Janel

Did you know?

A few things about Janel you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Janel

Janel Parrish

American actress and singer

Choose Janel and your child shares a first name with Janel Parrish, an American actress and singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Janel, like who?” Janel Parrish's Wikipedia article is available in 37 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Janel Parrish on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Sidewalks Entertainment, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 200,000 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Janel, 8 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Janel would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJanel first shows up in US birth records in 1933, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 92 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1971, when it ranked #470. Today it's #10,917, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowJanel was 11× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 18,904 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 200,000.
• 🍂TrendJanel has slipped 6,160 places over the last five years and now sits at #10,917. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningJanel is an English form of Janelle, which means “God is gracious”. Our records link it to French, Gaelic and Hebrew roots.

About the name Janel

Janel is a girl name of French, Gaelic and Hebrew origin meaning “God is gracious”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with J and ending in “-nel”. US birth records list Janel for girls from 1933 to 2025, in 93 of those 93 years. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked #470 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #10,917, with 8 babies.

Origin:French namesGaelic namesHebrew namesRussian names