girl's name
Jeannette
juh-NET
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 9
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 89,104
Ireland
#495
1992 births
Jeannette means God is gracious, a French double diminutive of Jeanne — and the -ette ending is doing the same work twice, since Jeanne is already a feminine of Jean. Its strongest market is the United States, at 5333rd.
- Jeannette is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1917, when 1,113 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 138,141 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Jeannette over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 705 |
| 1890s | 1,289 |
| 1900s | 2,111 |
| 1910s | 7,719 |
| 1920s | 9,992 |
| 1930s | 9,821 |
| 1940s | 9,646 |
| 1950s | 8,863 |
| 1960s | 7,576 |
| 1970s | 5,196 |
| 1980s | 3,708 |
| 1990s | 1,648 |
| 2000s | 547 |
| 2010s | 350 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 129 |
What Jeannette means
Jeannette means God is gracious, carried from Jeanne and so from John. The Hebrew states something about God rather than describing the child who bears the name.
Where Jeannette comes from
Jeannette is a French diminutive of Jeanne, itself the feminine of Jean, from the Hebrew Yochanan — Yah joined to chanan, to be gracious. So the name is a diminutive of a feminine of a masculine, three derivations deep. Joan of Arc was called Jeannette at home in Domrémy before she called herself Jehanne la Pucelle. The -ette suffix is the same one behind Josette, Georgette, Colette and Annette.
Jeannette in use
Jeannette peaked in the United States in 1917, when 1,113 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in two of the seven markets we track — 5,333rd in the United States on 24 births and 6620th in France — across 89,104 lifetime births. Jeanette, the single-n spelling, is written up separately and holds substantially more volume.
How popular is Jeannette?
In 2025, Jeannette was given to 24 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Jeannette 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 Jeannette
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jeannette also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jeannette over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Jeannette
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.
Jeannette 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.
- French
- Jeanne
Sibling names for Jeannette
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jeannette — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jeannette
What does the name Jeannette mean?
God is gracious, carried from Jeanne and so from John.
Was Joan of Arc called Jeannette?
At home in Domrémy, yes. She later called herself Jehanne la Pucelle.
Is it Jeannette or Jeanette?
Both are used; the single-n spelling holds more volume in our data.
How popular is Jeannette?
5333rd in the United States, down from a 1917 peak of 1,113 births.
Is Jeannette a girl's or a boy's name?
Jeannette is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jeannette?
Jeannette has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Jeannette?
Jeannette is usually shortened to Nettie.
Is Jeannette a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jeannette currently ranks #5,333 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.