Janet
Janet was given to 61 girls in 2025, #2,791 among girls’ names; 558,291 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 356,000 Americans named Janet and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (64% of everyone recorded); the median is 70 years old and half are between 63 and 77.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Janet by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Janet mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Janet is “a female given name.”
From Jane + -et, q.v. Chiefly Scottish until the 19th century. Doublet of Jeanette, Jeannette, Juanita, Shanae, and Sinead.
/ˈd͡ʒænɪt/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Janet?
#2,791 among girls’ names, 2025
Janet fell from #1,481 in 2015 to #2,791 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 86.8 to 38.0 per million.
18,507 babies in 1954, the peak
Janet peaked in 1954, when 18,507 babies were given it (18,477 girls, #19 among girls’ names). The 61 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 61 | #2,791 | 0.04 |
| 2024 | 74 | #2,448 | 0.05 |
| 2023 | 97 | #2,027 | 0.06 |
| 2022 | 104 | #1,923 | 0.06 |
| 2021 | 92 | #2,078 | 0.06 |
| 2020 | 93 | #2,011 | 0.06 |
| 2019 | 123 | #1,704 | 0.07 |
| 2018 | 159 | #1,408 | 0.09 |
| 2017 | 171 | #1,358 | 0.10 |
| 2016 | 162 | #1,427 | 0.09 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 155 | #1,481 | 0.09 |
| 2014 | 168 | #1,378 | 0.09 |
| 2013 | 189 | #1,261 | 0.11 |
| 2012 | 212 | #1,160 | 0.12 |
| 2011 | 269 | #953 | 0.15 |
| 2010 | 298 | #890 | 0.17 |
| 2009 | 353 | #805 | 0.19 |
| 2008 | 415 | #718 | 0.22 |
| 2007 | 449 | #660 | 0.23 |
| 2006 | 523 | #562 | 0.28 |
| 2005 | 512 | #562 | 0.28 |
| 2004 | 672 | #452 | 0.37 |
| 2003 | 565 | #508 | 0.31 |
| 2002 | 630 | #457 | 0.35 |
| 2001 | 696 | #412 | 0.39 |
| 2000 | 686 | #412 | 0.38 |
| 1999 | 646 | #430 | 0.36 |
| 1998 | 759 | #373 | 0.43 |
| 1997 | 757 | #365 | 0.43 |
| 1996 | 827 | #338 | 0.47 |
| 1995 | 928 | #298 | 0.53 |
| 1994 | 1,007 | #277 | 0.56 |
| 1993 | 1,068 | #259 | 0.59 |
| 1992 | 1,197 | #230 | 0.65 |
| 1991 | 1,186 | #236 | 0.63 |
| 1990 | 1,285 | #223 | 0.68 |
| 1989 | 1,210 | #227 | 0.66 |
| 1988 | 1,179 | #220 | 0.66 |
| 1987 | 1,313 | #204 | 0.76 |
| 1986 | 1,236 | #214 | 0.72 |
| 1985 | 1,242 | #207 | 0.72 |
| 1984 | 1,266 | #207 | 0.75 |
| 1983 | 1,398 | #190 | 0.84 |
| 1982 | 1,499 | #182 | 0.89 |
| 1981 | 1,568 | #176 | 0.94 |
| 1980 | 1,609 | #172 | 1.0 |
| 1979 | 1,748 | #160 | 1.1 |
| 1978 | 1,730 | #159 | 1.1 |
| 1977 | 1,945 | #147 | 1.3 |
| 1976 | 1,879 | #142 | 1.3 |
| 1975 | 1,950 | #139 | 1.3 |
| 1974 | 2,175 | #130 | 1.5 |
| 1973 | 2,521 | #119 | 1.7 |
| 1972 | 2,954 | #111 | 1.9 |
| 1971 | 3,394 | #112 | 2.0 |
| 1970 | 4,158 | #96 | 2.4 |
| 1969 | 4,380 | #84 | 2.6 |
| 1968 | 4,838 | #73 | 2.9 |
| 1967 | 5,657 | #61 | 3.4 |
| 1966 | 6,434 | #57 | 3.8 |
| 1965 | 7,654 | #55 | 4.3 |
| 1964 | 9,249 | #48 | 4.9 |
| 1963 | 10,667 | #40 | 5.5 |
| 1962 | 12,256 | #35 | 6.2 |
| 1961 | 13,930 | #32 | 6.9 |
| 1960 | 14,250 | #32 | 7.0 |
| 1959 | 14,964 | #28 | 7.4 |
| 1958 | 14,816 | #28 | 7.4 |
| 1957 | 15,753 | #23 | 7.7 |
| 1956 | 16,758 | #21 | 8.3 |
| 1955 | 17,920 | #20 | 9.2 |
| 1954 | 18,477 | #19 | 9.5 |
| 1953 | 17,771 | #19 | 9.4 |
| 1952 | 17,921 | #19 | 9.7 |
| 1951 | 16,947 | #19 | 9.4 |
| 1950 | 16,193 | #18 | 9.5 |
| 1949 | 14,860 | #23 | 8.7 |
| 1948 | 13,977 | #24 | 8.2 |
| 1947 | 15,236 | #23 | 8.6 |
| 1946 | 14,142 | #21 | 9.0 |
| 1945 | 12,326 | #20 | 9.4 |
| 1944 | 12,592 | #21 | 9.5 |
| 1943 | 13,316 | #20 | 9.5 |
| 1942 | 13,065 | #19 | 9.7 |
| 1941 | 11,136 | #18 | 9.2 |
| 1940 | 10,105 | #19 | 8.8 |
| 1939 | 10,120 | #17 | 9.2 |
| 1938 | 9,870 | #16 | 8.9 |
| 1937 | 9,363 | #18 | 8.8 |
| 1936 | 8,080 | #21 | 7.8 |
| 1935 | 7,856 | #22 | 7.5 |
| 1934 | 8,071 | #21 | 7.7 |
| 1933 | 7,342 | #25 | 7.3 |
| 1932 | 5,786 | #35 | 5.4 |
| 1931 | 4,948 | #45 | 4.6 |
| 1930 | 4,602 | #53 | 4.1 |
| 1929 | 3,050 | #82 | 2.7 |
| 1928 | 2,782 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1927 | 2,546 | #111 | 2.1 |
