Jean

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Jean

Jean Anouilh

French playwright (1910–1987)

Choose Jean and your child shares a first name with Jean Anouilh, a French playwright. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Jean, like who?” Jean Anouilh's Wikipedia article is available in 77 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Jean Anouilh on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: fr:Studio Harcourt, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 9,709 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Jean, 176 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Jean would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJean has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Jeans, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1928, when it ranked #309. Today it's #1,169, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendJean has climbed 246 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,169. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedJean is most popular in Connecticut, where it ranks #498, followed by Massachusetts (#555) and Florida (#649). It's in the top 1,000 in 5 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlJean is given to both boys and girls: 67% of the 264 babies named Jean in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningJean is a French form of John, which means “God is gracious”. Our records link it to English, French and Scottish roots.

About the name Jean

Jean is a gender-neutral name of English, French and Scottish origin meaning “God is gracious”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with J and ending in “-ean”. US birth records list Jean for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1928, when it ranked #309 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,169, with 176 babies. Of the 264 US babies named Jean in 2025, 33% were girls and 67% were boys.

Origin:English namesFrench namesScottish names