International Baby Names
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 5 pages
of 5
Diminutive of Janet, Jane, Jean, and Jennifer
Long before the Jennifer Era, Jennie was a fashionable pet form of several names, and was also used independently -- in 1875 it was in the Top 20. Jennie was replaced by the Jenny spelling in the…
French, diminutive of Jeanne
Relic of a past period of French favorites, out to pasture with Claudette and Paulette.
Slavic variation of Jana, feminine variation of John
"God is gracious"
A Slavic classic, as common as Jane or Joan here. If you live in an Anglophone culture and you want it pronounced with a Y sound at the beginning, use the Y spelling.
Portuguese, Catalan
A variant of Johanna.
Diminutive of Jane
Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of…
Spanish, feminine variation of Juan
Pervasive in all Spanish-speaking cultures, Juanita, like Juana, has not emigrated.
Siana is a beautiful feminine name with cross-cultural connections. It may be a variation of Siana (pronounced see-AH-na), which has Welsh origins meaning 'God is gracious.' Alternatively, it could…
Welsh
Diminutive of Siân/Sian, the Welsh form of Jane.
French variation of Jean
Pronounced just like Jean in the English-speaking world, but as the more unusual zhahn in France, this has sailed away with the first wave of French favorites: Denise, Michelle, et soeurs.
Variation of Giovanna, Italian
A romantic way to get to covetable nicknames Gia and Nina.
Latin, Slavic variation of Jane
In Roman mythology, Iana was an epithet of Diana, goddess of the moon. If pronunciation troubles worry you, use the Yana spelling instead.
French variation of Jane
Has lost all trace of its French accent.
Greek variation of Joanna
Ioanna may be an original spin on the Joanna family, but American tongues may have trouble wrapping themselves around all its vowels. Ioanna is pronounced ee-oh-ah-nah.
Yanna is a feminine name with multiple cultural origins. It can be a variant of 'Jana,' with Slavic roots meaning 'God is gracious,' or derive from the Greek 'Yianna,' a diminutive of Gianna (Italian…
Spelling variation of Sean
Shawn is one name that's become less unisex and more distinctly male over time in all its spellings, given to only 14 baby girls and over 500 boys in the US in the most recent year counted. But at…
Anglicization of Sine; Irish variation of Jane
Animated Gaelic name popularized by singer Sheena Easton, also brings to mind Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, the Amazonian comic book and TV series heroine. Sine is considered to be and English…
Yoana is a feminine name with Hebrew origins, representing a feminine form of John (Yohanan), meaning 'God is gracious.' This elegant variation is particularly popular in Spanish, Bulgarian, and…
Polish; Finnish; Lithuanian; German; Swedish
A sweet and sprightly feminine form of John.
Scandinavian variation of Johanna
A Scandinavian short form of Johanna, properly pronounced with a Y sound at the start, but would likely be read as the more prosaic "John-a" in an English-speaking context.
Irish form of Janet
One of the best known of the Irish girls' names , thanks to singer Sinead O'Connor. Though it's still in the Irish Top 100, it's no longer quite as fashionable in Ireland as Aoife or Aisling. But by…
