A name. A world of connections.

Ján

“God has been gracious”

Language contexts for this entry: Danish, Finnish, Slovak

Matching spellings may have different histories. Explore matching entries

masculineLatin script

Hear the name

Czech

Origin: Hebrew
3 language contexts: Danish Finnish Slovak
Follow the evidence: 9 cited sources Source-reported

01 / Meaning & origin

About Ján

Ján is a masculine given name documented in Danish, Finnish and Slovak. English Wiktionary traces it to Hebrew יוֹחָנָן via Latin and Ancient Greek. It is a form of John, for which English Wikipedia gives the meaning “God has been gracious”.

2 source accounts

Hebrew origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “God has been gracious”

Derived from Latin Iōannēs, from Ancient Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), a contraction of the Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān); see John for more.

Follow the language links in this account

Read from more recent borrowed forms toward older source forms. This is a derivation account, not a dated timeline.

Latin
Ancient Greek

Only explicit language links are shown. The full passage may also discuss word roots, comparisons or uncertain proposals.

Read the cited Wiktionary entry

Sources for this account (4)

Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: John (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Explore 1 more accountHide additional accountsSource accounts may describe the same origin.

Polish Wiktionary accountSource-reportedhebr. יחב < hebr. יוחנן (jeho-hanan) → ‘Jahwe jest łaskawy’

hebr. יחב < hebr. יוחנן (jeho-hanan) → ‘Jahwe jest łaskawy’

Sources for this account (1)

Polish Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

02 / Across borders

Where Ján is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Ján’s connections around the world.

2 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

Denmark

Language records

Documented as a given name in Danish.

Explore Denmark

3 of 3 countries

03 / By the numbers

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

Finland

2026 Spelling: Ján

Region and dataset

Recorded category male

Latest · 2026: 5; people; Rank #6,452
Peak year: 2026; 5 people

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: Digital and Population Data Services Agency · Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03

Published integer counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Ján in Finland, male: people and rank by year
Year	People	Rank	Status
2026	5	6,452	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Statistics count the spelling “Ján” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure people. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: Current first given names of living Finnish citizens residing in Finland or abroad in the Population Information System as of 2026-08-03; extracted 2026-08-04. Foreign citizens, deceased persons and former names excluded. Only the first-name sheets are used.
Rounding: Published integer counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Names occurring fewer than five times are omitted. Absence is unknown, not zero.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips

Released 2026-08-04 · Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC-BY-4.0

Read our methodology

04 / Through time

History

Historical scholarship

Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.

1884From the archives
Jan— “grace of the Lord”
Rare as patronymic surnames are in France, this universal name has there produced Johannot, while the contraction is Jeannot, answering to the Spanish Juanito and the patronymic Juanez. Jan is very frequent in Brittany, where the diminutive is Jannik.
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part I, Chapter III (Israelite Names), Section V (Names from Chaanach) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Ján Kollár
1793–1852
Slovak author writing in Czech (1793–1852)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Mucha
born 1982
Slovak association football player (1982–)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Popluhár
1935–2011
Slovak footballer (1935–2011)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Zachara
1928–2025
Czechoslovak boxer (1928–2025)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Chryzostom Korec
1924–2015
Slovak jesuit, cardinal and writer (1924–2015)
Wikipedia Wikidata source

A little story to keep

A name worth keeping.

Take the story of Ján with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.

06 / Behind the facts

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-17.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms7

Wikidata Q6319579CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: John (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Polish Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wiktionary: JanoCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences1

Wikimedia Commons: File:Cs-Ján.oggCC-BY-SA-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Historical referencesOriginal texts and their publication details1

Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part I, Chapter III (Israelite Names), Section V (Names from Chaanach)Public domain (Project Gutenberg) · rev. 2023-03-30 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates2

Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Imiona nadawane dzieciom w Polsce — first given names of children, PESEL register, 2000-2025 (national)
Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji (Ministry of Digital Affairs), Poland — PESEL register; published on dane.gov.pl · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

Opening name…

About Ján

2 source accounts

Hebrew origin

Source-reported

Meaning: “God has been gracious”

Derived from Latin Iōannēs, from Ancient Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), a contraction of the Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān); see John for more.

