Jane

English

"God is gracious"

Jane Origin and Meaning

The name Jane is a girl's name of English origin meaning "God is gracious".

Simple, classic, strong, and versatile, Jane has shrugged off her plain associations to become a short, punchy name with plenty of literary significance. Calling to mind Jane Austen and Jane Eyre, this charming choice is in the Top 300 in the US and The Netherlands, but a currently underused option elsewhere.

Ultimately derived from Iohannes and Yoḥanan, Jane is a feminine form of John that began appearing in Medieval England as an adaption of the French Jehanne. It's moved in and out of fashion over the years, competing with Joan, Jean, and Joanna as the ultimate John variant, but Jane is the one that became the generic female moniker (as in, Jane Doe or G.I. Jane).

A middle name favorite, because just like with Rose and Mae, it goes well with a lot of names, Jane has also appeared in various smoosh forms over the years, especially in its 20th century heyday, when Maryjane, Bettyjane and Sarajane were also in style. And that's before you consider any of its elaborate forms: Janelle, Janet, Janette, Janelle, Janae, Janey, Janice, Janetta...

Alongside its rich literary history, Jane also brings to mind primatologist Jane Goodall, activist and social worker Jane Addams, actress and activist Jane Fonda, and the briefly crowned queen, Lady Jane Grey. Then, there's a whole host of fictional Janes: Jane Bennet, Jane 'Eleven' Hopper, Jane Rizzoli, Miss (Jane) Marple, and Jane Porter.

Definitely one to consider if you want classic, understated, timeless, and simple, Jane was given to 1180 girls in the US in a recent year. You might also be intrigued by some of its variants, including Welsh Sian, Irish Siobhan and Sinead, Spanish Giovana and Janeth, and the Slavic Yana.

Many celebs have selected Jane as a middle name in recent years, with Lily Colins, Pippa Middleton, Jed Wyatt, and Hannah and Jeremiah Duggar among them. TV host Jimmy Kimmel used it as a first name back in 2014. Jimmy Kimmel recently named his baby girl Jane.

Jane Rank in US Top 1000

# 269 in the US

Jane Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 95 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Jane

• 269 US 2024
• 95 Nameberry 2025
• 207 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Jane

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Jane.

• Margaret
• Louise
• Caroline
• Lucy
• Georgia
• Josephine
• Eliza
• Louisa
• Ruth
• Annie
• Elizabeth
• Molly
• Anne
• Alice
• Claire
• Penelope
• Matilda
• Catherine
• Mary
• Anna

Famous People Named Jane

• Janes Means Pierce Wife of President Franklin Pierce
• Jane Seymour third Queen consort of Henry VIII of England
• Jane Grey Queen of England for nine days
• Jane Austen English novelist
• Jane Addams American settlement worker
• Jane Wyman (born Sarah Jane Mayfield) American singer/actress
• (Ernestine) Jane Geraldine Russell American actress
• Jane Sanders wife of Vermont's Senator Bernie Sanders
• Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce) American dancer, singer, and actress
• Jane Asher English actress, one,time fiancee of musician Paul McCartney
• Jane Seymour Fonda American actress
• (Valerie) Jane Morris Goodall English primatologist
• Jane Withers American actress
• Jane Margaret Lakes Harman former U.S. Congresswoman from California
• Jane Seymour (born Joyce Frankenberg) English actress
• Jane Dee Hull American politician, 20th governor of Arizona
• Jane Clifton Australian actress
• Jane Morgan American singer
• Jane Marian Joseph English composer
• (Emma) Jane Catherine Cobden English radical politician
• Jane Krakowski American actress
• Jane Frances Kaczmarek American actress
• Jane Colburn Levy American actress
• Jane Leeves English actress
• Jane Marie Lynch American actress/comedienne
• Jane Elliott American educator and activist
• Jane Espenson American TV writer and producer
• Jane Porter Scottish novelist and playwright
• Jane Boleyn Viscountess Rochford, sister,in,law of Queen Anne Boleyn
• Jane Adams American actress
• Jane "Poni" Adams (born Betty Jane Bierce) American actress
• Jane Adams English novelist
• Calamity Jane (born Martha Jane Canary) American frontierswoman
• Jane Ussher New Zealand photographer
• Jane Pratt American magazine and website editor (Jane Magazine)
• Jane Dornacker American musician, comedienne and journalist
• Jane Urquhart Canadian novelist and poet
• Jane Moore Sibbett American actress
• Jane Alexander American author and actress
• Jane Ira Bloom American jazz musician
• Jane Green English novelist
• Jane Olivor American cabaret singer
• (Elizabeth) Jane Campion New Zealand screenwriter
• Jane Hyatt Yolen American novelist
• Jane Monheit American jazz singer
• Jane Nossette Jarvis American jazz pianist
• (Margaret) Jane Pauley American news anchor and journalist
• Jane Lauder American businesswoman of Estee Lauder
• Jane Jensen (born Jane Elizabeth Smith) American video game designer
• Jane Therese Curtin American actress/comedienne
• Jane Mallory Birkin English model and originator of Hermes Birkin bag
• Jane Smiley American novelist
• Jane Grybennikova Ukrainian model
• Jane Zhang (born Zhang Liangying) Chinese pop singer
• Jane Erin Carrey daughter of actor Jim Carrey
• Jane Kimmel (b. 2014) daughter of comedian Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney

