, the name Janae has continued to be used across various cultures and backgrounds, carrying with it a sense of grace, favor, and uniqueness.
People
Janae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Janae as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Janae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Janae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17,292 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Janae going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 19,822 US residents.
Is Janae a common name?
We classify Janae as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17,934 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Janae most popular?
The single biggest year for Janae was 2000, when 589 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Janae is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Janae a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Janae in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.