What does Janina translate into in English?

My mom, born in Poland, came to Canada as Janina. As a young girl, insecure, not knowing the language, she decided to go with an English version of her name. Back then without the internet or as many name resources as now she went with Jeannette. 50 years later getting a passport to go overseas the Passport Office said that is not her name. That she cannot use Jeannette. However when needing to show proof of her ID she driver's license and everything else has Jeannette.

What is the proper translation of Janina? She said she is not about to go by any other name after all these years and the Passport Office finally approved but used her Polish name instead even though her Driver's License did not have the Polish name but Jeannette instead.

As far as I know it is the equivalent of Jane.

It's Janet

To be honest I'm not surprised the OP is confused. So far I've read that it's the equivalent of Jane, Janine ( although this name is derived from Jane ), and Jeanette!

Na its most direct translation is janet , lets put it this way all the polish women in the UK use Janet instead of janina , I also have a close relative called Janina.

I'll take your word for it then Dolno!

Wiki says it's the feminine form of Jan (John). What's the feminine form of John in English?

Maybe its the case that Janet is the closest equivalent and that was adopted , I am talking about poles who came to the UK in the mid to late 40's and 50's, But there are plenty out there who know more than I, someone will popup and clear things up im sure but I think its janet .

If I had to guess I would say Joanna or Joanne, but Asia is the Polish equivalent of Joanna. This Wiki article has Janina as Polish form of Jane, but then it also has Asia named as a form of Jane too.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_(given_name)

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@dolnoslask
;)

@Chemikiem
Actually the Polish site also mentions Janina as a newer version of Joanna.

I will tell mum she has been using the wrong name for the last 70 years in the UK lol, can't wait.

Is your mum's name Janina?

Yep this is the bit you tel me we are related.

It was my grandma's name so ...
uncle Dolno?

Jk ;)

I think they're probably all variants of the female version of John which has these names as female versions:

Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Joann, Jan, Jane, Jayne, Jayna, Janet, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeane, Jeanne, Jeannie

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_(given_name)


On PF anything is possible ;)

Wish you were, my niece does not speak a word of
Polish and is not bothered about Poland at all, well she might be after Brexit, EU passport lol. found out more "Janet" Janet is a medieval diminutive of Jane

Quite a popular name back in the day, I suppose. I didn't get to know my grandma. She had passed away years before I was born. She was beautiful but she had a really tough life.

I guess your niece simply feels British. She probably doesn't know Poland. She may feel differently about her origins later.

@Chemikiem
I think you can add Johanna to the list and many more. ;)

@AnielaMaria
I guess the Passport Office should be more precise. If they say it's not the proper translation, they should say what is.

Understand, kind of our history to endure suffering.

Very true, she's a nice girl. no get up and go tho, life is easy in the UK these days.

I know this is fairly old messge, but had to write a reply, Janina is NOT Janet, it's means Jean, and Jane in Polish is Janka! seems to be lot of confused for some reason, my father was Polish, he's passed over now, he was an older Dad, was 53 when I was born, he always told me along with all my polish family and extended polish friends so can't be all wrong, that Janina means Jean, that was my mother's name and Janka Is Jane, that's is my name. Hope I've cleared this up.

Janka is a diminutive of Janina. You won`t meet a person whose official first name is Janka in Poland.

There's an English language name Janine.

Sometimes there aren't perfect equivalents.

It doesn't matter if one is a perfect translation or not. It's the name that's on the documents or not. That's all that matters.

Especially since there are often many variants of a given name.

It means "
God's gracious gift and is a beautiful and appropriate name, easily pronounced in many cultures. Please do not reduce it to Jan or Janet, it is fine just the way it is. I have heard that this name is known in Poland, South America, Israel and in the U.S. I live in California and gave that name to my daughter because it was pretty and not common where we live.

So was it in Poland. But 50 years ago. I have had two or three female colleagues with that name. My aunt is Janina - around 90 now. But I have never had a student called Janina.

Ya that is what I think they felt it should be. They looked on a list I think and said that Jeannette was not on there for Janina which is how my mom had it spelled. She went with that as a child new to Canada because she knew a Polish adult who had the same name and went by Jeannette. At least that is what my understanding of the story from way back then was. I wasn't born yet so just going by memory on what was told to me.. but my memory isn't the best anymore.

They did accept her middle name's English translation which is fine as that is what she goes by anyway in English. But at the time when getting her passport I think she was a little put off that they did not accept the name she had been using for over 50 years in Canada. Especially when her previous Canadian passports (and she had been back to Poland since leaving Poland with her family as a child) she never had a problem with and never was flagged. I guess that was before the world changed with 9-11....