English feminine of John — god is gracious. So ordinary by 1800 that "Jane Doe" became the legal placeholder.
Jane ranks 221st among American girls in 2025, with 1,380 born that year. Its best year was 1947, when 9,961 babies were given the name, ranking 36th. The typical living American called Jane is about 71 years old today. It is relatively most common in Wyoming, where it accounts for 0.32% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.