Jane is a feminine given name. It is the English form of the Old French name Jehanne, which was an old feminine form of the male name Johannes or Ioannes (also the source of the English name John), a Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Iōannēs), which is derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan), a short form of the name יְהוֹחָנָן (Yehochanan), meaning “Yahweh is merciful”.^[1]

The name was first used in large numbers in the mid-16th century for the daughters of aristocrats as an alternative to the more commonplace Joan. The two names have alternated popularity. In the early 19th century, Jane was again seen as a name with a certain amount of glamour.  Joan became more popular in the early to mid-20th century, when it was ranked in the top 500 most popular names given to girls in the United States, but the name has again been displaced by Jane on the popularity charts in the 21st century.

Jane was the name of a number of queens and saints and historical figures. The following “Janes” were of historical or literary importance:

• Jane Addams, founder of the United States Settlement House movement
• Jane Austen, noted 19th century English author
• Jane Eyre, title character in the 19th century British novel by Charlotte Brontë
• Lady Jane Grey, uncrowned nine days Queen of England in 1553
• Jane Seymour, third wife of King Henry VIII of England and mother of Edward VI of England.

The girls name Jools is pronounced Joolz. Jools is diminutive of Julian or Julia. Feminine form of Julius. A person by this name has a brief mention in the New Testament. It was borne by a few early saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Shakespeare used the name in his comedy ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona‘ (1594). It has been common as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the 18th century.

The girls name Aurora is a given name for women, originating from the Latin word for dawn. Aurora was the ancient Roman equivalent of Eos, the ancient Greek goddess of the dawn.