Meaning and background
The story behind Jan
Jan carries more than one established naming tradition. Behind the Name treats masculine Jan as a form of Johannes used across several European languages, while a separate English entry explains feminine Jan as a short form of Janet, Janice, and similar names. Pronunciation changes with that context: Dutch Jan begins with a y sound, whereas English feminine Jan begins like jam. The spelling alone cannot select one tradition.
- Origin
- Masculine form of Johannes in several European languages; English feminine Jan also shortens Janet, Janice and other Jan-names. Source · Source 2
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Everyday moments“Jan, come here!”
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About Jan
Recorded as a dog’s name
Jan appears in 3 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/dʒæn/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/dʒæn/ · primary stress on syllable 1JH AE1 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.