Etymograph

English

Jane

Jane comes from French Jeanne, and goes back to Latin Ioanna.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEIoanna
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Johannavariant of Ioanna
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600Jehanne
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentJeanne
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1605Jane

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEIoanna
  2. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Johannavariant of Ioanna
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600Jehanne
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentJeanne
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1605Jane

Earliest quotation: 1605, William Camden, Remains Concerning Britain: “In latter years some of the better and nicer…”

The story

Variant of Jeanne, from French Jeanne, from Middle French Jehanne, from Medieval Latin Johanna, variant of Latin Ioanna under influence from Latin Iōhannēs, 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.

Every English word from Latin Ioanna

Today it means

name A female given name from French, the standard feminine form of John since the 17th century.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin Ioanna / Jane

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