Comments
Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
Impression
Other
Also spelled and pronounced Jennet in Victorian England and before.
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The name Janet has always been a huge favorite of mine; I love the sound of it, the (balanced) five-lettered length, how it writes on paper, and its long history. There simply isn't another name that could uphold to Janet, in my mind; it saddens me that it's unpopular now. To me, the name Janet sounds warm, friendly, vibrant, and mesmerizing.
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I love the French variation Janette. I think the Janet spelling is dated and not common, but the name is still pretty.
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I think Janet is a good name. The meaning of it is God is Gracious.
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I am a Janet. I knew a few at school in the 50s. I never hear the name now unless it's someone my age. I did hear someone shouting to his daughter a few years ago, a 4 year old called Janet- must say I was very surprised. I have friends that call me Juanita the Spanish version which I like and Jan. My middle name is Colette and as I've got older, I like Jan Colette. I told a girl this that I worked with and she loved it, she said she would call her daughter this x.
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Janet & Jenni, I LOVE those names! Wish my name was Janet or Jenni, because those names are gorgeous boo!
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Pretty.
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My mother named me Janet because of the meaning; “God’s Gracious Gift”.
I was disappointed that this site does not list the meaning. Strange.
I have never really cared for my name. When I was in my twenties, I started going by my middle name “Paige” which Mom got out of a book. She was very upset when I stopped going by Janet. I didn’t really understand why until I heard a young girls testimony.
She was going by her middle name and enter ( ____ long testimony here.)
The summation was God told her to go by her first name -because the meaning mattered.
I took this as a word from God as well and now go by Janet!
And yes, I’ve heard it all...
Jannette, Damit Janet, Janet Planet, Janet Jackson (to this one I respond “only if you’re nasty, and I am NOT ha)
I have learned to LOVE my name and the meaning even more!
God Bless all JANETS. Let’s live up to our name and be God’s Gracious Gifts for all deserving.
PS: To the ones posting that they think the name Janet is ugly- That says a lot about “you”, actually.
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I was disappointed that this site does not list the meaning. Strange.
I have never really cared for my name. When I was in my twenties, I started going by my middle name “Paige” which Mom got out of a book. She was very upset when I stopped going by Janet. I didn’t really understand why until I heard a young girls testimony.
She was going by her middle name and enter ( ____ long testimony here.)
The summation was God told her to go by her first name -because the meaning mattered.
I took this as a word from God as well and now go by Janet!
And yes, I’ve heard it all...
Jannette, Damit Janet, Janet Planet, Janet Jackson (to this one I respond “only if you’re nasty, and I am NOT ha)
I have learned to LOVE my name and the meaning even more!
God Bless all JANETS. Let’s live up to our name and be God’s Gracious Gifts for all deserving.
PS: To the ones posting that they think the name Janet is ugly- That says a lot about “you”, actually.
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Janet Fraiser from Stargate SG-1. Too bad they had to ruin the show by killing her off in the worst way possible, for her death to be irrelevant and her to be forgotten. She should have lived and become a main. She's my favorite character and I hate the writers for destroying the show, it is only good up until before these shitty episodes. Heroes are such terribly written and poorly executed episodes, they should never have happened.
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Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016)
Former Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton Administration from 1993 until 2001, respectively. Miss Reno was the first woman to serve as Attorney General and the second longest serving after William Wirt.
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Former Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton Administration from 1993 until 2001, respectively. Miss Reno was the first woman to serve as Attorney General and the second longest serving after William Wirt.
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I hated my name when I was younger. Then at high school I found out that my favourite teacher's first name was Janet. Ever since then I've liked it. There's not a lot of us around in Australia and most of us are in the same age bracket. But don't call me Jan or you will be very quickly corrected! If I wanted to be known as Jan, that's the name I would have used. It's Janet and I like that it's sort of unique. From kindergarten right through to the end of high school, there was never another Janet in any of my classes, and I never worked with anyone called Janet.
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Ew. I hate the "net" part. Much prefer Janelle!
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I'm pretty sure the name Janet came to the English from the French. The French like to add the "ette" when something is small, cute, or young. So, "Janette" pronounced more like "Jean-ette" in French became the English nickname (or pet name) for a young girl named "Janet." The English just dropped the "te" at the end. It comes from Jane, but no one has ever called me that.
