Janka

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 12 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Janka is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Portuguese given name21K records spelled Janka48 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Czechia, Bulgaria, Slovakia

  Languages: Portuguese, Czech, Bulgarian

  Also written Ianka, Yanka, Янка, Янки, Јанка

• German given name11K records spelled Janka13 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Germany, United States, Netherlands, Austria

  Languages: German, English, Dutch

  Also written Jánka, Jánká, Jâñķa, Jänkä, Jaenkae

• a separate given name972 records spelled Janka2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States

  Also written Jänkä

• Finnish given name547 records spelled Janka4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, United States, India, Kazakhstan

  Languages: Finnish, Estonian

  Also written Jänkä, Jänka

42 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Janka is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In German, tschech./poln. Patronym zu Jan/Johann; als Vergleichsform zu Janker genannt; 418 Tokens.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 6: Familiennamen aus Rufnamen

• In Polish, a diminutive of the female given name Janina

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In pdt, covetousness

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Basque, Comiendo. Ikus detzagun damnatuak ifernuan, beren estiren erdian, elkarri janka, elkar iretsi nahiz . Dv LEd 232.

  as a word·Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia (OEH) — General/Historical Basque Dictionary, Euskaltzaindia

• In Latvian, pilsēta Rumānijā, Breilas žudecā, 10300 iedzīvotāju (2011. g.)

  as a word·Tēzaurs.lv (Dictionary and Thesaurus of Latvian, AiLab / LU MII)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

IN naampy — India given names from state electoral rolls (in-rolls) — 91 years between 1914–2015. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Janka Wohlb. 1846HUHungarian editor, writer, literary translator (1846-1901)
• Janka Lučynab. 1851BYBelarusian translator and poet (1851-1897)
• Yanka Kupalab. 1882BYnot in their usual nameBelarusian writer (1882–1942)
• Janka Maŭrb. 1883BYBelarusian writer (1883–1971)
• Janka Brylb. 1917BYBelarusian writer (1917–2006)
• Jan Zaprudnikb. 1926USnot in their usual nameAmerican/Belarusian historian
• Yanka Rupkinab. 1938BGnot in their usual nameBulgarian folk singer
• Yanka Dyagilevab. 1966RUnot in their usual nameSoviet poet and singer-songwriter (1966-1991)
• Janka Fábiánb. 1973HUHungarian writer
• Janka Števkováb. 1976SKSlovak cyclist

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 320 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Janka?

We estimate roughly 2.7 thousand people bear Janka (counting its spellings and scripts) across 12 countries in our records.

In which country does Janka have the most bearers?

Janka is most frequently recorded in India, where it is most often spelled janka.

Where is Janka most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Janka is densest in the Czechia — about 1 in 5.3 thousand people — even though India holds more of our records for it.

Is Janka a male or female name?

Janka is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Janka mean?

Recorded meaning: from a pet form of the personal name Janos, Hungarian form of John.