How to say it
JANE
dʒeɪn
Feminine
Jane
God is gracious
What it means
English feminine of John (originally Jehanne / Joanne / Joan), all from the Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious'). Jane Austen and Jane Eyre give the name its English literary weight; 'Plain Jane' is the unflattering 20th-century coinage.
Jane is the English feminine form of John, both ultimately from the Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious'). It arrived in English through Norman French Jeanne, with the path running Jehanne → Joan → Jane as the spelling softened. Three Tudor queens were Janes (Jane Seymour and Lady Jane Grey, plus Jane Boleyn the sister-in-law). Jane Austen (1775-1817) and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847) are the two indelible English literary anchors. The 20th-century 'Plain Jane' tag drove the name into a long dip; it's climbing again with the broader vintage revival. It entered the US top 200 in 2018. Janie is the standard short.
How to spell Jane
The standard spelling is Jane. Common variants include Jean, Joan, Janet, Janie, but Jane is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #35 in 1946, currently #221 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Jane Austen the novelist, Jane Eyre the Brontë heroine, and Jane Goodall the primatologist together cover most of the cultural surface; the 20th-century 'Plain Jane' tag has mostly faded.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Jane Austen English novelist, Pride and Prejudice and Emma
- Jane Eyre Title character of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel
- Jane Goodall British primatologist, Gombe chimpanzee research
Spelling variants
- Jean
- Joan
- Janet
- Janie
Names with the same feeling
See Jane from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Jane mean?
- English feminine of John (originally Jehanne / Joanne / Joan), all from the Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious'). Jane Austen and Jane Eyre give the name its English literary weight; 'Plain Jane' is the unflattering 20th-century coinage.
- What does Jane mean in Hebrew?
- In Hebrew, Jane means "God is gracious." Jane is the English feminine form of John, both ultimately from the Hebrew Yochanan ('Yahweh is gracious'). It arrived in English through Norman French Jeanne, with the path running Jehanne → Joan → Jane as the spelling softened. Three Tudor queens were Janes (Jane Seymour and Lady Jane Grey, plus Jane Boleyn the sister-in-law). Jane Austen (1775-1817) and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847) are the two indelible English literary anchors. The 20th-century 'Plain Jane' tag drove the name into a long dip; it's climbing again with the broader vintage revival. It entered the US top 200 in 2018. Janie is the standard short.
- How do you pronounce Jane?
- Jane is pronounced dʒeɪn. Say it as JANE, with the stress on the "jane" syllable.
- How do you spell Jane?
- The standard spelling is Jane. Common spelling variants include Jean, Joan, Janet, Janie.
- Is Jane a boy or girl name?
- Jane is traditionally a feminine name.
- How popular is the name Jane?
- Jane ranked #221 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.