Janet
Girl name · #2781 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 61 baby girls were named Janet, placing it at #2781 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #1477, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 29,508 girls born in 2025 was named Janet.
The 145-year story
Janet first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 28 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1954, when 18,477 girls were named Janet — good for #19 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Janet per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Janet against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Janet in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Janet is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Janet will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Janet is most common
State-level data for Janet is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Janet
Statistically, parents drawn to Janet tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Janice, Jayne, Joanne, Joann, and Diane.
JaniceJayneJoanneJoannDianeJackieLornaMona
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Janet | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 61 | #2778 |
| 2024 | 74 | #2434 |
| 2023 | 97 | #2020 |
| 2022 | 104 | #1918 |
| 2021 | 92 | #2071 |
| 2020 | 93 | #2005 |
| 2019 | 123 | #1700 |
| 2018 | 159 | #1406 |
| 2017 | 171 | #1353 |
| 2016 | 162 | #1425 |
| 2015 | 155 | #1477 |
| 2014 | 168 | #1376 |
| 2013 | 189 | #1260 |
| 2012 | 212 | #1158 |
| 2011 | 269 | #952 |
| 2010 | 298 | #889 |
| 2009 | 353 | #804 |
| 2008 | 415 | #717 |
| 2007 | 449 | #658 |
| 2006 | 523 | #561 |
| 2005 | 512 | #562 |
| 2004 | 672 | #452 |
| 2003 | 565 | #507 |
| 2002 | 630 | #456 |
| 2001 | 696 | #412 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Janet a popular girl name?
Janet ranked #2781 among girls in 2025 with 61 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1477.
When was the name Janet most popular?
Janet peaked in 1954, when 18,477 American girls received the name (ranked #19 that year). Since 1954 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Janet?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 29,508 newborn American girls was named Janet. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.