Janell
Janell was the 6418th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked 490th with 416 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,863 places. More babies were named Janell in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Janelle) Jane + -elle (God is gracious) · English, Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #6,418 girls, down 2,612 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 18girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1979416 babies
- Total since 1880
- 15,756babies recorded
What does the name Janell mean?
Janell is a spelling of Janelle, pronounced the same way, so it shares Janelle's meaning and origin.
Janelle is formed from Jane plus the French-style ending -elle, according to Wiktionary. Jane is a feminine form of John, which DMNES traces to Hebrew Yochanan, "graced by God" or "God is gracious." Wiktionary also records Janelle as a French surname and lists it among the many names that go back to Jane, such as Janet, Janine and Jeannette. In the US Janelle has been used for girls since the 1910s.
יוֹחָנָן (Biblical Hebrew, “God is gracious (via John/Jane)”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Jane, Janet, Janine, Jeanette.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Janelle' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jane' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'John', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Janell popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 23 since 1979.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,418 | 18 |
| 2020 | #3,806 | 38 |
| 2010 | #2,064 | 96 |
| 2000 | #1,462 | 126 |
| 1990 | #866 | 227 |
| 1980 | #549 | 340 |
| 1970 | #621 | 274 |
| 1960 | #665 | 234 |
| 1950 | #677 | 158 |
| 1940 | #775 | 83 |
| 1930 | #1,417 | 30 |
| 1920 | #2,118 | 18 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Janell, counting every spelling?
Janell is a spelling of Janelle, a name family that ranked #753 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #6,418 for Janell on its own. Together these spellings went to 365 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janelle | 340 | #801 | 2,004 |
| Janell | 18 | #6,418 | 124 |
| Jannelle | 7 | #12,454 | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Janell?
18 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Janell (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Janell born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 465 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Janell.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Janell?
About 13,500 people born in the US named Janell are alive today, with a median age of 48; half are between 36 and 62. That makes Janell mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Janell by state
How common Janell was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Janell: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Janell, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Janell
What does Janell mean?
Janell is a spelling of Janelle, which means “Jane + -elle (God is gracious)” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Janell?
Janell was the 6418th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked 490th with 416 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,863 places. More babies were named Janell in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Janell a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Janell in the US.
Where is Janell most popular?
In 2021–2025, Janell was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and Texas.