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Janet Lynn Nowicki was a figure skater in the 1970's in the USA. She was the 1972 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time world championships medalist, and a five-time U.S. national champion. My mom loved to watch skating, which is how I got my name, and so of course I took skating for a semester in college. I had many nicknames as a child but none are listed on this page because they weren't standard nicknames. Janjan was one of them when I was little.
The mother who lived next door when I was growing up was also named Janet, but went by Jan, so I was called Janet to avoid confusion. There were also three John's on my block growing up, which incidentally is the masculine version of Janet.
I've only met a handful of others named Janet as it is one of those uncommon, yet known, names. I don't love it, or hate it. Some friends have simply called me Jay, Jae, J or Bluejay b/c I have blue eyes and ate like a bird. One of my uncles calls me Janer, which I rather like.
Throughout life, I've heard it all; "Janet, Miss Jackson if you're nasty." "Janet planet" because it was one of the cards in the Garbage Pail Kids candy card collections in the '80's, and of course "Dammit, Janet" was also commonly said to me. Oh, and there was a character named Janet in the show Three's Company.
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The mother who lived next door when I was growing up was also named Janet, but went by Jan, so I was called Janet to avoid confusion. There were also three John's on my block growing up, which incidentally is the masculine version of Janet.
I've only met a handful of others named Janet as it is one of those uncommon, yet known, names. I don't love it, or hate it. Some friends have simply called me Jay, Jae, J or Bluejay b/c I have blue eyes and ate like a bird. One of my uncles calls me Janer, which I rather like.
Throughout life, I've heard it all; "Janet, Miss Jackson if you're nasty." "Janet planet" because it was one of the cards in the Garbage Pail Kids candy card collections in the '80's, and of course "Dammit, Janet" was also commonly said to me. Oh, and there was a character named Janet in the show Three's Company.
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Ugly name, just like Jill.
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I think it's a nice name, and I like it a lot. Janet isn't common for little girls anymore in North America and England according to statistics.
So if you like Janet, go ahead and use it.
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So if you like Janet, go ahead and use it.
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This is not unique.
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JAN-ət in English.
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Janet's Planet. (You know it if you know it)
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A nice name, it may be quite dated but has something quite soft and delicate about it. Or maybe that's just me.
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I know a few Janets, and they always get called Janette. But Janet is a fine name.
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Personally I love being a Janet. I used to be called Jan then all of a sudden I realized I have a very strong and unique name. Everyone with a J sounding name is called Jan. Not for me. I decided that I would ask everyone to call me by my given name. I was surprised that everyone agreed so readily. So I am Janet and I am very proud to be so.
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In 2018, 56 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Janet who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 100th most common female first name for living U.S. citizens.
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You can neither appreciate nor denounce the regally firm name, JANET... unless you are a JANET. Dammit, I absolutely LOVE this name and I could not imagine being named with another. I bow my head to my mother, who looked at me at birth and said, "Janet." And I smiled.
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Someone said Janet is an ugly name. I personally love my name and think it is classy and unique. It’s uncommon and has appeal!
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I was named after my father's cousin, Janice. When I was in school, I loved the reading primers that had my name as one of the characters (Janet and Mark). Janet is a name you have heard many times but rarely know anyone named Janet.
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Janet Mock (1983-) is a well known American writer and news reporter.
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I like being a Janet. We're rare. I can count the number of Janet's I've met on one hand. Besides it sounds better than the made up drivel that's around now.
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Janet is such an ugly name, it sounds so androgynous to be honest. I cringe anytime I hear the name.
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Janet Beth Evans is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a total of four gold medals at the 1988 and the 1992 Olympics.
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Janet Q. Nguyen is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. She is a Republican representing the 34th district, encompassing parts of Long Beach and Orange County. She is the first Vietnamese-American state senator in the United States and the country's first Vietnamese-American woman state legislator.
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Janet Marie Gretzky is an American actress. She is married to former ice hockey star Wayne Gretzky. One of Jones' earliest appearances was as a contestant on Merv Griffin's syndicated US television program Dance Fever in 1979, and then later as a member of the dance duo Motion, dancing choreographed routines with the show's host, Deney Terrio. Jones performed in Annie, Staying Alive and Snow White Live, and had a bit part in The Beastmaster. Her big break came in The Flamingo Kid, which was followed by the film version of A Chorus Line. In 1986, she appeared in American Anthem, co-starring gymnast Mitch Gaylord, and in 1987, she appeared on the cover and in a semi-nude pictorial in the March issue of Playboy.
