Names That Mean Gracious

Ianto is a lively and unique spin on John, possible familiar to American sci-fi fans via the popular character on Torchwood.

Ianto

A cool Finnish name with a lovely sound and meaning.

Jalo

Juhani

Anže was originally a nickname for Janez, a Slovene form of Johannes, but now ranks in the Slovene Top 20 as an independent name.

Anže

A short form of the very popular Polish name Jan, which is the equivalent of John in English. Short forms ending in -ek are very widespread in Poland, but it is rare that one is given as the official birth certificate name.

Janek

Johannes never caught on in the US, but popular European short form Hannes may be more accessible.

Hannes

Janis

Another spelling of JANNIK, a John form that has a terminally Olde Worlde sound to the American ear.

Jannick

Goodbye Uncle Vanya and hello...It Girl baby name? It's true — style icon Chloë Sevigny chose the name Vanja for her son, born in 2020. The name honors Vanja's paternal heritage — Chloë's partner is the Croatian-born gallerist Siniša Mačkovic.
 
Vanja is the Croatian variation of Vanya, a Russian name that originated as a nickname for Ivan. In Scandinavia, the Vanja spelling is frequently used for girls, while in Serbia and Croatia it is considered unisex.

Vanja

Johani

Popular short form Anže has eclipsed Janez in Slovene popularity.

Janez

Short form of Yann, the Breton form of John.

Yannou

Iván

An elaboration of Jaan, not quite as widely used in Estonia as the original. Jaan is the Estonian form of John.

Jaanus

Yannic

Elaborate, ultra-feminine variation of Gianna.

Giannetta

Pronounced YAH-nosh, has a serious, violin-playing air.  Perhaps that's why it has so many nicknames: JANCKZI, JANCSI, JANI, JANKIA, JANKO.

Janos

In Germany, Jannis outranks its parent name, Johannes. Virtually no American babies were given the name in the last year on record.

Jannis

More streamlined – and more authentic – than Shawna.

Seana

Medieval Venetian form of John, which feels ripe for a comeback in 21st-century America.