Janus
Janus is a masculine given name of Latin origin. Janus is the Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages and endings. In January 2015, 1,305 Danes had the name Janus, according to Statistics Denmark.
- Roman Mythology
Meaning & Origin of Janus
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Janus is a masculine given name of Latin origin. Janus is the Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages and endings. In January 2015, 1,305 Danes had the name Janus, according to Statistics Denmark.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Roman Mythology
The Story of Janus
As a girl name
Janus first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1936, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1956: 16 births, good for #2,929 nationwide. About 44% of every Janus on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. Janus last appeared in the published SSA data in 1971, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 127 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1930s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Janus as a boy name dates back to 1922, when 5 babies received it. 1997 was its biggest year on record, with 6 newborns named Janus — #8,110 in the national rankings. About 37% of every Janus on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Janus last appeared in the published SSA data in 2019, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 41 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1920s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Janus
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Janus. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Ianus
Notable people named Janus
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Janus, King of Cyprus (1375 –1432) king of cyprus and titular King of Armenian Cilicia and Jerusalem
- Janus Adams (born 1947), American journalist, historian and radio presenter
- Janus Braspennincx (1903–1977), Dutch cyclist
- Janus Cornarius (c. 1500–1558), Saxon humanist and classical philologist
- Janus la Cour (1837–1909), Danish painter
- Janus Henricus Donker Curtius (1813–1879), Dutch businessman and diplomat
- Janus Djurhuus (1881–1948), Faroese poet
- Janus Dousa (1545–1604), Dutch statesman, jurist, historian, poet, philologist and librarian
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Janus
Phonetically similar names — useful when Janus is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Janus
What does the name Janus mean?
What is the origin of the name Janus?
How popular is Janus in 2026?
When was Janus most popular?
Is Janus a unisex name?
What names go well with Janus?
What are nicknames or variants of Janus?
About the name Janus
Janus is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1936 and has accumulated 127 births in the dataset. Janus's peak popularity came in 1956 when it ranked #2,929. Use the chart and map above to compare Janus's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1956 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.