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I am a Janet and in the past 10 years I have not met anyone under the age of 50 with my name. I am in my late 20s. It was never clear to me who my namesake was but my mom was under the impression somehow that the name meant "water goddess" in French, Lol. She had just arrived in the US and I guess there were no French people around to verify this as true or false. My dad is the one who wanted me named Janet because he had a crush on Janet Jackson at that time (late 80s). My impressions of other Janets have been varied and none of them seemed to have anything in common with each other, or me for that matter.
I know that the few Janets I have met close to my age have disliked their name and wanted a different one. I used to think I would have been 'better off' as an Emily. But then I met an Emily and she wasn't anything like me either, lol.
Things white people say to me all the time is "Dammit Janet!" or "Have you seen Rocky Horror?"
In middle school I ran as a mock UN ambassador and one of the kids running against me called his campaign "Don't vote for Janet, she'll ruin the planet".
A time I really liked my name was way back in the 90s, when the show Captain Planet was on. It was a great show, but I also found it really easy to switch in my name and sing "Captain Janet".
So, my advice is, if you think your daughter will grow up to join the Navy, Janet is a great name. Captain Janet, she's a hero.
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I know that the few Janets I have met close to my age have disliked their name and wanted a different one. I used to think I would have been 'better off' as an Emily. But then I met an Emily and she wasn't anything like me either, lol.
Things white people say to me all the time is "Dammit Janet!" or "Have you seen Rocky Horror?"
In middle school I ran as a mock UN ambassador and one of the kids running against me called his campaign "Don't vote for Janet, she'll ruin the planet".
A time I really liked my name was way back in the 90s, when the show Captain Planet was on. It was a great show, but I also found it really easy to switch in my name and sing "Captain Janet".
So, my advice is, if you think your daughter will grow up to join the Navy, Janet is a great name. Captain Janet, she's a hero.
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I am also a Janet, though I have always gone by "Jen." My father insisted on naming be after his mother who had died a few years before I was born. My mom hated the name, so she agreed, but said she would call me "Jenny." When I got older I just became "Jen." Of course their are far too many Jennifers around my age, so I had to go by Janet in school. I have always hated the name!
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"Janet" was the name of the lonely planet in the animated T.V. show 'Wander Over Yonder'.
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The name Janet was given to 153 girls born in the US in 2015.
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This is my oldest daughter's middle name as this came from my mum's name, also my mum in law and my gran's name. It goes lovely with my daughter's first name. I actually don't know anyone else called this apart from in mine and my husbands family.
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I am also named Janet. I am okay with my name but, I like janna or janae better. It's not as plain as Janet. But I live with it!
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I am also a Janet. I've never hated or overly liked it, but I'd rather be called Janet, than some of the silly names people choose today.
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I am a Janet. I never liked it much until I got older and people gave me the nickname Janet from another planet. I was special. I didn't know any Janet's growing up. In high school there were 2 others. In the 70's I worked in a small post office. Six people worked there and 2 of us were Janet. And yes I agree with someone who said it's going to come back.
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This is my sister's name, it's not a name that you hear very often or at least I haven't heard it very often. My sister like myself was named after one of my fathers ex-girlfriends. I have only known 2 other Janets' besides my sister in my life. It's a what I would call unique name.
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Janet van Dyne aka Wasp in Marvel Comics and adaptations, longtime and often founding member of the Avengers. Her only MCU appearance to date is in the 2015 'Ant-Man' film where she is portrayed by Hayley Lovitt.
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When I was 21 I had my entire name legally changed. I picked Janet as my new name because I didn't know anyone personally that had it and it also wasn't ever a name I heard frequently. Of course once I had my court date, was approved and got my new name I started hearing people use it all the time! And it seems that it's used in quite a number of commercials on television now too! Maybe it's always been that way and I'm just now picking up on it... who knows... I'm still happy with my name choice after 16 years so I'm keeping it :)
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Personally, I don't think the name is entirely old or ugly sounding. Neither are names like Ellen or Mary, they can be quite old fashioned and outdated too, yet they are pretty at the same time, so names like Janet can be the same. Also, there can be some middle aged women with names like Sarah, Rachel, Emma, Lisa, Claire, etc, and they might not look like pretty young women, but it doesn't mean the name has to suit them any less.
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Janet Devlin (Born: November 12, 1994) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter.