| 1926 | 2,469 | #110 | 2.1 |
| 1925 | 2,428 | #111 | 2.0 |
| 1924 | 2,293 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1923 | 2,221 | #121 | 1.8 |
| 1922 | 2,004 | #129 | 1.7 |
| 1921 | 2,123 | #124 | 1.7 |
| 1920 | 2,057 | #124 | 1.7 |
| 1919 | 1,864 | #126 | 1.6 |
| 1918 | 1,812 | #129 | 1.6 |
| 1917 | 1,585 | #136 | 1.5 |
| 1916 | 1,449 | #142 | 1.4 |
| 1915 | 1,173 | #158 | 1.2 |
| 1914 | 883 | #163 | 1.2 |
| 1913 | 712 | #162 | 1.1 |
| 1912 | 553 | #177 | 1.0 |
| 1911 | 386 | #186 | 0.92 |
| 1910 | 296 | #217 | 0.75 |
| 1909 | 242 | #232 | 0.70 |
| 1908 | 231 | #226 | 0.69 |
| 1907 | 197 | #238 | 0.62 |
| 1906 | 139 | #282 | 0.47 |
| 1905 | 154 | #263 | 0.53 |
| 1904 | 128 | #278 | 0.46 |
| 1903 | 119 | #289 | 0.45 |
| 1902 | 115 | #294 | 0.44 |
| 1901 | 108 | #288 | 0.45 |
| 1900 | 108 | #326 | 0.36 |
| 1899 | 80 | #337 | 0.34 |
| 1898 | 122 | #277 | 0.47 |
| 1897 | 103 | #279 | 0.44 |
| 1896 | 102 | #290 | 0.43 |
| 1895 | 92 | #302 | 0.39 |
| 1894 | 89 | #293 | 0.40 |
| 1893 | 72 | #318 | 0.34 |
| 1892 | 78 | #308 | 0.37 |
| 1891 | 84 | #269 | 0.45 |
| 1890 | 76 | #287 | 0.40 |
| 1889 | 57 | #327 | 0.32 |
| 1888 | 68 | #284 | 0.38 |
| 1887 | 58 | #281 | 0.40 |
| 1886 | 56 | #278 | 0.39 |
| 1885 | 46 | #294 | 0.35 |
| 1884 | 40 | #308 | 0.31 |
| 1883 | 44 | #272 | 0.39 |
| 1882 | 35 | #297 | 0.32 |
| 1881 | 29 | #294 | 0.32 |
| 1880 | 28 | #299 | 0.31 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Janet a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Janet has been given almost only to girls: 1,515 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Janet: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Janet, and how old are they?
356,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 64% of the 558,291 Americans ever recorded as Janet. The median Janet alive today is 70 years old; half are between 63 and 77.
The 2020 Census counted 429,159 people named Janet (428,773 women and girls, 386 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 406,328 born in the U.S. The Census count is 6% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 55,500 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 221,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 50,600 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 19,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 8,340 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,640 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Janet born?
The states with the most babies named Janet are New York, California and Pennsylvania, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 47,996 | #2,229 | 1.0× |
| California | 44,928 | #2,371 | 1.1× |
| Pennsylvania | 42,607 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 36,679 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Ohio | 36,524 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Michigan | 29,174 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Texas | 20,749 | #3,081 | 0.6× |
| Massachusetts | 19,588 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Indiana | 18,932 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| New Jersey | 18,254 | not ranked | 1.1× |
Where Janet is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Janet is most over-represented in Indiana: since 1910 it was given 1.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Janet with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 566,897 babies since 1880, Janet is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 61 of their 154 babies (40%), the second most given that year.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Janet
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Janet and names like it
- Compare Janet and JanettBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sJanet peaked in 1954.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Janet since 1910.
- The top names of 1954The year the most babies were named Janet.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Janet alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with JMost given first.