January

English word name

"month name"

January Origin and Meaning

The name January is a girl's name meaning "month name".

Thanks to two cultural influences, January has joined March, April, June and August as a plausible month name.

The first was a character named January Wayne in a bestselling 1973 Jacqueline Susann novel, Once is Not Enough, which was later made into a movie. Then, five years later, the mother-to-be of January Jones – future Mad Men star – was inspired by that character to give the name to her baby daughter, as did enough other parents in 1978 to bring January to Number 639 on the list.

So if you're looking for a cool namesake for an aunt Janet or Janice, January might be the perfect alternative. January, along with Snow and Frost, are also perfect names for winter babies.

• 1433 Nameberry 2021