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Simple and pretty, though maybe I prefer Jane.
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Janet Weiss is a drummer, most famously in the band Sleater-Kinney, but also Quasi and Wild Flag.
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The name Janet was given to 210 baby girls born in the US in 2012.
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Janet means 'gift of God'. My name is Janet and I hate it! No one pronounces it properly where I'm from, as they give it a French twist - Jeanette, which I don't like. Don't name your child Janet - it also sounds oldish in my opinion.
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I don't really think of that as a young child's name.
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Janet first became widely used as a separate name instead of just a diminutive in Scotland.
In the 1851 census of the United Kingdom, there were 101,942 women listed as "Janet" in Scotland and only 3,807 in England, at a time when England's total population was 17.9 million and Scotland's only 2.9 million.
In the 1850 U.S. census there were only 1,338 Janets in a total non-slave population of about 20 million.
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In the 1851 census of the United Kingdom, there were 101,942 women listed as "Janet" in Scotland and only 3,807 in England, at a time when England's total population was 17.9 million and Scotland's only 2.9 million.
In the 1850 U.S. census there were only 1,338 Janets in a total non-slave population of about 20 million.
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Nobody has mentioned Janet Gaynor (Laura Gainor, October 6, 1906-September 14, 1984), the first actress to win the Oscar. Janet won the Award for his work in three movies: "Seventh Heaven", "Sunrise" (both 1927), and "Street Angel" (1928).
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Ugly, ugly name. Reminds me of an overweight, low-class, hideous, and hateful elderly woman. Bleugh!
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To me the name sounds like a strong willed controlling older woman; but I've had bad experiences with the name. The first Janet I knew was a landlady who tried to unduly evict me, and the second Janet was my supervisor who laid me off and tried to scam me out of my unemployment benefits. What are the odds of that? Rant done.
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This is my grandmother's name, but her full name is Janet- not Jane. I don't see why Janet is considered a nickname of Jane. The name Jane is too short to have a nickname.
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I'm fond of this name because Janet Jackson is one of my favorite female singers!
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Dame Janet Baker great English classical singer.
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A famous bearer was actress Janet Leigh (1927-2004).
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This is my mother's name and I think it's very pretty. If you wanted to go fancier another spelling is Janette, which would be pronounced Jan-ETTE.
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"Dr. Janet Fraiser" with the rank of "US Air Force Major" when she was "KIA=Killed In Action" in season 7, was a character on the hit Sci-Fi TV show "Stargate SG-1".
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It feels very harsh and stern yet bland to me - Jane is pretty, Jan is dull, and guess which one Janet sounds more like?
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The heroine of the 16th century Scottish ballad Tam Lin was called Janet, or Fair Janet, in most versions.
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Arabian meaning Heaven.
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How could it mean heaven in Arabic? That is very odd.
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When I hear the name Janet I think of a smart girl with curly blonde hair and glasses.
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This name is sooo plain Jane and booooring.
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Ja-NET is another pronunciation I have heard.
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I used to immensely dislike this name. Then I read Jane Eyre. Now I love it, but mostly because I have a giant crush on Mr. Rochester.
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There is an author named Janet Evanovich aka Steffie Hall.
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In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Mr Rochester uses Janet as his pet name for Jane. Before this I'd never seen it used as it originally would have and it made me like the name again.
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I never really liked this name at first, but after hearing (and loving) the Irish cognate Sinéad, I was drawn to this name. I think it's very pretty, even if it may have been very common and ordinary once.
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Also, in V.C. Andrews's Orphans miniseries, there was a girl named Janet Taylor who was very tiny and a ballerina.
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This is one of those names that belongs to the baby boomer generation and would be strange on a child. However, I predict that it will come around again in about 15 years. There will be all kinds of babies named Carol and Deborah and Janet in 2021, I bet.
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Janet Weiss was a character in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
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"Janet!?"
"Dr. Scott!?"
"Janet!?"
"Brad!"
"ROCKY!"
*epic head turn*
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"Dr. Scott!?"
"Janet!?"
"Brad!"
"ROCKY!"
*epic head turn*
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Janet soulds like planet.
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Janet Templeton is the mother of actors (and actress) Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Ramon Estevez, Jr., and Renee Estevez.
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Joyce DeWitt played Janet Wood on the T.V. show "Three's Company."
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Janet Jackson is a singer known for her "wardrobe malfunction" and for being Michael Jackson's sister.
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