girl's name
Janine
juh-NEEN
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 103,820
Northern Ireland
#310
1997 births
Janine means God is gracious, a French elaboration of Jeanne, and it charts in three markets on very small numbers — 2683rd in Canada, 5880th in the United States, 7199th in France and 7480th in England and Wales.
- Janine is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1930, when 2,675 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 117,911 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1901.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Janine over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 65 |
| 1910s | 710 |
| 1920s | 15,445 |
| 1930s | 24,325 |
| 1940s | 18,455 |
| 1950s | 7,775 |
| 1960s | 1,460 |
| 1970s | 215 |
| 1980s | 70 |
| 1990s | 45 |
| 2000s | 25 |
| 2010s | 25 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 15 |
What Janine means
Janine means God is gracious, carried from Jeanne and so from John. The Hebrew states something about God rather than describing the child who bears it.
Where Janine comes from
Janine is a French elaboration of Jeanne, the feminine of Jean, from the Hebrew Yochanan — Yah, the divine name, joined to chanan, to be gracious. The -ine ending is the same productive French suffix behind Josephine, Claudine and Nadine. The wider family is one of the largest in Europe: Jane, Joan, Jean, Joanna, Johanna, Janet, Jeanette, Sinead and Siobhan are all the same name arriving in different languages.
Janine in use
Janine peaked in France in 1930, when 2,675 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in four of the seven markets we track — 2683rd in Canada, 5880th in the United States on 21 births, 7199th in France on 5 and 7480th in England and Wales on 3 — across 103,820 lifetime births. All three positions are deep, which is unusual for a name still marked stable.
How popular is Janine?
In 2025, Janine was given to 5 babies in France. It is a rare choice.
Where Janine is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Janine
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Janine also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Janine over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Janine
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Janine in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Polish
- Janina
Sibling names for Janine
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Janine — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Janine
What does the name Janine mean?
God is gracious, carried from Jeanne and so from John.
Is Janine French?
Yes, a French elaboration of Jeanne with the -ine suffix.
Which names are related?
Jane, Joan, Jean, Joanna, Janet, Jeanette, Sinead and Siobhan are all the same name.
How popular is Janine?
5880th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Janine a girl's or a boy's name?
Janine is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Janine?
Janine has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Janine?
Janine is usually shortened to Jan.
Is Janine a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Janine currently ranks #2,683 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.