Jane is the English feminine form of John, which goes back to the Hebrew Yohanan and means "God is gracious" or "the Lord is gracious". Jane Austen, Jane Eyre and Lady Jane Grey give it centuries of literary and royal history, and its plainness has become its charm. Jane has been in the US top 1000 since 2000, when it ranked number 437; it rose to number 221 in 2025, its highest rank in this century.