Total births
15,733
Girls' name · since 1914
Janell
15,733 babies named Janell in U.S. Social Security records since 1914, with the highest year being 1979. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4044
- among girls today
- 15,733
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 77%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Janell is the #4044 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 15,733 recorded since 1914.
Social Security Administration records show Janell recorded 15,733 times among girls since 1914, holding rank #4044 nationally today, ahead of 77% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2025.
- #4044 among girls today
- 15,733 born since 1914
- 1970s peak decade
- 77% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Janell is currently the #4044 girls' name in America, more common than 77% of girls - 15,733 born since 1914, peaking in the 1970s.
- #4044
- among girls today
- 15,733
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 77%
- more common than other girls
Janell vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4044
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 77% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Janell was born in this single decade.
1979
Single peak year
416 babies were named Janell in 1979 - its busiest year on record.
How Janell compares
15,733 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Janell's all-time total is 41x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Janell | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,733 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 416 | 48 | 19,840 |
Janell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Janell's SSA record in two at 1970 and the more recent half accounts for 58% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 42%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1914, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1979 peak of 416, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Janell at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1979
Current rank
#4,044
Active since
1914
Janell popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (1979)
- 416
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Janell popularity over time - boys
23 total births recorded since 1979 (Janell as boys' name)
Janell by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Janell's strongest decade.
2,852 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Janell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 35
1910s
35 births
- 1920s 296
1920s
296 births
- 1930s 601
1930s
601 births
- 1940s 1,031
1940s
1,031 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,034 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,537 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,852 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,756 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,732 births
- 2000s 1,128
2000s
1,128 births
- 2010s 569
2010s
569 births
- 2020s 162
2020s
162 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 2,852 births (18% of all-time use).
How Janell 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 Janell's total volume
Janell vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Janell by state
Where Janell concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,942 | 12.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,250 | 7.9% |
| #3 | New York | | 588 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Louisiana | | 565 | 3.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 541 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 538 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 504 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 487 | 3.1% |
California share of Janell's total US births 12.3%
Even split
1,942 of 15,733 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Janell appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Janell? ▼
Since 1914, Social Security records show 15,733 babies named Janell. Today it holds rank #4044 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1979, with 416 births.
When was Janell most popular? ▼
Janell was most popular in the 1970s decade with 2,852 total births. The single peak year was 1979.
Where is Janell most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Janell are California (1,942 births), Texas (1,250 births), New York (588 births).
How long has the name Janell been used? ▼
Records for Janell go back to 1914, giving 112 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Janell? ▼
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 Janell's data
- Janell's decade-level peak was the 1970s (2,852 total births); usage has since declined to 162 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Janells (1,942 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 Janell
Nearby Names Like Janell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Janell
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 Janell side by side: Janell vs Janet Janell vs Janice Janell vs Jane
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Janell
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, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Janell: #4044 Girls' Name - 15,733 Births, Peak 1979." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/janell. 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 Janell 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.