Jane (given name)

Lady Jane Grey is a famous Jane.
Gender	Female
Word/name	Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, English
Meaning	"Yahweh is gracious/merciful"
Region of origin	Worldwide
Nickname(s)	Janie, Jenny
Related names	John, Joanna, Joan
Popularity	see popular names

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 (also the source of the English name John), a Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Iōannēs), which is derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan), a short form of the name יְהוֹחָנָן (Yehochanan), 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.

Alternate forms include:

Jane Doe or Jane Roe is used in American law as a placeholder name for anonymous or unknown female participants in legal proceedings. "Jane Roe" was the legal pseudonym used by Norma McCorvey when she was plantiff in the landmark American case Roe v. Wade.

Jane Doe is used in United States police investigations when the identity of a female victim is unknown or incorrect, and by hospitals to refer to a female corpse or patient whose identity is unknown.