Janis

Updated: September 30, 2021 by MomsWhoThink Staff

Janis is technically an alternative spelling to the baby name Janice, but it has become popular in its own regard. In the mid-twentieth century, this baby name was a top 200 option. The immense popularity is likely due to singer Janis Joplin, especially during the 1960s.

Meaning of the name Janis:

English: God is gracious

Origin of the name Janis:

Janis began as a spelling variation of the baby name Janice. This was a longer variation of the baby name Jane that was made up by an author. That author was an Englishman by the name of Paul Ford.

Symbolism of the name Janis:

Janis has the same meaning as the baby name Jane. The latter name originates from the Old French name Jehanne, which is a variation of Iohannes. Iohannes began the tradition of names that mean “God is gracious” like John and others.

Style of the name Janis:

Modern

Gender of the name Janis:

Janie is a name full of power for baby girls.

Pronunciation of the name Janis:

JAN-is

Number of syllables in the name Janis:

Two

Emotion evoked from the name Janis:

Janis is powerful. It has a certain rock-and-roll feel to it too with this spelling.

Alternative spellings for the name Janis:

Janice
Janys
Jannis
Jannice
Janys
Jannys

Nicknames for the name Janis:

Jan
Jannie
Janny
Janni
Jannie
Ja Ja
Janie

Popularity of the name Janis:

Janis became a top 1,000 name in America in 1916 at rank 932. It became a top 200 name in 1945 at rank 1184, lasting there until 1956. Janis was even rank 108 in 1947. 1979 was the last year Janis was a top 1,000 name at rank 920.