girls' name ★ peaked 1961

Jana

Meaning en (English) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,247 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

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Rank 2025
#1,247
among girls · ↑92 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
181
named Jana · +6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,880
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1961
1,456 babies
All-time total
46,223
#623 all-time among girls
First recorded
1921
in Social Security records

Jana popularity over time

46,223 babies have been named Jana since 1921, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s 64 – 64 6 – #2,867
1930s 223 – 223 22 +248% #1,134
1940s 1,661 – 1,661 166 +645% #466
1950s 7,084 – 7,084 708 +326% #293
1960s 11,612 9 11,621 1,162 +64% #226
1970s 9,168 11 9,179 918 -21% #226
1980s 7,267 18 7,285 729 -21% #246
1990s 2,952 – 2,952 295 -59% #546
2000s 2,395 – 2,395 240 -19% #887
2010s 2,531 – 2,531 253 +6% #916
2020s (to 2025) 1,228 – 1,228 205 -19% #1,062

Where Jana is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 173 0.11 outside top 500
2027 167 0.10 outside top 500
2028 162 0.10 outside top 500
2029 157 0.10 outside top 500
2030 154 0.10 outside top 500

Where Jana is most popular

Girls named Jana per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.123 per 1,000. Strongest in Michigan, New York, and Virginia.

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 Jana 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
Michigan 73 0.401 +227%
New York 98 0.247 +102%
Virginia 40 0.235 +92%
Illinois 49 0.214 +75%
Ohio 38 0.160 +31%
Florida 67 0.157 +28%
Pennsylvania 33 0.140 +14%
Texas 112 0.139 +14%
New Jersey 24 0.133 +9%
California 101 0.120 ≈ national
Indiana 15 0.107 -13%
North Carolina 24 0.105 -14%
Georgia 22 0.097 -21%
Colorado 10 0.090 -27%
Massachusetts 10 0.083 -32%
Louisiana 7 0.080 -35%
Washington 10 0.069 -43%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -62%
Missouri 5 0.041 -66%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Jana

Jana is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,247 in 2025 with 181 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1921, 46,223 American babies have been named Jana. Its peak came in 1961, when 1,456 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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 Jana stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jana?

The median living Jana is about 51 years old; half are between 39 and 62. An estimated 42 thousand people named Jana are alive in the United States today.

median 51 020406080100

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

Jana 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 181 #1,247 – –
2024 171 #1,339 – –
2023 200 #1,201 – –
2022 214 #1,140 – –
2021 228 #1,090 – –
2020 234 #1,062 – –
2019 237 #1,066 – –
2018 269 #983 – –
2017 292 #916 – –
2016 301 #917 – –
2015 266 #1,009 – –
2014 229 #1,110 – –
2013 244 #1,021 – –
2012 238 #1,058 – –
2011 213 #1,151 – –
2010 242 #1,032 – –
2009 239 #1,069 – –
2008 226 #1,140 – –
2007 247 #1,062 – –
2006 245 #1,047 – –
2005 252 #973 – –
2004 250 #959 – –
2003 218 #1,050 – –
2002 254 #887 – –
2001 235 #940 – –
2000 229 #938 – –
1995 271 #753 – –
1990 433 #546 – –
1985 696 #338 6 #6,102
1980 1,046 #246 5 #6,671
1975 821 #291 – –
1970 1,025 #286 5 #5,046
1965 1,094 #260 – –
1960 980 #295 – –
1955 868 #295 – –
1950 307 #465 – –
1945 140 #614 – –
1940 43 #1,109 – –
1935 21 #1,696 – –
1930 – – – –
1925 8 #3,848 – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Jana

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

  1. 1 Jana Kramer Jana Kramer American actress and country singer (born 1983) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jana Novotná Jana Novotná Czech tennis player (1968–2017) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jana Pittman Jana Pittman Australian hurdler and bobsledder b. 1982 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Jana Fett Jana Fett Croatian tennis player (born 1996) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jana Burčeska Jana Burčeska Macedonian singer (born 1993) Contemporary
  6. 6 Jana Čepelová Jana Čepelová Slovak tennis player (born 1993) Contemporary
  7. 7 Jana Tichá Jana Tichá Czech astronomer b. 1965 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Jana?

The median living Jana is about 51 years old. Half of all living Janas are between 39 and 62 years old.

How many people named Jana are alive today?

An estimated 42 thousand people named Jana are alive in the United States, based on 46,223 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jana mean?

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How popular is the name Jana in 2025?

Jana ranked #1,247 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 181 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jana?

46,223 babies have been named Jana in the United States since 1921, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jana most popular?

Jana peaked in 1961, when 1,456 newborns received the name.

Is Jana a boy or girl name?

Jana is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jana rising or falling?

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

Will Jana become more popular?

Jana is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 154 girls named Jana in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jana?

Well-known people named Jana include Jana Kramer (actor), Jana Novotná (tennis player), Jana Pittman (athlete).

Names like Jana

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

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