Editing Jane (section)

== Etymology ==

Jane shares its etymological root with [[Joan]], [[Jean]], [[Janet]], and [[Joanna]], all of which descend from the Latin ''Johanna''. The earliest English uses of the name appear in the [[Tudor dynasty|Tudor era]], when it began to displace the older forms [[Joan]] and [[Jean]] in common usage.<ref>Reaney, P.H. & Wilson, R.M. (1997). ''A Dictionary of English Surnames''. Oxford University Press.</ref>

The name's path into English runs through [[Old French]] ''Jehanne'', a feminine adaptation of the [[Latin]] ''Iohannes'', which itself derived from [[Koine Greek]] ''Iōánnēs'' (Ἰωάννης), transliterating the [[Biblical Hebrew]] ''Yôḥānān'' (יוֹחָנָן). This compound combines ''Yah'' (יָהּ), a shortened form of the divine name [[Yahweh]], and ''ḥānan'' (חָנַן), "to be gracious," giving the full meaning "Yahweh has been gracious."<ref>Brown, Francis (1906). ''Hebrew and English Lexicon''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.</ref>