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.
- #1,245 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,346 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,733
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
Yes -- Janell is the #6346 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 #6346 nationally today, ahead of 63% 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.
- #1,245 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #6,346 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 15,733 born since 1914
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Janell ranks #1,245 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,346 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 15,733 born since 1914, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1,245 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,346 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 15,733
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
Janell's 15,733 recorded births place it above 98.27% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
45 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Janell compares
15,733 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,297 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 42x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Janell | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,733 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 416 | 21 | 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 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
Currently ranks #6346 among girls.
15,733 total births across 112 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1979 with 416 births in a single year.
Janell popularity over time - boys
23 total births recorded since 1979 (Janell as boys' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The boys' variant of Janell accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Janell by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (2,852 births, 18% of the file).
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).
Janell decade highlights
- Peak decade 2,852 births
- Runner-up 2,756 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
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 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% |
1,942 of 15,733 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 12.3% of nationwide
- Texas 7.9% of nationwide
- New York 3.7% of nationwide
- Louisiana 3.6% of nationwide
- Illinois 3.4% of nationwide
Recorded in 45 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 12.3% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Janell appears in 45 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Janell? ▼
Where does Janell sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Janell most popular? ▼
Where is Janell most popular? ▼
How long has the name Janell been used? ▼
What names are similar to Janell? ▼
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
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
Compare Janell side by side: Janell vs Janet Janell vs Janice Janell vs Jane
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Janell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Janell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1979)
Similar record span (~111 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.
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