Entry № 4803 · English origin

Janet Janet — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ JAN-et /
Gender
Girl
Origin
English
Meaning
"God is gracious (Janet Jackson; Janet Yellen, US Treasury Secretary)"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 950
First recorded
Medieval (Scottish)

A name that means "god is gracious (janet jackson; janet yellen, us treasury secretary)".

Janet is a medieval Scottish diminutive of Jane — itself the feminine of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan ("God is gracious"). A top-30 US baby name from 1932 to 1962, peaking at #19 in 1937, 1942, and 1953. Janet Yellen (born 1946) — first woman to serve as Chair of the Federal Reserve (2014-2018) and as US Secretary of the Treasury (2021-2025) — the only person ever to have held all three top US economic posts. Janet Jackson (born 1966) — American pop singer; 10 #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles. Janet Reno (1938-2016) — first female US Attorney General.

Subject of Janet Jackson's documentary Janet (2022).

God is gracious. Janet Yellen ran the Fed and the Treasury; Janet Jackson's ten #1 singles.

The name in its native script.

Janet
Transliteration
Janet
Pronunciation
/ ˈdʒæn.ɪt /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Janet stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 950 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 19 in 1937
Babies named Janet · last year
200 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1880
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #19 NOW · #950

Janets before her.

Real people
Janet Yellen
78th US Secretary of the Treasury.
born 1946
Janet Jackson
American pop singer.
born 1966
Janet Reno
First female US Attorney General.
1938 – 2016
In fiction
Janet
The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
1975

Names connected to Janet.

The number behind Janet.

5

The Seeker

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Janet reduce to 5, The Seeker. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.