I do not know if your name is of south-slavic origin, but it can be:
If you are female person, your name can be of south serbian origin: even
today that name is used in regions of old Serbia (Ras"ka/Sandjak, Kosovo,
Metohija, and neighbouring regions). It sound quite archaic (like from middle
ages, from pre-turkish times), and it is not used (i.e. given to newborns)
anymore into northern and western regions populated by serbs.
Nominative: JANA
Genitive/Ablative: JANE
Dative: JANI
Accusative: JANE
Vocative: JANO
Locative: JANE
Instrumental: JANOM
Related female name (more modern, but still archaic) is JANJA (in
Nominative). That name is/was used by western serbs (in todays Bosnia, Kraina
and Hercegovina). I knew few JANJAs from there. Very probably that JANA and
JANJA are same name, with difference due the different dialectical
pronunciations.
About male variant JANE (in NOminative) I know that it is used by
bulgarians and macedonians. From that name originate surname JANEV
(i.e. descendand of certain person called JANE). I have two friends with
related names: one is bulgarian with surname JANEV, another is half
bulgarian/half serbian with personal name JANE.
I do not know what is etymology or meaning of that name: one possibility
is that suggest person that is like a lamb (JANJE/JAGNJE), being very
kind and likable. But I am totally unsure in that interpretation.
I do not know if your name originate in some other Indoeuropean subgroup.
It is possible: remember Greek god JANUS.
At the end: I am not linguist or etymologist, it is only one of my
hobbies (that, again, I do not have much time do dedicate to).
I hope this will/can help you.
Regards
Predrag Stojkov
On Mon, 9 Dec 1996, Miss Hatchet wrote:
> hello,
> my name is jano baird. i have never understood where my name comes from,
> nor how to pronounce it. i was raised pronouncing it like "johno", but i
> have been told it may be pronounced "yano". can you help me? any info
> would be very apreciated
>
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Predrag L. Stojkov
stojkov@het.brown.edu http://www.het.brown.edu/people/stojkov/
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