Jantje

Jantje is a Dutch diminutive pet form of Jan, itself the Dutch and Low German equivalent of John, which derives from the Hebrew Yohanan meaning God is gracious. It has traditionally been used for both boys and girls in the Netherlands, and the phrase een echte Jantje, meaning a real Jantje, became a colloquial expression for a quintessential Dutch sailor or simple honest fellow. Related forms include Janneke, Jannetje, and the base name Jan, while broader cognates across Europe include Jean, Giovanni, Juan, and Johannes.