The name is used in Afrikaans, Belarusian, Circassian, Catalan, Cornish, Croatian, Czech, English (especially in Devon dialect), Dutch, German, Kazakh, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, Scandinavian and Finnic languages.
Very rarely the name Jan is given to a girl, as variants like Jann, Jannie, Janneke or Jantje are more common.
Because it used to be so common, it found its way into many expressions[5] still widely used today, even though the popularity of the name itself has faded.
Yankee was the nickname that the British colonists gave to the inhabitants of the Dutch colony of New Netherland.
Other possible origins are sought in Jan-Kaas, a name that referred to the fact that the Dutch settlers were known for their cheese.