girls' name ★ peaked 1979

Janelle

Meaning God is merciful Gender Girl Rank 2025 #801 Trend ↓ Falling 23%

Janelle, and variations such as Janegel, are feminine given names, variant of Jane which derives from the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Iōannēs), derived from the Hebrew name…

Rank 2025
#801
among girls · ↓24 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
340
named Janelle · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,727
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1979
1,421 babies
All-time total
56,967
#540 all-time among girls
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Janelle popularity over time

56,967 babies have been named Janelle since 1912, 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 84 – 84 8 – #2,185
1920s 280 – 280 28 +233% #1,049
1930s 857 – 857 86 +206% #617
1940s 1,499 – 1,499 150 +75% #502
1950s 3,528 – 3,528 353 +135% #435
1960s 5,025 – 5,025 503 +42% #351
1970s 8,439 15 8,454 845 +68% #186
1980s 12,571 66 12,637 1,264 +49% #194
1990s 8,488 – 8,488 849 -33% #257
2000s 6,773 5 6,778 678 -20% #373
2010s 6,906 – 6,906 691 +2% #391
2020s (to 2025) 2,431 – 2,431 405 -41% #663

Where Janelle 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 324 0.20 outside top 500
2027 312 0.19 outside top 500
2028 301 0.19 outside top 500
2029 293 0.18 outside top 500
2030 286 0.18 outside top 500

Where Janelle is most popular

Girls named Janelle per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.247 per 1,000. Strongest in Maryland, California, and Texas.

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 Janelle 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
Maryland 47 0.444 +80%
California 367 0.437 +77%
Texas 318 0.395 +60%
New Jersey 67 0.371 +50%
Massachusetts 41 0.339 +37%
Arizona 47 0.335 +36%
Georgia 73 0.321 +30%
Virginia 54 0.317 +28%
Washington 44 0.305 +23%
North Carolina 69 0.303 +23%
New York 117 0.295 +20%
Florida 124 0.290 +17%
Arkansas 14 0.265 +7%
Illinois 59 0.258 ≈ national
Ohio 59 0.249 ≈ national
Nevada 11 0.237 ≈ national
Oregon 14 0.215 -13%
Kentucky 18 0.210 -15%
Tennessee 33 0.208 -16%
New Mexico 5 0.206 -17%
Connecticut 11 0.189 -23%
Michigan 34 0.187 -24%
Pennsylvania 44 0.186 -25%
Alabama 17 0.181 -27%
Indiana 25 0.178 -28%
Oklahoma 13 0.177 -28%
South Carolina 12 0.133 -46%
Colorado 12 0.108 -56%
Iowa 6 0.103 -58%
Missouri 11 0.091 -63%
Louisiana 6 0.069 -72%
Wisconsin 6 0.058 -76%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Janelle

Janelle is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #801 in 2025 with 340 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 56,967 American babies have been named Janelle. Its peak came in 1979, when 1,421 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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

How old are people named Janelle?

The median living Janelle is about 38 years old; half are between 21 and 48. An estimated 54 thousand people named Janelle are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

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

Janelle 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 340 #801 – –
2024 363 #777 – –
2023 418 #693 – –
2022 435 #671 – –
2021 448 #663 – –
2020 427 #671 – –
2019 549 #553 – –
2018 527 #584 – –
2017 628 #499 – –
2016 667 #477 – –
2015 680 #474 – –
2014 713 #451 – –
2013 777 #397 – –
2012 739 #426 – –
2011 813 #391 – –
2010 813 #394 – –
2009 781 #405 – –
2008 884 #373 – –
2007 817 #399 – –
2006 824 #390 – –
2005 571 #517 5 #12,199
2004 526 #545 – –
2003 606 #484 – –
2002 585 #480 – –
2001 588 #473 – –
2000 591 #470 – –
1995 779 #339 – –
1990 1,106 #258 – –
1985 1,360 #198 5 #6,989
1980 1,395 #194 7 #5,183
1975 733 #311 – –
1970 606 #387 – –
1965 472 #435 – –
1960 442 #465 – –
1955 419 #435 – –
1950 275 #486 – –
1945 138 #618 – –
1940 102 #688 – –
1935 91 #707 – –
1930 45 #1,106 – –
1925 20 #1,970 – –
1920 22 #1,848 – –
1915 14 #2,185 – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Janelle

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

  1. 1 Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe American musician and actor (born 1985) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Janelle?

The median living Janelle is about 38 years old. Half of all living Janelles are between 21 and 48 years old.

How many people named Janelle are alive today?

An estimated 54 thousand people named Janelle are alive in the United States, based on 56,967 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Janelle mean?

Janelle, and variations such as Janegel, are feminine given names, variant of Jane which derives from the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Iōannēs), derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan), meaning "God is merciful".

How popular is the name Janelle in 2025?

Janelle ranked #801 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 340 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Janelle?

56,967 babies have been named Janelle in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Janelle most popular?

Janelle peaked in 1979, when 1,421 newborns received the name.

Is Janelle a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Janelle rising or falling?

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

Will Janelle become more popular?

Janelle is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 286 girls named Janelle 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 Janelle?

Well-known people named Janelle include Janelle Monáe (actor).

Names like Janelle

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

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