Total births
12,023
Girls' name · since 1933
Janel
Since 1933, U.S. Social Security records show 12,023 babies named Janel, peaking in 1971. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #6972
- among girls today
- 12,023
- born since 1933
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 61%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Janel is the #6972 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 12,023 recorded since 1933.
Janel has 12,023 recorded births among girls since 1933, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6972 as of the latest data, more common than 61% of girls, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1933 to 2025.
- #6972 among girls today
- 12,023 born since 1933
- 1970s peak decade
- 61% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Janel is currently the #6972 girls' name in America, more common than 61% of girls - 12,023 born since 1933, peaking in the 1970s.
- #6972
- among girls today
- 12,023
- born since 1933
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 61%
- more common than other girls
Janel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6972
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 61% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
30% of everyone ever named Janel was born in this single decade.
1971
Single peak year
424 babies were named Janel in 1971 - its busiest year on record.
How Janel compares
12,023 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Janel's all-time total is 31x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Janel | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,023 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 424 | 48 | 19,840 |
Janel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Janel's full recorded timeline at 1979, 49% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 51% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1933, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1971 peak of 424 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Janel at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1971
Current rank
#6,972
Active since
1933
Janel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1933–2025
- Peak year (1971)
- 424
- Annual births at peak, across 93 years of records
Janel popularity over time - boys
32 total births recorded since 1971 (Janel as boys' name)
Janel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Janel's strongest decade.
3,661 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Janel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 80
1930s
80 births
- 1940s 244
1940s
244 births
- 1950s 913
1950s
913 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,576 births
- 1970s
1970s
3,661 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,628 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,718 births
- 2000s 750
2000s
750 births
- 2010s 347
2010s
347 births
- 2020s 106
2020s
106 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 3,661 births (30% of all-time use).
How Janel 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 Janel's total volume
Janel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Janel by state
Where Janel concentrates geographically, total births since 1933
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,556 | 12.9% |
| #2 | New York | | 730 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 668 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 536 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 528 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 477 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Texas | | 474 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 436 | 3.6% |
California share of Janel's total US births 12.9%
Even split
1,556 of 12,023 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Janel appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Janel? ▼
Janel has been given to 12,023 babies in the U.S. since 1933, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #6972 as of the latest data. 424 babies were born in 1971, its single highest year.
When was Janel most popular? ▼
Janel was most popular in the 1970s decade with 3,661 total births. The single peak year was 1971.
Where is Janel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Janel are California (1,556 births), New York (730 births), Pennsylvania (668 births).
How long has the name Janel been used? ▼
Janel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1933, spanning 93 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Janel? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Janet, Janice, Jane, Janie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Janel's data
- Janel's decade-level peak was the 1970s (3,661 total births); usage has since declined to 106 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Janels (1,556 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Janel
Nearby Names Like Janel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Janel
Janet Girl
#2435 556,776 births
Janice Girl
#2250 406,448 births
Jane Girl
#269 379,876 births
Janie Girl
#1536 75,598 births
Janelle Girl
#776 56,881 births
Compare Janel side by side: Janel vs Janet Janel vs Janice Janel vs Jane
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Janel
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, 1933–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Janel: #6972 Girls' Name - 12,023 Births, Peak 1971." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/janel. 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 Janel 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.