Jana

See also: jana, jaña, and Jāņa

English

Etymology

From Czech Jana, ultimately from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of John and Jack and earlier use of Joan in the same role.

Doublet of Ivana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.

Proper noun

Jana

1. A female given name from Czech.

See also

• Jana Gana Mana

Anagrams

• naja

Czech

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈjana]
• Rhymes: -ana
• Hyphenation: Ja‧na

Proper noun

Jana f (related adjective Janin)

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Jane
2. Joanna (biblical character)

Declension

Declension of Jana (hard feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	Jana	Jany
genitive	Jany	Jan
dative	Janě	Janám
accusative	Janu	Jany
vocative	Jano, Jani1	Jany
locative	Janě	Janách
instrumental	Janou	Janami

¹Informal.

Derived terms

• Janička
• Janinka
• Janka

 

Related terms

• Johana

 

Further reading

• Jana in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• Jana in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

Proper noun

Jana

1. genitive/accusative singular of Jan

Estonian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑnɑ/

Proper noun

Jana

1. a female given name, variant of Jaana, from Johanna

Faroese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

Jana

1. a female given name

Usage notes

Matronymics

• son of Jana: Januson
• daughter of Jana: Janudóttir

Declension

	Singular
	Indefinite
Nominative	Jana
Accusative	Janu
Dative	Janu
Genitive	Janu

German

Etymology

Today usually interpreted as the feminine form of Jan, though it can also derive from Juliana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈjaːna]

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ja‧na

Proper noun

Jana

1. a female given name

Icelandic

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjaːna/
• Rhymes: -aːna

Proper noun

Jana f

1. a female given name

Declension

declension of Jana

f-w1	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	Jana	Janan	Jönur	Jönurnar
accusative	Jönu	Jönuna	Jönur	Jönurnar
dative	Jönu	Jönunni	Jönum	Jönunum
genitive	Jönu	Jönunnar	Jana	Jananna

Latin

Alternative forms

• Dīāna, Diāna, Iāna

Etymology

Variant of Diāna shortened by procope, from Old Latin Dīāna by syncope of Old Latin Dīvāna. Compare Jūpiter from Old Latin Diēspiter, and Jovis from Old Latin Diovis. Also see Ancient Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē), from a shared root whence by analogical formation also evolved Latin Jūnō, Jūnōnis.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈi̯aː.na/, [ˈi̯äːnä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈja.na/, [ˈjäːnä]

Proper noun

Jāna f (genitive Jānae); first declension

1. (religion) Alternative spelling of Iāna. The moon-goddess identified as Diana, daughter of Latona and Jupiter, and twin sister of Apollo; goddess of the hunt, associated with wild animals and the forest or wilderness, and an emblem of chastity; the Roman counterpart of Greek goddess Artemis.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	Jāna	Jānae
Genitive	Jānae	Jānārum
Dative	Jānae	Jānīs
Accusative	Jānam	Jānās
Ablative	Jānā	Jānīs
Vocative	Jāna	Jānae

References

• “Jana”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Jana in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Latvian

Etymology

First recorded as a given name of Latvians in 1925. A modern feminine form of Jānis, variant of Johanna.

Proper noun

Jana f

1. a female given name

References

• Klāvs Siliņš: Latviešu personvārdu vārdnīca. Riga "Zinātne" 1990, →ISBN
• [1] Population Register of Latvia: Jana was the only given name of 4123 persons in Latvia on May 21st 2010.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

A variant of Ana, mainly found in the Kajkavian speaking area.

Pronunciation

• (Jána): IPA^(key): /jǎːna/
• (Jȁna): IPA^(key): /jâna/
• Rhymes: -ǎːna

Proper noun

Jána or Jȁna f (Cyrillic spelling Ја́на or Ја̏на)

1. a female given name

Slovak

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈjana]

Proper noun

Jana f (genitive singular Jany, nominative plural Jany, declension pattern of žena)

1. a female given name

Declension

Declension of Jana

	singular	plural
nominative	Jana	Jany
genitive	Jany	Ján
dative	Jane	Janám
accusative	Janu	Jany
locative	Jane	Janách
instrumental	Janou	Janami

Derived terms

• Janka
• Januľa, Januľka, Janulienka
• Januša, Januška
• Janina, Janinka

Further reading

• “Jana”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024