Pennie
Pennie was the 7408th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 15 babies. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked 631st with 258 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 117 places. More babies were named Pennie in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Penny) pet form of Penelope (origin uncertain) · Greek, English
- Rank in 2025
- #7,408 girls, up 5,728 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 15girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1963258 babies
- Total since 1880
- 5,814babies recorded
What does the name Pennie mean?
Pennie is a spelling of Penny, pronounced the same way, so it shares Penny's meaning and origin.
Penny is a pet form of Penelope, according to Wiktionary. Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. DMNES calls the Greek name of uncertain origin but perhaps related to pēnelops, a kind of duck. The English coin word penny is unrelated. Penny has been used in the US since the 1880s and was most common in the early 1960s.
Πηνελόπη (Ancient Greek, “Penelope (uncertain; perhaps 'duck')”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. DMNES: Penelope of uncertain origin, perhaps 'duck'.
Related names: Penelope, Pen, Nell, Poppy.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Penny' (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. 'Penelope', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Pennie popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,408 | 15 |
| 2020 | #13,136 | 7 |
| 2010 | #13,172 | 8 |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | #5,761 | 16 |
| 1980 | #2,980 | 30 |
| 1970 | #1,092 | 109 |
| 1960 | #734 | 191 |
| 1950 | #926 | 93 |
| 1940 | #1,307 | 33 |
| 1930 | #2,659 | 12 |
| 1920 | #1,875 | 22 |
| 1910 | #963 | 21 |
| 1900 | #1,299 | 10 |
| 1890 | #993 | 9 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Pennie, counting every spelling?
Pennie is a spelling of Penny, a name family that ranked #733 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #7,408 for Pennie on its own. Together these spellings went to 383 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penny | 368 | #740 | 1,990 |
| Pennie | 15 | #7,408 | 50 |
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 Pennie?
15 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Pennie (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Pennie 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 Pennie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Pennie?
About 4,300 people born in the US named Pennie are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 55 and 69. That makes Pennie a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Pennie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Pennie, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Pennie
What does Pennie mean?
Pennie is a spelling of Penny, usually explained as “pet form of Penelope (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Pennie?
Pennie was the 7408th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 15 babies. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked 631st with 258 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 117 places. More babies were named Pennie in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Pennie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Pennie in the US.