How did January get its name?

The month January is the first month of the year. The name comes from the name of a Greek god, Janus (Ianuarius), the god of the doorway, and the Latin Word for door is ianua.

So, as January is the doorway to the year, it is a very good name for the first month of the year. Etymology of the Word 'January'

About 1290 the English spelling was Ieneuer, which is from from the old Normandy French dialect Word Genever. The actual French Word was Janvier, and this spelling can be found in Anglo-French writing from about the year 1120 onwards.

The French Word came from the Latin 'Januarius mensis', meaning 'the month of Janus', the name the Romans had given to the first month of the year. (They first started doing this in about the year 450 BC)

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