Jenna
Jenna was the 679th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 418 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 45th; the most babies were born in 1985 (6,436). Over the last ten years it has moved down 381 places. More babies were named Jenna in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Jennifer (Cornish Guinevere) · Cornish, Welsh, English
Say it JEN-uh /ˈdʒɛnə/
- Rank in 2025
- #679 girls, down 131 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 418girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19856,436 babies
- Total since 1880
- 148,842babies recorded
What does the name Jenna mean?
Jenna is a form of Jenny and is usually a short form of Jennifer, according to Wiktionary. Jennifer is the Cornish form of Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur, from Welsh Gwenhwyfar. DMNES explains the Celtic elements of Guinevere as "white" and a word meaning phantom or spirit, so the name is often glossed "white phantom." Jenny can also be a pet form of Jane, so some Jennas go back to John's feminine forms instead.
Gwenhwyfar (Welsh, “Guinevere”)*windo (Proto-Celtic, “white”)*sēbro (Proto-Celtic, “phantom, spectre”)
How sure is this? Probable. Meaning depends on whether the family takes Jenna from Jennifer or from Jenny/Jane.
Related names: Jennifer, Jenny, Guinevere, Jena, Gianna.
See also: Celtic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jenna' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jennifer' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Guinevere', DMNES (Durham University)
Jenna popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 255 since 1981.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #679 | 418 |
| 2020 | #548 | 546 |
| 2010 | #141 | 2,225 |
| 2000 | #63 | 5,045 |
| 1990 | #81 | 3,956 |
| 1980 | #238 | 1,075 |
| 1970 | #1,096 | 108 |
| 1960 | #2,025 | 32 |
| 1950 | #2,155 | 21 |
| 1940 | #2,839 | 10 |
| 1930 | #3,495 | 8 |
| 1920 | #3,220 | 10 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jenna, counting every spelling?
Jenna is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #644 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #679 for Jenna on its own. Together these spellings went to 450 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jenna | 418 | #679 | 2,286 |
| Jennah | 32 | #4,401 | 206 |
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 Jenna?
418 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jenna (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Jenna 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 20 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jenna.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jenna?
About 145,300 people born in the US named Jenna are alive today, with a median age of 29; half are between 22 and 37. That makes Jenna mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Jenna by state
How common Jenna was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Michigan (2.9×), Indiana (2.1×), Kentucky (2.0×), Mississippi (1.7×), Utah (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, South Carolina, Maryland.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jenna: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jenna, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jenna · Sibling names for Jenna
Questions about the name Jenna
What does Jenna mean?
Jenna means “pet form of Jennifer (Cornish Guinevere)” (Cornish, Welsh, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Jenna?
Jenna was the 679th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 418 babies. Its best year was 2001, when it ranked 45th; the most babies were born in 1985 (6,436). Over the last ten years it has moved down 381 places. More babies were named Jenna in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Jenna a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Jenna in the US.
Where is Jenna most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jenna was most common in Michigan (0.81 per 1,000 girls), followed by Indiana and Kentucky.