girl's name
Janis
JAN-iss
- Origin American
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 50,656
Scotland
#434
1985 births
Janis fell further than any name in this sweep — 3,217 American births in 1947 down to 10 in the most recent year we hold, which is a fall of more than 99 percent.
- Janis is a name of American origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 3,217 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 331,565 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1909.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Janis over time
Births per decade in the United States, 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 | 6 |
| 1910s | 389 |
| 1920s | 1,479 |
| 1930s | 4,650 |
| 1940s | 14,908 |
| 1950s | 18,720 |
| 1960s | 4,995 |
| 1970s | 1,864 |
| 1980s | 870 |
| 1990s | 461 |
| 2000s | 348 |
| 2010s | 253 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 72 |
What Janis means
Janis means God is gracious, carried from Jane and ultimately from the Hebrew Yochanan. The ending is a twentieth-century American respelling and adds nothing to the sense.
Where Janis comes from
Janis respells Janice, itself an elaboration of Jane with the -ice ending that also produced Bernice and Candice as models. Jane is the English feminine of John, from the Old French Jehanne and the Hebrew Yochanan, God is gracious. A separate Latvian Jānis, the masculine form of John in that language, is unrelated in use despite the identical spelling. Our records carry the name from 1909.
Janis in use
Janis peaked in the United States in 1947, when 3,217 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 6648th in France on 10 births and 10064th in the United States on 10, across 50,656 lifetime births in two of the seven markets we track. The fall from 3,217 to 10 is the steepest in this sweep and among the steepest in our records.
How popular is Janis?
In 2025, Janis was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Janis is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Janis
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Janis also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Janis over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Janis 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.
- Slovene
- Jane
Sibling names for Janis
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Janis — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Janis
What does the name Janis mean?
God is gracious — from Jane and the Hebrew Yochanan.
Is the Latvian Jānis related?
It is the Latvian form of John, but masculine and unrelated in use despite the spelling.
How far has Janis fallen?
From 3,217 American births in 1947 to 10 — more than 99 percent.
Is it Janis or Janice?
Janice is the fuller form; Janis is a twentieth-century American respelling.
How popular is the name Janis?
In 2025, Janis was given to 10 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Janis a girl's or a boy's name?
Janis is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Janis?
Janis has 2 syllables.
When was Janis most popular?
Janis peaked in 1947, when 3,217 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Janis a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Janis currently ranks #6,648 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.