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Jean

Jean is a masculine given name of French origin, equivalent to the English John. It derives from the Latin Iohannes, via Old French Jehhan or Jean, ultimately from the Hebrew Yohanan, meaning “Yahweh is gracious.” In Francophone countries the name has been widely used since the Middle Ages. The feminine form Jeanne (Jeanne) and diminutives such as Jeanette or Jeannot appear in use as well.

Across Europe and beyond, Jean has many cognates: Giovanni (Italian), Juan (Spanish), João (Portuguese), Jan (Dutch

Notable people named Jean include the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau; the existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre; the filmmaker

As a surname, Jean occurs but is less common; it may appear in compound names or as

and
Scandinavian),
Johannes
(German
and
Dutch),
and
similar
forms
in
several
other
languages.
Jean-Luc
Godard;
the
painter
and
sculptor
Jean
Arp;
the
actor
Jean
Reno;
the
director
Jean-Pierre
Jeunet;
and
the
statesman
Jean
Monnet.
In
different
periods,
various
saints
and
religious
figures
named
Jean
have
also
played
a
significant
role
in
Christian
naming
traditions.
a
patronymic
in
some
cultures.