Jenifer
Jenifer was the 7282nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 15 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 271st; the most babies were born in 1974 (923). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,747 places. More babies were named Jenifer in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Jennifer) Cornish form of Guinevere ('white phantom') · Cornish, Celtic
- Rank in 2025
- #7,282 girls, up 86 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 15girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1974923 babies
- Total since 1880
- 25,573babies recorded
What does the name Jenifer mean?
Jenifer is a spelling of Jennifer, pronounced the same way, so it shares Jennifer's meaning and origin.
Jennifer is the Cornish form of Guinevere, King Arthur's queen, as Wiktionary and the Random House dictionary note. DMNES derives Guinevere from Celtic *windo, "white, fair", and *sēbro, "phantom, spirit". Jennifer was mainly a Cornish name until the 20th century, then became the most common girls' name in the US during the 1970s.
*windo (Proto-Celtic, “white, fair”)*sēbro (Proto-Celtic, “phantom, spirit”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Guinevere link is clear; the Celtic elements are reconstructed.
Related names: Guinevere, Jenny, Jen, Gwenhwyfar.
See also: Celtic names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jennifer', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Guinevere', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Jennifer', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Jenifer popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 22 since 1964.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,282 | 15 |
| 2020 | #7,368 | 15 |
| 2010 | #1,725 | 121 |
| 2000 | #713 | 326 |
| 1990 | #623 | 358 |
| 1980 | #333 | 724 |
| 1970 | #347 | 736 |
| 1960 | #656 | 240 |
| 1950 | #963 | 88 |
| 1940 | #2,353 | 13 |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jenifer, counting every spelling?
Jenifer is a spelling of Jennifer, a name family that ranked #578 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #7,282 for Jenifer on its own. Together these spellings went to 522 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennifer | 501 | #586 | 2,911 |
| Jenifer | 15 | #7,282 | 85 |
| Jennyfer | 6 | #13,947 | 43 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jenifer?
15 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jenifer (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Jenifer born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 554 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jenifer.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jenifer?
About 23,900 people born in the US named Jenifer are alive today, with a median age of 47; half are between 35 and 54. That makes Jenifer mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jenifer by state
How common Jenifer was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jenifer: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jenifer, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Jenifer
What does Jenifer mean?
Jenifer is a spelling of Jennifer, which means “Cornish form of Guinevere ('white phantom')” (Cornish, Celtic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Jenifer?
Jenifer was the 7282nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 15 babies. Its best year was 1973, when it ranked 271st; the most babies were born in 1974 (923). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,747 places. More babies were named Jenifer in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Jenifer a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Jenifer in the US.
Where is Jenifer most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jenifer was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls).