Jean
Jean was the 1172nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 176 babies. Its best year was 1928, when it ranked 309th; the most babies were born in 1993 (428). Over the last ten years it has moved up 30 places. More babies were named Jean in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning French feminine form of John (Jeanne) · French, Scottish, Hebrew
Say it JEEN /dʒin/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,172 boys, up 248 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 176boys
- Girls and boys
- 34% girls, 66% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1993428 babies
- Total since 1880
- 483,475babies recorded
What does the name Jean mean?
Jean as a girls' name is a variant of French Jeanne, from Medieval Latin Johanna, the feminine of John, and as a boys' name it is French Jean, from Latin Iohannes; both come from Hebrew Yoḥanan 'YHWH is gracious', as Wiktionary notes. The girls' name was long favored in Scotland and was very common in the US in the 1920s. French Jean (boys) is said ZHAHN.
Jeanne (French, “feminine of John”)יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan) (Biblical Hebrew, “YHWH is gracious”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: The French men's name is ZHAHN (nasal vowel).
Related names: Jeanne, Joan, Jane, Jeanette, Jeannie.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean grace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jean', 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. 'Joan', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Jean
The usual nicknames for Jean are Jeannie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeannie · also for Jeanne | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jeans go by each one.
Jean popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,130 | #1,172 | 88 | 176 |
| 2020 | #2,358 | #1,420 | 75 | 122 |
| 2010 | #2,624 | #800 | 69 | 272 |
| 2000 | #1,537 | #629 | 118 | 292 |
| 1990 | #772 | #522 | 265 | 357 |
| 1980 | #348 | #590 | 682 | 214 |
| 1970 | #159 | #491 | 2,112 | 273 |
| 1960 | #86 | #646 | 5,639 | 146 |
| 1950 | #48 | #520 | 7,432 | 165 |
| 1940 | #29 | #470 | 8,063 | 151 |
| 1930 | #14 | #325 | 11,986 | 288 |
| 1920 | #33 | #357 | 7,714 | 277 |
| 1910 | #77 | #400 | 1,246 | 44 |
| 1900 | #132 | #499 | 473 | 22 |
| 1890 | #187 | #498 | 160 | 15 |
| 1880 | #203 | #546 | 59 | 12 |
How popular is Jean, counting every spelling?
Jean has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,110 for boys in 2025, against #1,172 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Jean?
176 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jean (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jean 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 48 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jean.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jean?
About 16,000 people born in the US named Jean are alive today, with a median age of 36; half are between 22 and 54. That makes Jean 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.
Jean by state
How common Jean was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Florida (3.4×), New Jersey (2.5×), New York (2.4×). In 36 states fewer than five boys 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 Jean: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jean, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jean · Sibling names for Jean
Jean is also a nickname for Jeanette.
Questions about the name Jean
What does Jean mean?
Jean means “French feminine form of John (Jeanne)” (French, Scottish, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jean?
Jean was the 1172nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 176 babies. Its best year was 1928, when it ranked 309th; the most babies were born in 1993 (428). Over the last ten years it has moved up 30 places. More babies were named Jean in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Jean a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 34% girls, 66% boys given the name Jean in the US.
Where is Jean most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jean was most common in Florida (0.30 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Jersey and Connecticut.