Meaning and history
Jane is the medieval English form of Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of Iohannes (see John). It surpassed Joan as the most common feminine form of John in the 17th century, although Joan briefly regained greater popularity in the United States and United Kingdom during the first half of the 20th century. Notable bearers include the nine-day English queen Lady Jane Grey, novelist Jane Austen, primatologist Jane Goodall, and actress Jane Fonda. Jane is also the central character of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847), which follows her difficult childhood and relationship with Edward Rochester.
20062006: 665 births, rank #477
2007: 775 births, rank #424
2008: 826 births, rank #389
2009: 831 births, rank #386
2010: 833 births, rank #385
20112011: 868 births, rank #367
2012: 927 births, rank #343
2013: 898 births, rank #357
2014: 1,026 births, rank #322
2015: 1,112 births, rank #290
20162016: 1,135 births, rank #279
2017: 1,157 births, rank #282
2018: 1,133 births, rank #290
2019: 1,189 births, rank #277
2020: 1,169 births, rank #263
20212021: 1,172 births, rank #266
2022: 1,089 births, rank #290
2023: 1,116 births, rank #281
2024: 1,186 births, rank #269
20252025: 1,380 births, rank #221
Jane rose from #269 to #221 for girls between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1947, with 9,943 births.