January

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous January

January Jones

American actress

Choose January and your child shares a first name with January Jones, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “January, like who?” January Jones's Wikipedia article is available in 49 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about January Jones on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Original: Peabody Awards / Derivative work: Danyele, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 178,571 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named January, 9 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your January would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJanuary first shows up in US birth records in 1951, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 74 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1978, when it ranked #638. Today it's #10,107, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendJanuary has slipped 4,024 places over the last five years and now sits at #10,107. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningIn English, January means “month of Janus”. Our records link it to American and English roots.

About the name January

January is a girl name of American and English origin meaning “month of Janus”. It has 7 letters and 3 syllables, starting with J and ending in “-ary”. US birth records list January for girls from 1951 to 2025, in 68 of those 75 years. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked #638 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #10,107, with 9 babies.

Origin:American namesEnglish names