Janelle

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Janelle

Janelle Monáe

American singer and actress (born 1985)

Choose Janelle and your child shares a first name with Janelle Monáe, an American singer and actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Janelle, like who?” Janelle Monáe's Wikipedia article is available in 50 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Janelle Monáe on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Myles Kalus Anak Jihem, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,728 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Janelle, 340 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Janelle would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJanelle first shows up in US birth records in 1912, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 113 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1979, when it ranked #186. Today it's #799, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendJanelle has slipped 130 places over the last five years and now sits at #799. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedJanelle is most popular in Massachusetts, where it ranks #417, followed by New Jersey (#447) and California (#498). It's in the top 1,000 in 16 states.
• 💬MeaningJanelle is an English form of Jane, which means “God is gracious”. Our records link it to American, English and French roots.

About the name Janelle

Janelle is a girl name of American, English and French origin meaning “God is gracious”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with J and ending in “-lle”. US birth records list Janelle for girls from 1912 to 2025, in 114 of those 114 years. Its best year was 1979, when it ranked #186 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #799, with 340 babies.

Origin:American namesEnglish namesFrench namesHebrew names