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Girl · Greek, through English
Penny
Say it: PEN-ee
Meaning
A pet form of Penelope, a Greek name of uncertain origin (links to pene 'weft' and penelops 'a kind of duck' have been proposed).
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Common as a full name in the US from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Its wave through time
A revival, back after decades away
In the United States
- 98,999 babies given this name since 1882
- At its height in 1963, about 1 in 376 girls
- 379 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Pennie
Famous bearers
- Penny Marshall, American actress and director
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- 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.