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Janis as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Janis

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The baby name Janis is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdʒænɪs/ (JAN-iss),/ˈjaːnis/ (YAH-nis).

Janis is English, Latvian in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: English, Latvian
Pronunciation: /ˈdʒænɪs/ (JAN-iss),/ˈjaːnis/ (YAH-nis)

What is the meaning of the name Janis ?

The baby name Janis is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdʒænɪs/ (JAN-iss),/ˈjaːnis/ (YAH-nis).

Janis is English, Latvian in Origin.

Janis carries two overlapping traditions. In English, it is a 20th‑century feminine spelling variant of Janice, itself a medieval elaboration of Jane from Hebrew Yochanan “God is gracious.” In the Baltic region, especially Latvia, Janis corresponds to Jānis (pronounced YAH-nis), the standard masculine form of John and the country’s most emblematic given name.

In the United States and Britain, Janis rose with Janice in the 1930s–60s and retains a vintage vibe; singer Janis Joplin cemented the spelling in popular culture. In Latvia, Jānis has centuries of steady use and is honored at Jāņi (St. John’s/Midsummer) festivities. Related forms include Janice, Jane, Joan, Joanna, Jean/Jeanne, John, Ian, Sean; international cousins and spellings include Jānis, Jannis, Yanis/Yannis, and Giannis. Meaning across traditions remains consistent: “God is gracious.”

Janis has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Janis

Jānis Čakste Politician · Born 1859 · Russian Empire Jānis Čakste was a prominent Latvian politician and the first President of Latvia, serving from 1922 to 1927. He played a key role in establishing Latvia's independence from the Russian Empire and shaping its early democratic government. His leadership helped lay the foundations for the country's political structure. Janis Carter Actor · Born 1913 · United States Janis Carter was an American actress best known for her work in stage and film during the 1940s and 1950s. She appeared in movies like Framed and I Married a Communist, and later became a regular television presence, co-hosting the NBC daytime game show Feather Your Nest with Bud Collyer.

