Jaan

Boy · Hebrew, through Estonian

Jaan

Say it: YAHN

Try it with your surname

Meaning

The Estonian form of John, from Hebrew Yohanan 'God is gracious'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

141 babies given this name since 1999
At its height in 2006, about 1 in 171,200 boys
10 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

The family of the name

Other spellings: Jaanus

English	John

Famous bearers

Jaan Kross, novelist
Jaan Tõnisson, statesman

Names worth a look

KristjanBoyFrom Latin Christianus 'follower of Christ'.Revolutions

TõnuBoyAn Estonian form of Anthony, from the Roman family name Antonius, of unknown meaning.Victorian

MartBoyAn Estonian form of Martin, from Latin Martinus 'of Mars'.Victorian · peak 1880

JohnBoyHebrew Yoḥanan, 'YHWH is gracious', through Greek Iōannēs.Biblical · peak 1880

JenniferGirlThe Cornish form of Guinevere (Welsh Gwenhwyfar); the first element is gwen 'white, fair, blessed', while the second…Middle Ages · peak 1974

JonathanBoyHebrew Yehonatan, 'YHWH has given'.Biblical · peak 1985

JanetGirlA pet form of Jane, from the French diminutive Jeannette.Middle Ages · peak 1942

JoanGirlFeminine of John, ultimately from Hebrew Yohanan 'Yahweh is gracious'.Middle Ages · peak 1932

Where this comes from

Parish baptism registers
National birth statistics of European countries source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.