The name Jane in Pop Culture

• "Jane Eyre " novel by Charlotte Bronte and its main character
• Jane Porter character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan series
• Jane Bennet eldest sister in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"
• Jane Fairfax character in Jane Austen's "Emma"
• Jane "Eleven" Hopper character on TV's "Stranger Things"
• Mary Jane Watson character in the Marvel Universe
• Jane Foster character in the Thor series
• Jane Chapman character in "Big Little Lies"
• Jane Gloriana Villanueva character on TV's "Jane the Virgin"
• Jane Kano character in 2019's "Charlie's Angels"
• Jane "Janie" Johnson aka Jennie Spring main character in Caroline B. Cooney's "The Face on the Milk Carton"
• Jane Gallagher character in J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye"
• Jane Marple character in novels by Agatha Christie
• Jane Murdstone David Copperfield's step,aunt in Charles Dicken's "David Copperfield"
• Jane Rizzoli character on TV's "Rizzoli & Isles"
• Jane Penvellyn character in the HER Interactive video game, "Curse of Blackmoor Manor"
• Jane Sloan character in "The Bold Type"
• Jane Burnham character in movie "American Beauty"
• Jane Anne Deveraux, character on TV's "The Originals"
• Jane Quimby main character on TV's "Jane by Design"
• Jane Bingum main character on TV's "Drop Dead Diva"
• Jane and the Dragon book series by Martin Baynton and TV show
• Jane Wendy's daughter in Disney's "Return to Neverland'
• Jane Penderwick character in The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall
• "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" novel by Ernest J. Gaines and movie
• Jane Sterling character on TV's "Mad Men"
• Jane character in "Half,Magic" by Edward Eager
• Jane Nichols main character in movie "27 Dresses"
• Jane character in the Twilight Saga
• Jane Moffat character in "The Moffats" series by Eleanor Estes
• Jane Margolis character on TV's "Breaking Bad"
• Jane Andrews character in "Anne of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery
• Jane Kerkovich Williams, character on TV' "Happy Endings"
• Jane Lane character in animated series Daria
• Jane Morgan character in movie "My Babysitter's a Vampire"
• Jane Crocker character in web comic "Homestuck"
• Jane Larkin character in "Call Him Demon"
• Jane character in "Will Grayson, Will Grayson," by John Green and David Levithan
• Patrick Jane main character on TV's "The Mentalist"
• Blue "Jane" Sargent character in "The Raven Cycle"
• Jane Banks character in "Mary Poppins"
• Jane Beale character in TV's "EastEnders"
• Jane Fairy Godmother's daughter in Disney's "Descendants"
• Jane main character in "The Iron Dragon's Daughter"
• Jane main character in Jane in Bloom by Deborah Lytton.
• Sister Jane Ingalls character on Netflix's original series "Orange Is the New Black"
• Jane character in the Line Webtoon "Winter Woods"
• Jane "Janie" Scott character in The Apothecary
• Jane Boolittle daughter of Doctor Boolittle in "Monster High" show and series
• Jane character in "On the Road"
• Jane Norman clothing company
• "Jane " song by the Barenaked Ladies
• Mary Jane slang for marijuana
• Plain Jane slang for an ordinary woman
• Jane Doe stand,in name for a woman
• Jane's Addiction American alternative rock band
• Dear Jane Hong Kong rock band
• "G.I. Jane " 1997 movie
• 'Soldier Jane' song by Beck
• "Queen Jane Approximately " song by Bob Dylan
• "Jane Jane, Jane," song by the Kingston Trio
• "Sweet Jane " song by the Velvet Underground
• Jane Cobalt character in the Addicted Series
• Jane Jetson from the cartoon series "The Jetsons"
• Jane Tiberia Kirk Starship Captain in Star Trek comics by IDW Publishing, Jane Tiberia Kirk is a female version of Captain James Tiberius Kirk
• Jane the Killer Creepypasta
• Jane Ryan main character in movie "New York Minute"
• Jane "Alice" Jones character in movie "Closer"

International Variations of the name Jane

• Jeanne French