Jana
From a Hebrew root meaning "God is gracious," the feminine counterpart to Jan. It stays rare, the kind of name most Poles have never met in person, though newborn girls are given it a little more often now than a decade ago.
Jana Pronunciation
Jana is pronounced YAH-nah (/ˈjana/).
What Jana means
Where Jana comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Jana grows from the Hebrew name Yohanan, which means "God is gracious." The masculine Jan is its close relative, and Jana reads as its feminine counterpart. The same root gave the world John, Johann, and Ivan, so a Jana shares a family with names spoken across most of Europe.
The meaning stayed literal. Gracious, favored by God, with nothing added to it later.
In Poland the pairing with Jan is easy to hear. When the imieniny for Jan comes around, a Jana can mark the day beside the men and boys who carry the masculine form. The name is short. Two syllables, ending on a clear open vowel. It travels well across languages, and Czech and German both know a Jana of their own. Jana. From Hebrew, meaning God is gracious.
How many people are named Jana
1 in 13671 women in Poland is named Jana. 1,649 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #763 among female names.
Jana's popularity over time
37 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #411 among newborns. It is making a comeback after a low in 2004.
Where parents choose Jana
Jana is most popular in Lower Silesian, 144% above the national average (45 girls born 2019–2025), followed by Masovian (+66%) and Podlaskie (+3%). It is least common in Warmian-Masurian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian, 76% and 69% below average respectively.
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Lower Silesian
+144%1 in 3,492 babies
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Masovian
+66%1 in 5,134 babies
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Podlaskie
+3%1 in 8,223 babies
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Warmian-Masurian
−76%1 in 35,897 babies
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian
−69%1 in 27,345 babies
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Łódź
−46%1 in 15,840 babies
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Lower Silesian+144% 45 born1 in 3,492 babies+144%
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Masovian+66% 69 born1 in 5,134 babies+66%
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Podlaskie+3% 8 born1 in 8,223 babies+3%
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Lesser Poland+1% 27 born1 in 8,404 babies+1%
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Opole−8% 5 born1 in 9,219 babies−8%
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Pomeranian−8% 16 born1 in 9,208 babies−8%
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Greater Poland−9% 23 born1 in 9,358 babies−9%
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Lubusz−31% 4 born1 in 12,414 babies−31%
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Lublin−34% 8 born1 in 12,834 babies−34%
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Silesian−36% 17 born1 in 13,387 babies−36%
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Holy Cross−39% 4 born1 in 13,858 babies−39%
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West Pomeranian−40% 6 born1 in 14,071 babies−40%
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Subcarpathian−44% 8 born1 in 15,071 babies−44%
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Łódź−46% 8 born1 in 15,840 babies−46%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian−69% 4 born1 in 27,345 babies−69%
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Warmian-Masurian−76% 2 born1 in 35,897 babies−76%
Jana as a middle name
Jana is a first name for 1,649 women in Poland and a middle name for another 185, a 90/10 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 499th, between Cyryla (185) and Filipina (184).
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#497 Frances186
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#498 Cyryla185
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#499 Jana185
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#500 Filipina184
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#501 Ksymena184