boy's name
Yannick
ya-NEEK
- Origin Breton
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 95,582
Ireland
#744
2008 births
Yannick is Breton, meaning God is gracious, and the -ick ending is a Breton diminutive rather than a French one — so the name reads as little John in a Brittonic language, not a Romance one.
- Yannick is a name of Breton origin.
- Peaked in France in 1972, when 3,730 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 39,300 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1920.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Yannick over time
Births per decade in France, 1920s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 65 |
| 1930s | 375 |
| 1940s | 3,335 |
| 1950s | 11,370 |
| 1960s | 18,980 |
| 1970s | 29,380 |
| 1980s | 20,745 |
| 1990s | 5,215 |
| 2000s | 1,730 |
| 2010s | 455 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 110 |
What Yannick means
Yannick means God is gracious, carried from Yann, the Breton John. The Breton diminutive ending adds affection without altering the underlying Hebrew sense. The sense passes into the modern name unchanged.
Where Yannick comes from
Yannick is Breton, formed from Yann — the Breton John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, God is gracious — with the diminutive -ig, which French spelling renders as -ick. Breton is a Brittonic language brought to Armorica from Britain, so it is closer to Welsh and Cornish than to French, and its diminutives in -ig are shared with those languages. Annick, written up separately, is formed the same way from Anne.
Yannick in use
Yannick peaked in France in 1972, when 3,730 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in four of the seven markets we track — 1981st in France on 15 births, 2164th in Canada, 3863rd in England and Wales and 5068th in the United States on 19 — across 95,582 lifetime births. About 6 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is Yannick?
In 2025, Yannick was given to 15 babies in France. It is a rare choice.
Where Yannick 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 Yannick
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Yannick also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Yannick over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Yannick 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.
Sibling names for Yannick
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Yannick — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Yannick
What does the name Yannick mean?
God is gracious — from Yann, the Breton John.
Is Yannick French or Breton?
Breton. The -ick ending renders the Breton diminutive -ig.
Is Breton related to French?
No — it is Brittonic, closer to Welsh and Cornish, brought to Armorica from Britain.
How popular is Yannick?
1981st in France, down from a 1972 peak of 3,730 births.
Is Yannick a girl's or a boy's name?
Yannick is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Yannick?
Yannick has 2 syllables.
Is Yannick a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Yannick currently ranks #1,981 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.