Jenni
Jenni was the 8078th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 709th with 204 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,625 places. More babies were named Jenni in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Jenny) pet form of Janet or Jennifer · English, Hebrew, Welsh
- Rank in 2025
- #8,078 girls, down 1,620 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 13girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1972204 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,548babies recorded
What does the name Jenni mean?
Jenni is a spelling of Jenny, pronounced the same way, so it shares Jenny's meaning and origin.
Jenny was historically a pet form of Janet and Jane, and now more often of Jennifer, as Wiktionary notes. Jane and Janet come from Johanna, the feminine of John (Hebrew 'YHWH is gracious'); Jennifer is the Cornish form of Guinevere, from Welsh gwen 'white, fair'. The Swedish singer Jenny Lind's American tour of 1850 made the name very popular.
יוֹחָנָן (Yoḥanan) (Biblical Hebrew, “YHWH is gracious”)gwen (Welsh, “white, fair”)
How sure is this? Well established. Which full name a Jenny comes from varies.
Related names: Jennifer, Jane, Janet, Jen, Jenna.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jenny', 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. 'Joan', DMNES (Durham University)
Jenni popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,078 | 13 |
| 2020 | #6,458 | 18 |
| 2010 | #4,447 | 33 |
| 2000 | #4,466 | 27 |
| 1990 | #1,647 | 90 |
| 1980 | #895 | 170 |
| 1970 | #1,230 | 91 |
| 1960 | #1,461 | 57 |
| 1950 | #2,712 | 15 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jenni, counting every spelling?
Jenni is a spelling of Jenny, a name family that ranked #1,013 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #8,078 for Jenni on its own. Together these spellings went to 234 girls in 2025.
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 Jenni?
13 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jenni (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Jenni 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 646 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jenni.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jenni?
About 5,200 people born in the US named Jenni are alive today, with a median age of 44; half are between 34 and 53. That makes Jenni 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.
Jenni by state
How common Jenni was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 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 Jenni: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jenni, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Jenni
What does Jenni mean?
Jenni is a spelling of Jenny, which means “pet form of Janet or Jennifer” (English, Hebrew, Welsh origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jenni?
Jenni was the 8078th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 13 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 709th with 204 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 4,625 places. More babies were named Jenni in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Jenni a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Jenni in the US.
Where is Jenni most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jenni was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.