Follow the language links in this account

Read from more recent borrowed forms toward older source forms. This is a derivation account, not a dated timeline.

Latin
Ancient Greek

Only explicit language links are shown. The full passage may also discuss word roots, comparisons or uncertain proposals.

Read the cited Wiktionary entry

Sources for this account (4)

Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: John (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Explore 1 more accountHide additional accountsSource accounts may describe the same origin.

Polish Wiktionary accountSource-reportedhebr. יחב < hebr. יוחנן (jeho-hanan) → ‘Jahwe jest łaskawy’

hebr. יחב < hebr. יוחנן (jeho-hanan) → ‘Jahwe jest łaskawy’

Sources for this account (1)

Polish Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Where Ján is used

Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Ján’s connections around the world.

2 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

Denmark

Language records

Documented as a given name in Danish.

Explore Denmark

3 of 3 countries

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

Finland

2026 Spelling: Ján

Region and dataset

Recorded category male

Latest · 2026: 5; people; Rank #6,452
Peak year: 2026; 5 people

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: Digital and Population Data Services Agency · Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03

Published integer counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Ján in Finland, male: people and rank by year
Year	People	Rank	Status
2026	5	6,452	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: Current first given names of living Finnish citizens residing in Finland or abroad in the Population Information System as of 2026-08-03; extracted 2026-08-04. Foreign citizens, deceased persons and former names excluded. Only the first-name sheets are used.
Rounding: Published integer counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Names occurring fewer than five times are omitted. Absence is unknown, not zero.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips

Released 2026-08-04 · Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC-BY-4.0

Read our methodology

History

Historical scholarship

Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.

1884From the archives
Jan— “grace of the Lord”
Rare as patronymic surnames are in France, this universal name has there produced Johannot, while the contraction is Jeannot, answering to the Spanish Juanito and the patronymic Juanez. Jan is very frequent in Brittany, where the diminutive is Jannik.
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part I, Chapter III (Israelite Names), Section V (Names from Chaanach) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)

Notable bearers

People recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.

Ján Kollár
1793–1852
Slovak author writing in Czech (1793–1852)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Mucha
born 1982
Slovak association football player (1982–)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Popluhár
1935–2011
Slovak footballer (1935–2011)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Zachara
1928–2025
Czechoslovak boxer (1928–2025)
Wikipedia Wikidata source
Ján Chryzostom Korec
1924–2015
Slovak jesuit, cardinal and writer (1924–2015)
Wikipedia Wikidata source

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-17.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms7

Wikidata Q6319579CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: John (given name)CC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wikipedia: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Polish Wiktionary: JánCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Wiktionary: JanoCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences1

Wikimedia Commons: File:Cs-Ján.oggCC-BY-SA-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Historical referencesOriginal texts and their publication details1

Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part I, Chapter III (Israelite Names), Section V (Names from Chaanach)Public domain (Project Gutenberg) · rev. 2023-03-30 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Statistics and surveysPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates2

Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Imiona nadawane dzieciom w Polsce — first given names of children, PESEL register, 2000-2025 (national)
Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji (Ministry of Digital Affairs), Poland — PESEL register; published on dane.gov.pl · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

A story to pass on.

About Ján

Hebrew origin

Where Ján is used

Across borders

Denmark

Popularity over time

Finland

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Ján Kollár

Ján Mucha

Ján Popluhár

Ján Zachara

Ján Chryzostom Korec

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

Jano

Jan

John

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About Ján

Hebrew origin

Where Ján is used

Across borders

Denmark

Popularity over time

Finland

History

Historical scholarship

Notable bearers

Ján Kollár

Ján Mucha

Ján Popluhár

Ján Zachara

Ján Chryzostom Korec

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

Jano

Jan

John

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page