Unisex name ★ peaked 1954

Jan

Meaning A male given name from Dutch Gender Unisex · 71% girls Rank 2025 #15,898 Trend ↓ Falling 50%

A male given name from Dutch.

Rank 2025
#15,898
among girls
Babies in 2025
52
named Jan · -21% vs 2024
How common
1 in 321,453
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1954
3,761 babies
All-time total
76,934
#554 all-time among girls
First recorded
1902
in Social Security records

Jan popularity over time

76,934 babies have been named Jan since 1902, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 16 16 2 – –
1910s 110 168 278 28 +1638% #1,807
1920s 323 227 550 55 +98% #1,064
1930s 1,787 1,695 3,482 348 +533% #378
1940s 8,717 5,344 14,061 1,406 +304% #180
1950s 26,169 5,723 31,892 3,189 +127% #131
1960s 12,827 2,397 15,224 1,522 -52% #166
1970s 3,095 1,278 4,373 437 -71% #442
1980s 1,126 1,193 2,319 232 -47% #841
1990s 230 995 1,225 123 -47% #2,580
2000s 87 2,056 2,143 214 +75% #6,314
2010s 45 930 975 98 -55% #12,303
2020s (to 2025) 15 381 396 66 -32% #15,898

Where Jan is most popular

Girls named Jan per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.001 per 1,000.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Jan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
California – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Jan

Jan is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #15,898 in 2025 with 5 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1902, 76,934 American babies have been named Jan, about 71% girls and 29% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1954, when 3,761 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jan stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jan?

The median living Jan is about 68 years old; half are between 60 and 73. An estimated 60 thousand people named Jan are alive in the United States today.

median 68 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 5 #15,898 47 #2,731
2024 – – 66 #2,198
2023 – – 69 #2,118
2022 – – 68 #2,157
2021 5 #16,260 62 #2,262
2020 5 #16,139 69 #2,056
2019 5 #16,561 54 #2,472
2018 – – 82 #1,843
2017 – – 63 #2,158
2016 5 #17,331 84 #1,804
2015 8 #12,303 93 #1,685
2014 – – 84 #1,787
2013 7 #13,765 112 #1,469
2012 8 #12,702 107 #1,505
2011 7 #13,950 116 #1,426
2010 5 #18,137 135 #1,286
2009 8 #12,946 160 #1,143
2008 – – 206 #971
2007 6 #16,315 189 #1,014
2006 6 #15,925 279 #758
2005 10 #10,436 215 #856
2004 9 #11,069 235 #776
2003 10 #9,979 191 #885
2002 6 #14,320 175 #920
2001 15 #7,102 214 #790
2000 17 #6,314 192 #837
1995 27 #3,924 107 #1,100
1990 46 #2,580 126 #915
1985 90 #1,415 131 #775
1980 186 #841 114 #824
1975 262 #606 97 #848
1970 498 #442 163 #636
1965 937 #285 219 #519
1960 2,447 #166 370 #412
1955 2,768 #138 655 #279
1950 1,725 #166 608 #267
1945 864 #221 496 #263
1940 331 #356 349 #299
1935 188 #465 196 #389
1930 60 #945 29 #1,353
1925 31 #1,482 26 #1,475
1920 19 #2,036 29 #1,364
1915 11 #2,610 22 #1,485
1910 – – 9 #1,160
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Jan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jan Žižka Jan Žižka Czech military commander (1360–1424) Medieval
  2. 2 Jan Hus Jan Hus Czech theologian, philosopher, and martyr (c. 1369–1415) Medieval
  3. 3 Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck Flemish painter (died 1441) 1395–1441 · Medieval
  4. 4 Jan Smuts Jan Smuts South African statesman and military officer (1870–1950) 19th century
  5. 5 Jan van Riebeeck Jan van Riebeeck Dutch colonial administrator (1619–1677) 17th century
  6. 6 Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer Czech filmmaker (born 1934) Contemporary
  7. 7 Jan Matejko Jan Matejko Polish painter (1838–1893) 19th century
  8. 8 Jan Palach Jan Palach Czech student who self-immolated (1948–1969) Contemporary
  9. 9 Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel the Elder Flemish painter (1568–1625) 16th century
  10. 10 Jan Masaryk Jan Masaryk Czechoslovak diplomat and politician (1886–1948) 19th century
  11. 11 Jan Henryk Dąbrowski Jan Henryk Dąbrowski Polish general (1755–1818) 18th century
  12. 12 Jan Guillou Jan Guillou French-Swedish author and journalist b. 1944 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Jan Steen Jan Steen Dutch genre painter (c.1626–1679) 17th century
  14. 14 Jan Baptist van Helmont Jan Baptist van Helmont Chemist and physician (1580–1644) 16th century
  15. 15 Jan Oort Jan Oort Dutch astronomer (1900–1992) Contemporary
  16. 16 Jan Tinbergen Jan Tinbergen Dutch economist and Nobel Laureate (1903–1994) Contemporary
  17. 17 Jan Evangelista Purkyně Jan Evangelista Purkyně Czech biologist and physiologist (1787–1869) 18th century
  18. 18 Jan Dismas Zelenka Czech composer (1679–1745) 17th century
  19. 19 Jan Potocki Jan Potocki Polish nobleman, writer (creating in French), traveler, politician and historian 1761–1815 · 18th century
  20. 20 Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Dutch Renaissance composer (1562–1621 16th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jan?

The median living Jan is about 68 years old. Half of all living Jans are between 60 and 73 years old.

How many people named Jan are alive today?

An estimated 60 thousand people named Jan are alive in the United States, based on 76,934 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jan mean?

A male given name from Dutch.

How popular is the name Jan in 2025?

Jan ranked #15,898 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 5 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jan?

76,934 babies have been named Jan in the United States since 1902, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jan most popular?

Jan peaked in 1954, when 3,761 newborns received the name.

Is Jan a boy or girl name?

Jan is used for both: about 71% of babies named Jan have been girls and 29% boys.

Is the name Jan rising or falling?

Jan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Who are famous people named Jan?

Well-known people named Jan include Jan Žižka (military personnel), Jan Hus (social activist), Jan van Eyck (painter).

Names like Jan

Names that sound and feel close to Jan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jan with similar names → More names starting with J →