Jananne
A French feminine name denoting "gracious gift of God".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Jananne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jananne today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jananne births was 1923 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jananne. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Jananne is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Janannes were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jananne. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1923
5 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1952 SSA rank
#5,911
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Jananne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jananne from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jananne 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 Jananne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jananne
The given name Jananne has its roots in the French language and culture, originating in the late 16th century. It is a combination of the French names Jeanne and Anne, both of which have rich historical backgrounds. Jeanne is derived from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "God is gracious," while Anne traces its origins to the Hebrew name Hannah, signifying "grace."
Jananne initially emerged as a variant spelling of the name Johanna, which itself is a feminine form of the name John, derived from the Hebrew Yohanan. This name gained popularity in medieval Europe due to its association with St. John the Baptist and the veneration of John the Evangelist.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jananne can be found in the 17th-century French literary work "La Princesse de Clèves" by Madame de La Fayette, where a minor character bears this name. However, the name's usage remained relatively rare until the 19th century when it experienced a resurgence in parts of France and Belgium.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jananne, though it has never been a widely popular choice. One such figure was Jananne de Lestonnac (1556-1640), a French noblewoman and educator who founded the Order of the Daughters of Our Lady. Another was Jananne de Caumont (1585-1639), a French noblewoman and courtier during the reign of Louis XIII.
In the realm of literature, Jananne Dacquin (1712-1772) was a French writer and playwright who authored several works, including "Les Caquets de l'Accouchée" and "La Femme Jalouse." Moving forward in time, Jananne Lamberton (1888-1972) was a British artist and illustrator known for her botanical illustrations and contributions to the Royal Horticultural Society publications.
More recently, Jananne Al-Ani (born 1966) is an Iraqi-born British artist and filmmaker whose works explore themes of migration, displacement, and cultural identity. Her video installations and films have been exhibited internationally at prestigious venues like the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
While Jananne has never achieved widespread popularity as a given name, its unique blend of French and Hebrew origins, coupled with its historical associations, lends it a distinct charm and cultural richness. Despite its relative rarity, the name has been carried by individuals who have left their mark across various fields, from education and literature to art and filmmaking.
People
Jananne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jananne 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
Jananne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jananne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jananne 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Jananne a common name?
We classify Jananne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jananne most popular?
The single biggest year for Jananne was 1923, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jananne is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jananne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jananne 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.