Jean
Jean is a boy's name of French origin.
Meaning
God is gracious.
Origin and history
Jean is the French equivalent of John, derived from the Hebrew name Johanan. Historically used as a male given name in French-speaking contexts, it is also used for females in English-speaking regions. In the United States, it has been used consistently for males, though less frequently than its English counterpart John.
Popularity in the United States
25,039 babies in the United States have been named Jean since 1880. It ranks #741 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1145.
States where it is most popular
- NY (22.5 %)
- FL (12.7 %)
- CA (12 %)
- MA (7.4 %)
- TX (6.2 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 152 |
| 1890-1900 | 185 |
| 1900-1910 | 267 |
| 1910-1920 | 1,351 |
| 1920-1930 | 2,978 |
| 1930-1940 | 2,049 |
| 1940-1950 | 1,573 |
| 1950-1960 | 1,516 |
| 1960-1970 | 1,831 |
| 1970-1980 | 2,228 |
| 1980-1990 | 2,617 |
| 1990-2000 | 2,968 |
| 2000-2010 | 2,617 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,829 |
| 2020-2029 | 878 |
Famous people named Jean
- Jean Sibelius: Composer
- Jean Cocteau: Writer, Filmmaker
- Jean Reno: Actor
Fun facts
- Jean serves as the standard French masculine form of the name John.
- While commonly pronounced identically to 'Gene' in the U.S., it retains a distinct nasalized pronunciation in French-speaking countries.