Jannene
French feminine name derived from Jeanne, meaning "God is gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Jannene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jannene today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jannene births was 1949 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jannene. 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 Jannene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1949
9 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1975 SSA rank
#9,617
Tracked since 1949
Popularity
Jannene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jannene from the 1940s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 9 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Jannene remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jannene 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 Jannene 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 Jannene
The name Jannene is thought to have originated from the Germanic languages, specifically from the Old High German and Old Saxon dialects spoken in medieval Central Europe. It is believed to be a feminine variant of the masculine name "Jan" or "Johann," which itself derives from the Hebrew name "Yochanan," meaning "Yahweh is gracious."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jannene can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in medieval German records and chronicles. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Jannina" or "Jannine," reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations of the Germanic languages.
In the 13th century, the name Jannene gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy in parts of the Holy Roman Empire, particularly in the regions of modern-day Germany and Austria. Historical records from this era mention several noble women bearing the name, including Jannene von Saarbrücken (c. 1220-1290), a noblewoman from the County of Saarbrücken.
The name Jannene also found its way into religious texts and chronicles during the Middle Ages. One notable example is the mention of a nun named Jannene in the annals of the Benedictine monastery of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland, dating back to the late 14th century.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and variations, such as "Jeannine" in France, "Giannina" in Italy, and "Janina" in Poland and other Slavic regions. Each region adapted the name to fit their linguistic and cultural traditions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jannene. One of the earliest was Jannene van Henegouwen (c. 1280-1350), a Flemish noblewoman and courtier at the court of King Edward III of England. Another was Jannene de Valois (1343-1416), a French princess and daughter of King John II of France.
In the 16th century, Jannene Gerson (c. 1510-1580) was a renowned French scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the Catholic Reformation. Later, in the 19th century, Jannene Weber (1824-1908) was a German soprano and noted opera singer who performed in major European opera houses.
One of the most recent notable individuals named Jannene was Jannene Lilly (1923-2004), an American actress and singer who appeared in several films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.
People
Jannene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jannene 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
Jannene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jannene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jannene 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Jannene a common name?
We classify Jannene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jannene most popular?
The single biggest year for Jannene was 1949, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jannene is about 64 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 Jannene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jannene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jannene 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.
Is Jannene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jannene 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 Jannene 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 are named Jannene?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Jannene at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.