Janis
Janis is a man's name in Latvia and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
This name's gender leans differently depending on the country — check the table below before you assume.
Janis · Jānis
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 66% male / 34% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- Latvia, United States, Estonia
- Also spelled
- Jānis
- US births since 1880
- 163 male / 48,735 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Janis
To address Janis when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Janis," in English, "Guten Tag Janis," in German. Janis is a man's name in Latvia and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Janis,
German
Guten Tag Janis,
French
Bonjour Janis,
Spanish
Estimado/a Janis:
Chinese
Janis您好：
Japanese
Janis様
English
Hi Janis,
German
Hi Janis,
French
Salut Janis,
Spanish
Hola Janis,
Chinese
Janis你好：
Japanese
Janisさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia | very common | man's name | 98% |
| United States | very common | woman's name | 0% |
| Estonia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
163 male · 48,735 female · 48,898 births recorded
Since 1980: 1% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Janis a male or female name?
Janis is a man's name in Latvia and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Janis in an email?
To address Janis when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Janis," in English, "Guten Tag Janis," in German. Janis is a man's name in Latvia and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Is Janis a unisex name?
Janis is not a unisex name: 66% of people named Janis are men. The gender leans heavily on which country the person is from.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Janis a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/janis (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_janis,
title = {Is Janis a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/janis},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}