Jennifer

Girl · Welsh and Cornish

Jennifer

Say it: JEN-ih-fur

Meaning

The Cornish form of Guinevere (Welsh Gwenhwyfar); the first element is gwen 'white, fair, blessed', while the second is debated, often explained as 'smooth' or 'phantom'.

Likelythe main view, with some doubt.

A Cornish local name, it spread after Shaw's play The Doctor's Dilemma (1906) and was the top US girls' name from 1970 to 1984.

Its wave through time

A fashion of the 1970s

In the United States

1,473,567 babies given this name since 1916
At its height in 1974, about 1 in 23 girls
699 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

Cornish Welsh English American

The family of the name

Other spellings: Jenifer

French	Guenièvre
Italian	Ginevra
Welsh	Gwenhwyfar

Famous bearers

Jennifer Lopez, US singer and actress
Jennifer Aniston, US actress

Names worth a look

VivianGirl or boyFrom Latin Vivianus, from vivus 'alive'.Middle Ages · peak 1911

IsoldeGirlUncertain. Often linked to a Welsh or Germanic root, but scholars disagree.Middle Ages

ThomasinGirlFeminine of Thomas, from Aramaic 'twin'.Middle Ages · forgotten

GwenhwyfarGirlFrom gwen 'white, fair, holy' and a second element often linked to sebarā 'phantom, magical being'; the analysis is…Middle Ages · forgotten

AnsticeGirlThe medieval English vernacular form of Anastasia, from Greek anastasis 'resurrection'.Middle Ages · forgotten

GenevieveGirlUncertain. Possibly from Germanic or Gaulish elements; proposals include 'kin' and 'woman', but none is settled.Early Medieval · peak 1915

GenevaGirlFrom the Swiss city, whose name (Latin Genava) is of Celtic origin with an uncertain meaning; also linked to Genevieve.Victorian · peak 1910

GinevraGirlThe Italian form of Guinevere, from Welsh Gwenhwyfar; the first element is usually taken as gwen 'white, fair,…Middle Ages

Where this comes from

The medieval Arthurian romances
Well-known works of literature
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.