Janet

Diminutive of Jane

"God is gracious"

Janet Origin and Meaning

The name Janet is a girl's name of English origin meaning "God is gracious".

Janet started as a pet form of Jane but has long been used independently. Jane is a feminine form of John, which derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Janet can also be considered a variation of Jeannette, a derivative of Joan and another feminization of the name John.

Five hundred years ago Janet was a royal favorite in Scotland, where it remains a common name. Here in the US, however, Janet has been on a downhill slide since the 1960s, with Grandma Janet now knitting booties for baby Janae. Or even, increasingly, Jane.

There have been several Janets recently involved in US government, Janet is a leading member of the Jackson family, and Janet Evanovich is a bestselling author; and in the past there have been first Best Actress Oscar winner Gaynor, Psycho actor Janet Leigh, and the mother of Jackie Kennedy.

There are several attractive foreign versions that might prove appealing alternate namesakes for Gran Jan—Gianetta, Zaneta, Janneth, Sinead or Janica.

Janet Rank in US Top 1000

# 951 in the US

Janet Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 846 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Janet

• 846 Nameberry 2025
• 928 Unique 2022

20 Names Similar to Janet

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Janet.

• Pamela
• Suzanne
• Judy
• Barbara
• Pauline
• Donna
• Deborah
• Brenda
• Patricia
• Paula
• Debbie
• Jeanette
• Hillary
• Roberta
• Joanne
• Janice
• Linda
• Carol
• Rita
• Diane

Famous People Named Janet

• Janet Damita Jo Jackson American pop singer
• Janet Leigh (born Jeanette Helen Morrison) American actress
• Laura Augusta "Janet" Gaynor American actress
• Janet Wood Reno former U.S. attorney general
• Janet Ann Napolitano former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and Arizona governor
• Janet McTeer English actress
• Janet Beth Evans American Olympic swimmer
• Janet Norton Lee Bouvier mother of U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
• Janet Evanovich American novelist
• Janet Susan Mary "Viva" Hoffman American actress
• Janet E. A. Henfrey English actress
• Janet Maslin American journalist and movie critic
• Janet Lee Taiwanese,American tennis player
• Janet Vera (Ardern/Bull) Street Porter, English media personality
• Jeanette Marie "Janet" Waldo American actress
• Janet Carol Wolfenbarger highest,ranking woman in the U.S. Air Force
• Janet Wright Canadian actress and director
• Janet Louise Yellen American economist and Federal Reserve Chair
• Janet Meakin Poor American landscape designer
• Janet Elizabeth Lennon singer with American girl group The Lennon Sisters
• Janet Lynn American Olympic figure skater
• Janet Rosenberg Jagan 6th President of Guyana
• Janet Carr Australian TV producer
• Janet Michelle Ellis English TV presenter and actress
• Janet Fielding (born Janet Claire Mahoney) English actress
• Janet Steeper Burkle great,grandniece of the Wright brothers and wife of billionaire Ron Burkle
• Janet Kay (born Janet Bogle) English singer and actress
• Janet Suzman South African actress
• Janet Andrewartha Australian actress

The name Janet in Pop Culture

• Janet Scott a police officer and titular character in the British drama "Scott & Bailey", played by Lesley Sharp
• Janet Weiss character in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"
• Janet van Dyne the Wasp in the Marvel Comics
• Interplanet Janet character on TV's "Schoolhouse Rock"
• Janet Wood character on TV's "Three's Company"
• Janet and John main characters in British postwar primary school reading textbooks
• Janet character in The Magic School Bus series
• Janet Kim main character on TV's "Kim's Convenience"
• Janet "Jay" Kyle character on TV's "My Wife and Kids"
• Janet Leach character in the movie "Appropriate Adult"
• Janet "Butterfly" Taylor character in the Orphans series by V.C. Andrews
• Janet Armstrong character in G. A. Henty's, Both Sides the Border
• Janet Robins character in the "St. Clare" book series by Enid Blyton
• Janet Smythe character on TV's "Best Friends Whenever"
• Janet van de Graaff character in musical "The Drowsy Chaperone"
• "Janet King " Australian TV drama and its main character
• "Janet's Big Dance Number " song by Frank Zappa
• Janet character in American sitcom "The Good Place"
• Janet (Jenny) Flora Arabella Murray née Fraser character in Outlander

International Variations of the name Janet

• Zaneta Russian
• Gianetta Italian
• Sioned Welsh
• Janneth Scottish