Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Jan

Say it YAHN 1 syllable

Dutch · “Yahweh is gracious”

Loved in Poland and Catalonia. Common across the Netherlands, Austria, three German cities, and 3 more places. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 11 more places.

1 in 25 boys born in Poland in 2025. Number 4 there.

Jan in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 2, common in 8, rare in 16.
Jan in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales639 (down)2025571 in 4,7713012020
Scotland495 (down)202561 in 3,2742612020
Northern IrelandRare: below the complete list20253342020
Ireland372 (down)2025101 in 2,3731832020
North America
Ontario (province)1,216 (down)20248about 1 in 7,4848572019
Quebec (province)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
British Columbia (province)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France2,171 (down)2025101 in 30,2691,7932020
Netherlands48 (down)2025258about 1 in 258422020
Central Europe
Austria95 (down)2025781 in 488612020
Switzerland106 (down)2025651 in 554482020
Berlin (city)108 (down)202332about 1 in 485732018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025652020
Cologne (city)53 (down)202321about 1 in 304362018
Bonn (city)64 (down)20259about 1 in 352382020
Leipzig (city)170 (down)20253about 1 in 959722020
Rostock (city)96 (up)20252about 1 in 5242122020
Nordic countries
Norway148 (down)2025361 in 6471172020
Sweden353 (down)202520about 1 in 2,1563392020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
Spain81 (down)2024360752019
Catalonia (region)4 (down)20253471 in 6022020
Italy446 (new in the list)2024251 in 7,574Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland4 (down)20255,0541 in 2522020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Slovenia29 (down)202559about 1 in 12382020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
Croatia252025195No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as ג'אן)853 (down)20245about 1 in 17,0207902019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Jan is a Dutch and Frisian contracted form of Johannes, and so goes back through Latin and Greek to the Hebrew Yəhōḥānān, 'Yahweh is gracious'. It is a close relative of John and Johann.

2 more paragraphs

It is a single syllable, YAHN, simple and clear. Related names include John, Johannes, Johan, Hans, Hannes, Giovanni and Jon.

Jan is a leading name in Catalonia and Poland and popular in Croatia. In English-speaking countries it is rare, appearing well down the lists in Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales. French records show a peak in the late 2000s, and it is now falling in most of the places that record it.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
YAHN · 1 syllable
Meaning
“Yahweh is gracious”
Origin
Dutch and Hebrew
Related names
John, Johannes, Johan, Hannes, Hans, Jon, Johann, Giovanni, Jack, Janos, Gian, Jen, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Jehan, Jantje, Jannes, Jans, Jaan, Jahn, Jann, Janne
Where Jan comes from (Wiktionary)

Borrowed from Dutch Jan (“male given name”) and West Frisian Jan (“male given name”) in the eighteenth century. Both are contracted forms corresponding to Johannes. The name ultimately derives from Latin Iohannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Biblical Hebrew יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān, “Yahweh is gracious”). Doublet of Jon (“male given name”), the older traditional Norwegian form.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Jan. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Jan over time

Rising in 1 of the 17 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 11. Peak in France: 2008.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Jan in England and Wales: #728 in 1996, a peak of #226 in 2017, and #639 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000#3,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #728, 21 boys1997: #809, 19 boys1998: #502, 39 boys1999: #718, 23 boys2000: #1,048, 14 boys2001: #842, 20 boys2002: #633, 31 boys2003: #615, 36 boys2004: #703, 33 boys2005: #691, 37 boys2006: #472, 66 boys2007: #376, 97 boys2008: #326, 120 boys2009: #299, 142 boys2010: #355, 117 boys2011: #303, 147 boys2012: #256, 188 boys2013: #252, 200 boys2014: #261, 190 boys2015: #251, 206 boys2016: #265, 200 boys2017: #226, 238 boys2018: #248, 207 boys2019: #296, 165 boys2020: #301, 153 boys2021: #370, 122 boys2022: #439, 92 boys2023: #411, 96 boys2024: #514, 76 boys2025: #639, 57 boys#728 in 1996peak #226, 2017#639in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199672821
199780919
199850239
199971823
20001,04814
200184220
200263331
200361536
200470333
200569137
200647266
200737697
2008326120
2009299142
2010355117
2011303147
2012256188
2013252200
2014261190
2015251206
2016265200
2017226238
2018248207
2019296165
2020301153
2021370122
202243992
202341196
202451476
202563957

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Jan in France since 1925 were born in or after 1986. Peak: 2008, about 10 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 6.4 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 5.4 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 3.5 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 2.6 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 2.1 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 2.3 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 2.8 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 2 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 2.7 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 4.5 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 5.7 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 4 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 4.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 4.2 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 5.6 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 6.1 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 7.3 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 6.8 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 6 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 3.9 per 100,000 boys20202025: 3.3 per 100,000 boys20252005-2009: about 1 in 13,736 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19296.4
1930–19345.4
1935–19393.5
1940–19442.6
1945–19492.1
1950–19542.3
1955–19592.8
1960–19642
1965–19692.7
1970–19744.5
1975–19795.7
1980–19844
1985–19894.8
1990–19944.2
1995–19995.6
2000–20046.1
2005–20097.3
2010–20146.8
2015–20196
2020–20243.9
20253.3

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Jan

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Jan, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 208, Ireland

  2. 1 in 62, Poland

  3. 1 in 78, Austria

  4. 1 in 185, Ireland

  5. 1 in 210, Norway

  6. 1 in 24, Poland

  7. 1 in 705, Austria

  8. 1 in 516, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 608, Ireland

  10. 1 in 25, Poland

All 40 brother names for Jan

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Jan's 1 syllable and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  4. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 105, Ireland

  6. 1 in 130, Scotland

  7. 1 in 62, Poland

  8. 1 in 112, Northern Ireland

Full-name check

Jan Oliver

Syllables 1-3Initials J.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Jan

Sisters for Jan: Miriam, Maria, Sara, and 5 more
  1. MiriamRose and fell with Jan · Same generation as Jan
  2. MariaRose and fell with Jan · Hebrew, like Jan
  3. SaraRose and fell with Jan · As common as Jan
  4. MaraRose and fell with Jan · Hebrew, like Jan
  5. ElisaRose and fell with Jan · Hebrew, like Jan
  6. NaomiRose and fell with Jan · Hebrew, like Jan
  7. LauraRose and fell with Jan · As common as Jan
  8. HannaRose and fell with Jan · As common as Jan

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Jan

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Jan's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 8 more places.

  2. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 10 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

  4. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

  5. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

  7. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

  8. Rare across France, the UK, three Canadian provinces, and 13 more places.

Famous people named Jan

Jan Hus, Jan van Eyck, and 6 more
  • Jan Hus

    Czech theologian, philosopher and preacher (1369-1415)

  • Jan van Eyck 1390 to 1441

    Flemish painter

  • Jan Peter Balkenende born 1956

    Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 2002 to 2010

  • Jan Tinbergen 1903 to 1994

    Dutch economist

  • Jan Neruda 1834 to 1891

    Czech poet, theater reviewer, publicist, journalist and writer

  • Jan Palach 1948 to 1969

    Czech student who killed himself by self-immolation in protest

  • Jan Matejko 1838 to 1893

    Polish painter

  • Jan Vertonghen born 1987

    Belgian association football player

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Jan

How popular is Jan in Ireland?

Jan ranked #372 in Ireland in 2025, given to 10 boys, about 1 in 2,373.

Is Jan rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 1 of the 17 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 11. Rising in: Rostock.

What does Jan mean?

Jan means “Yahweh is gracious”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Jan have?

Jan has 1 syllable: YAHN.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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