Janeiro
A masculine name derived from the Latin word for the month January.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Janeiro. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Janeiro today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Janeiro births was 1974 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Janeiro. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Janeiro. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1974
6 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1974 SSA rank
#4,887
Tracked since 1974
Popularity
Janeiro: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Janeiro 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 Janeiro during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Janeiro
The given name Janeiro has its origins in the Portuguese language, with roots tracing back to the Latin word "Ianuarius," which referred to the month of January. This name is closely linked to the Roman god Janus, the deity of beginnings, gates, transitions, and duality, who was traditionally honored during the first month of the year.
Janeiro was initially a month name used in the ancient Roman calendar, and over time, it evolved into a personal name, particularly in regions where Portuguese was spoken. The earliest recorded instances of Janeiro as a first name can be found in medieval Portuguese records, where it was sometimes given to children born in the month of January or during the winter season.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Janeiro was Janeiro Ruiz, a Portuguese nobleman who lived in the 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Afonso Henriques and played a role in the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal.
In the 16th century, Janeiro Fernandes was a Portuguese explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the New World. He is credited with contributing to the exploration and mapping of the South American coastline.
The name Janeiro also appears in religious contexts, particularly in the Catholic tradition. Janeiro Anselmo was a 17th-century Italian priest and theologian who wrote extensively on the subject of moral theology and the principles of the Catholic faith.
In the realm of literature, Janeiro was the name of a character in the novel "A Ilustre Casa de Ramires" by the acclaimed Portuguese writer Eça de Queirós, published in 1900. This fictional character embodied the values and traditions of the Portuguese nobility.
Another notable figure was Janeiro Álvares, a Portuguese explorer and diplomat who lived in the 15th century. He is known for his travels to Ethiopia and his role in establishing diplomatic relations between Portugal and the Ethiopian Empire.
While the name Janeiro has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has persisted as a nod to the rich cultural heritage of the Portuguese language and its connections to the ancient Roman world. The name carries a sense of reverence for the cycle of seasons and the symbolic significance of new beginnings.
People
Janeiro + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Janeiro 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
Janeiro: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Janeiro?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Janeiro 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Janeiro a common name?
We classify Janeiro as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Janeiro most popular?
The single biggest year for Janeiro was 1974, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Janeiro is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Janeiro in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Janeiro a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Janeiro in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Janeiro still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Janeiro in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Janeiro can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Janeiro?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.