Janis – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Girls 1987 #1 — 518
Ireland Boys 2011 #1 — 779
EE 0 #37 1 1,051
HN Girls 0 #38 1 884
MO 0 #49 4 2,706
Iceland Boys 0 #64 10 131
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
LT 0 #87 2 949
Switzerland Boys 2024 #93 45 1,769
JM 0 #93 1 3,714
TW 0 #101 3 4,523
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
EE Boys 0 #112 14 2,087
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
CY Girls 0 #124 2 3,755
CY Boys 0 #131 1 3,473
GR 0 #131 5 3,911
BN Boys 0 #138 2 6,332
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
Norway Boys 1994 #140 6 514
LT Boys 0 #143 9 2,166
MT Girls 0 #148 6 3,773
BW Boys 0 #154 1 4,685
RS Boys 0 #154 1 2,277
CR 0 #164 2 5,526
PR Girls 0 #164 4 3,171
HU Boys 0 #174 1 3,954
MT Boys 0 #178 2 4,064
UY 0 #180 3 2,477
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
LU Girls 0 #184 7 4,850
CZ 0 #185 2 3,154
AE 0 #186 2 10,220
AR 0 #192 2 2,915
LT Girls 0 #200 1 1,904
DK 0 #204 3 5,198
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
LU Boys 0 #218 3 4,970
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
IR 0 #230 2 4,221
MO Boys 0 #234 1 5,842
NA Girls 0 #236 2 7,146
GR Boys 0 #239 29 6,912
BD 0 #241 1 5,992
GR Girls 0 #247 3 6,293
JP Girls 0 #250 2 6,592
NA Boys 0 #252 2 6,830
EC Girls 0 #256 3 3,650
MO Girls 0 #256 8 7,056
TW Boys 0 #256 1 7,111
SG 0 #257 13 11,010
CZ Boys 0 #270 35 6,530
NG 0 #272 1 5,926
JM Girls 0 #273 6 7,507
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
TW Girls 0 #282 8 8,139
HR Girls 0 #291 4 3,687
AL Boys 0 #295 9 5,122
Canada Girls 2019 #296 5 2,976
KZ Boys 0 #296 1 6,578
DK Boys 0 #305 21 7,401
PL Boys 0 #324 12 6,459
DK Girls 0 #327 3 7,429
HK 0 #327 22 8,483
PE 0 #327 3 6,350
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
CN Girls 0 #330 20 8,829
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
GH Girls 0 #335 3 6,973
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
QA Girls 0 #341 3 15,378
CZ Girls 0 #344 8 5,378
MY 0 #350 5 12,352
MU Girls 0 #359 4 8,539
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
MU Boys 0 #368 2 8,477
France Boys 2021 #374 14 2,865
PH Girls 0 #375 16 13,098
NL 0 #382 10 2,481
CL 0 #387 25 6,867
France Girls 2021 #391 15 3,185
MX 0 #404 10 8,339
PH Boys 0 #406 3 11,440
BO 0 #408 1 6,868
Germany 0 #414 24 2,542
Finland Boys 0 #414 14 2,041
Austria Boys 0 #419 24 2,180
OM Girls 0 #420 5 15,987
ZA 0 #423 25 14,421
HK Girls 0 #462 154 16,104
PA Girls 0 #465 17 9,861
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
CO 0 #469 12 7,768
PT Girls 0 #469 3 7,952
AR Boys 0 #483 1 7,628
UY Girls 0 #490 21 6,731
RU Boys 0 #496 10 12,621
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
CR Girls 0 #507 26 11,342
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
RU Girls 0 #518 6 11,913
IR Girls 0 #520 11 8,334
IR Boys 0 #523 30 10,162
SG Girls 0 #530 57 18,916
GT Girls 0 #535 7 7,500
CL Girls 0 #540 339 14,098
PS Girls 0 #544 4 10,981
CM Girls 0 #553 8 11,671
HK Boys 0 #556 2 12,905
KW Girls 0 #561 1 19,177
PS Boys 0 #561 1 10,655
Germany Boys 0 #562 456 5,697
CM Boys 0 #573 3 12,054
BH 0 #582 6 17,937
AE Girls 0 #590 8 20,968
BO Girls 0 #595 17 9,488
BD Boys 0 #605 1 10,045
AR Girls 0 #625 6 8,289
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
IL Girls 0 #645 1 11,648
CL Boys 0 #653 13 13,390
IN Girls 0 #653 2 13,121
Finland Boys 2026 #665 18 3,552
LB 0 #689 2 13,263
IT 0 #702 13 4,183
SG Boys 0 #735 5 17,960
QA Boys 0 #736 8 18,093
BR Boys 0 #742 10 12,213
Germany Girls 0 #786 53 4,949
NG Girls 0 #824 3 15,093
CO Girls 0 #825 262 16,140
PE Girls 0 #853 91 14,861
TN 0 #865 1 13,765
PE Boys 0 #869 10 14,506
NL Boys 0 #880 72 5,873
United States Boys 2023 #893 6 7,053
BR Girls 0 #899 43 12,708
CO Boys 0 #904 17 15,656
NL Girls 0 #905 51 5,933
United States Girls 2024 #906 11 8,487
Spain Boys 0 #914 17 5,610
OM Boys 0 #914 5 17,948
Spain Girls 0 #918 66 5,561
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
MY Girls 0 #944 51 24,821
MX Girls 0 #979 205 17,781
NG Boys 0 #1,001 1 16,906
EG Girls 0 #1,006 4 14,742
SA Girls 0 #1,008 7 25,931
MX Boys 0 #1,029 5 16,355
IN Boys 0 #1,039 1 16,750
ZA Girls 0 #1,062 80 25,928
AE Boys 0 #1,075 18 22,615
MY Boys 0 #1,080 32 25,439
MA 0 #1,118 11 20,986
ZA Boys 0 #1,168 11 25,619
DZ 0 #1,229 6 20,130
TR 0 #1,248 7 19,440
IT Girls 0 #1,303 144 9,415
IT Boys 0 #1,441 31 10,046
SA Boys 0 #1,569 46 28,008

Janis is popular in 79 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Switzerland
United States
Canada

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Janis

Janis is predominantly a girl's name.
Janis is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈdʒænɪs/ (JAN-iss),/ˈjaːnis/ (YAH-nis).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Janice, Jane, Janet, Jani and Jānis.
Yes, very popular — Janis ranked #1 in Ireland in 1987, and appears in official birth registries across 8 countries.
Janis ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 1987).
Janis's popularity is declining. It moved from #382 in 2011 to #391 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 2 notable people named Janis are in our database, including Jānis Čakste (Politician), Janis Carter (Actor).