Janis

Where Janis comes from

A variant of Janice. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Janice, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.
— Wiktionary's entry for Janis
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1909
    First appearance
    #1,957 among girls, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1943
    Janis Joplin born
    American singer
  3. 1947
    Peak, #108
    3,205 babies named Janis — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1951
    Janis Ian born
    American singer-songwriter
  5. 1957
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #213.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name.
Namesakes
  • Janis Joplin · American singer, 1943–1970
  • Janis Ian · American singer-songwriter, born 1951
  • Janis Carter · American actress, singer & television personality, 1913–1994
  • Janis Martin · American musician, 1940–2007
  • Janis Karpinski · American military officer, born 1953

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.