Total births
379,876
Girls' name · since 1880
Jane
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 379,876 babies named Jane, peaking in 1947. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #269
- among girls today
- 379,876
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Jane is the #269 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 379,876 recorded since 1880.
Jane has 379,876 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #269 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #269 among girls today
- 379,876 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jane is currently the #269 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 379,876 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #269
- among girls today
- 379,876
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Jane vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#269
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Jane was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
9,943 babies were named Jane in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Jane compares
379,876 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jane's all-time total is 994x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jane | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 379,876 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 9,943 | 48 | 19,840 |
Jane's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Jane's full recorded timeline at 1953, 39% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 61% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 215 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 9,943 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Jane at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#269
Active since
1880
Jane popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 9,943
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jane popularity over time - boys
1,133 total births recorded since 1907 (Jane as boys' name)
Jane by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Jane's strongest decade.
82,919 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Jane births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,971
1880s
2,971 births
- 1890s 3,882
1890s
3,882 births
- 1900s 4,498
1900s
4,498 births
- 1910s 27,740
1910s
27,740 births
- 1920s
1920s
48,049 births
- 1930s
1930s
45,814 births
- 1940s
1940s
72,537 births
- 1950s
1950s
82,919 births
- 1960s
1960s
43,340 births
- 1970s 9,483
1970s
9,483 births
- 1980s 7,439
1980s
7,439 births
- 1990s 6,691
1990s
6,691 births
- 2000s 7,123
2000s
7,123 births
- 2010s 10,278
2010s
10,278 births
- 2020s 7,112
2020s
7,112 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 82,919 births (22% of all-time use).
How Jane compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Jane's total volume
Jane vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Jane by state
Where Jane concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 39,893 | 10.5% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 33,104 | 8.7% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 22,685 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 20,341 | 5.4% |
| #5 | California | | 19,014 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 17,156 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 15,921 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 14,333 | 3.8% |
New York share of Jane's total US births 10.5%
Even split
39,893 of 379,876 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jane appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jane? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 379,876 babies named Jane. Today it holds rank #269 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1947, with 9,943 births.
When was Jane most popular? ▼
Jane was most popular in the 1950s decade with 82,919 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Jane most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jane are New York (39,893 births), Pennsylvania (33,104 births), Ohio (22,685 births).
How long has the name Jane been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Jane since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Jane? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Janet, Janice, Janie, Janelle, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Jane's data
- Jane's decade-level peak was the 1950s (82,919 total births); usage has since declined to 7,112 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Janes (39,893 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jane
Nearby Names Like Jane
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jane
Janet Girl
#2435 556,776 births
Janice Girl
#2250 406,448 births
Janie Girl
#1536 75,598 births
Janelle Girl
#776 56,881 births
Jan Girl
54,531 births
Compare Jane side by side: Jane vs Janet Jane vs Janice Jane vs Janie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jane
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jane: #269 Girls' Name - 379,876 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jane. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jane draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.