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 [ 1 syll. jea(n), je-an ] The girl name Jean is also used as a boy name, with the latter form being more popular. It is pronounced JHIYN KEY. Jean has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is used largely in English and Scottish. Together with the name Jane, this developed as a variant of Jehanne (Old French) during the Middle Ages. By the end of the medieval period, the name has dropped off in popularity although it remained popular in Scotland. It was taken up by English speakers on a wider basis by the end of the 19th century. In literature, it has been made known by the character Jean Brodie in Muriel Spark's novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961). See Jean for more info. The name Jean is used to a great extent; it has 39 forms that are used in both English and foreign languages. English forms of the name include Genette, Jana (used in Czech, Dutch, German, Polish, Slavic, and Latvian as well), Jane, Jeancie, Jeaneia, Jeaneva, Jeannita, Jeantelle, Jena (used in Polish and Indian as well), Jennica, Jennine, Johanna (used in Czech, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, German, Hungarian, and Scandinavian as well), and Nina (used in Hungarian, Catalan, Czech, French, Hebrew, Indian, Russian, Slavic, Spanish, Polish, German, and Italian as well). Other English forms include the pet forms Janina (used in German, Polish, Finnish, Lithuanian, and Scandinavian as well), Janine (used in French, and German as well), Jeana, Jeane, Jeanette (used in French as well), Jeanie (used in Scottish as well), Jeanine (used in French as well), Jeannette (used in French and as well), Jeannie (used in Scottish as well), Jeannine (used in French and as well), and Jessie (used in Scottish as well), and the spelling variant Jeanne (used in French, and Dutch as well). Forms of Jean used in foreign languages include the Italian Giovanna, the Italian Giovanni, the Czech, Russian, Slavic, and Italian Ivana, the Polish Janeska, the Czech, Hungarian, Polish, and German Janka, the Finnish, German, and Scandinavian Janne, the Scandinavian Jannike, the Polish Jasia, the Hawaiian Kini, the Welsh Siân, the Scottish Sìne, the Irish Síne, and the Russian Zhanna. The pet form Teasag (Scottish) is another foreign variant. Jean is a form of the English Jane in the English and Scottish languages. Jean is also a short form of the English and French Jeanine in the English language. See also the related forms, the English Jeanann, the English Jeanmarie, the English and German Jenny, and the Welsh Sian. Jean is unusual as a baby girl name. Its usage peaked in 1930 with 1.027% of baby girls being named Jean. It was #14 in rank then. The baby name has substantially slipped in popularity since then, and is used only on an infrequent scale today. In 2008, among the family of girl names directly related to Jean, the English, Hungarian, Catalan, Czech, French, Hebrew, Indian, Russian, Slavic, Spanish, Polish, German, and Italian Nina was the most widely used. Although Jean is today more frequently used for boys, there was a period prior to 1989 when more girls were given the name. After 1990, increasingly the name became more popular with boys than with girls. In 1994, 49% more boys than girls were given the name Jean. Baby names that sound like Jean include the English Jeane, the English, French, and Dutch Jeanne, the English Jeanné, the English Jenae, the English Gene, the English Jaine, the English Jan, the English Jane, the English Janeann, the English Jann, the Finnish, German, and Scandinavian Janne, the English Jasme, the English Jayne, the English Jeanene, the English Jem, the English Jen, the English Jenn, the English Jenne, the Chinese and English Jin, and the English Joan. Details of famous persons named Jean: KEY: Pronunciation for Jean: JH as in "gee (JH.IY)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)"   |
