Jana
Girl nameJana has been given to 46,223 babies in the U.S. since 1921. It peaked in 1961.
Meaning & origin
From Czech Jana, ultimately from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of John and Jack and earlier use of Joan in the same role. Doublet of Ivana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.
Origin: Czech
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
46,223
Peak year
1961 (1,456 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1921
10-year trend
▼ -32%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Jana
Jana Novotná
Czech tennis player (1968–2017)
Yana Klochkova
Ukrainian swimmer
Jana Burčeska
Macedonian singer
Yana Egorian
Russian Saber fencer
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Jana.
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