Fun Facts About the Name Janaki
- 197 babies named Janaki: U.S. records list 197 babies given the name Janaki from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Janaki Mean?
Janaki is a feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "daughter of Janaka" or, more literally, "belonging to Janaka." It is a patronymic: the Sanskrit name Janaka plus the feminine suffix -i (also written -ī). Janaka is generally explained as "progenitor" or "father," from jana ("people, race, birth"), which derives from the verbal root jan ("to be born, to generate"). The literal sense is a relationship to a father, not a description of a quality. In Hindu tradition the name is applied to Sita, whose adoptive father was King Janaka of Mithila, so the epithet identifies her as his daughter.
Janaki Name History & Origins
In the Sanskrit epic tradition, Janaki is an epithet of Sita, the wife of Rama. Because Sita was raised as the daughter of King Janaka of Videha, whose capital was Mithila, she is called Janaki ("of Janaka"), alongside other parent- and place-based names such as Vaidehi (from Videha) and Maithili (from Mithila). These names recur in the Ramayana and in later devotional and classical literature, where Janaki is a standard way of referring to Sita.
As a given name, Janaki is used in India, Nepal, and Hindu communities elsewhere, particularly in regions where Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Nepali are spoken. Spellings in use include Janaki, Janki, and Janaky. The male forms Janak and Janaka also occur as given names. A notable modern bearer is the Indian botanist and cytogeneticist E. K. Janaki Ammal (1897 - 1984).
How Popular is the Name Janaki?
Janaki has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1981. Its best rank was #7,012 in 1981.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #11,328 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #12,656 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #12,685 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #14,305 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #12,696 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #13,284 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #12,220 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #17,570 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #17,634 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #13,765 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #15,622 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #14,091 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #16,240 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #14,529 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #17,202 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #10,780 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #16,525 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #10,440 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #13,344 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #12,711 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #14,316 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #12,407 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #12,361 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #12,088 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #10,127 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #9,649 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #10,018 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #7,012 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #8,491 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #10,360 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Janaki Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are honest, benevolent, brilliant and often inventive, full of high inspirations. You are courageous, honest, determined, original and creative. You are a leader, especially for a cause. Sometimes you do not care to finish what you start, and may leave details to others. You can do well in position of authority, and prospers in intellectual and professional fields. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Janaki's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Janaki's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.