The first name Jean

Discover the meaning and origin of the first name Jean, its history and its evolution in baptism records preserved in Genealogy Quebec’s collections.

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About the first name Jean

Meaning

The name Jean traditionally means “God is gracious” or “God shows mercy”.

Historical origin

The name Jean comes from the Hebrew Yôḥānān, transmitted through Greek Iôannês and Latin Iohannes before taking its French form.

Did you know?

Jean also appears in several compound names, for example Jean-Baptiste, Jean-Charles and Jean-Claude. This productivity helps explain the many related forms found in historical records.

Pronunciation:janʒɑ̃

Frequency of the first name Jean by baptism year

The chart below shows the frequency of the first name Jean by the year of baptisms listed in Genealogy Quebec’s data. It highlights the periods when this first name appears most often and its evolution across generations.

8,927total mentions

Annual evolution of the first name JeanLine chart showing the frequency of the first name Jean in baptisms by year.50037525012501600167917581837191619951600–1604 4 baptisms1605–1609 6 baptisms1610–1614 12 baptisms1615–1619 18 baptisms1620–1624 12 baptisms1625–1629 34 baptisms1630–1634 56 baptisms1635–1639 62 baptisms1640–1644 96 baptisms1645–1649 74 baptisms1650–1654 68 baptisms1655–1659 76 baptisms1660–1664 114 baptisms1665–1669 130 baptisms1670–1674 226 baptisms1675–1679 162 baptisms1680–1684 164 baptisms1685–1689 108 baptisms1690–1694 94 baptisms1695–1699 118 baptisms1700–1704 102 baptisms1705–1709 76 baptisms1710–1714 62 baptisms1715–1719 54 baptisms1720–1724 48 baptisms1725–1729 38 baptisms1730–1734 58 baptisms1735–1739 44 baptisms1740–1744 42 baptisms1745–1749 42 baptisms1750–1754 28 baptisms1755–1759 54 baptisms1760–1764 82 baptisms1765–1769 80 baptisms1770–1774 76 baptisms1775–1779 54 baptisms1780–1784 86 baptisms1785–1789 94 baptisms1790–1794 98 baptisms1795–1799 130 baptisms1800–1804 158 baptisms1805–1809 140 baptisms1810–1814 154 baptisms1815–1819 234 baptisms1820–1824 216 baptisms1825–1829 296 baptisms1830–1834 362 baptisms1835–1839 464 baptisms1840–1844 422 baptisms1845–1849 486 baptisms1850–1854 462 baptisms1855–1859 403 baptisms1860–1864 322 baptisms1865–1869 292 baptisms1870–1874 218 baptisms1875–1879 151 baptisms1880–1884 136 baptisms1885–1889 96 baptisms1890–1894 90 baptisms1895–1899 52 baptisms1900–1904 44 baptisms1905–1909 46 baptisms1910–1914 32 baptisms1915–1919 26 baptisms1920–1924 36 baptisms1925–1929 64 baptisms1930–1934 28 baptisms1935–1939 46 baptisms1940–1944 46 baptisms1945–1949 66 baptisms1950–1954 70 baptisms1955–1959 100 baptisms1960–1964 66 baptisms1965–1969 27 baptisms1970–1974 28 baptisms1975–1979 26 baptisms1980–1984 20 baptisms1985–1989 6 baptisms1990–1994 10 baptisms1995–1999 4 baptisms

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