Janet began as a medieval Scottish and English diminutive of Jane, the feminine form of John, so it means "God is gracious". It was one of the top girls' names of the 1930s to 1950s and belongs to singer Janet Jackson and actress Janet Leigh. In the United States Janet still ranked 412 in 2000, dropped out of the top 1000 in the 2010s and stands at number 2791 in 2025.