Jane is a feminine given name. It is the English form of the
Old French name Jehanne, which was an old feminine form of the male name
Johannes or Ioannes, a Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης, which is derived from the
Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן, a short form of the name יְהוֹחָנָן, meaning "Yahweh is
merciful". The name was first used in large numbers in the mid-16th
century for the daughters of aristocrats as an alternative to the more
commonplace Joan. The two names have alternated popularity. In the early 19th
century, Jane was again seen as a name with a certain amount of glamour. Joan
became more popular in the early to mid-20th century, when it was ranked in the
top 500 most popular names given to girls in the United States, but the name has
again been displaced by Jane on the popularity charts in the 21st century.
