Penny
Penny was the 740th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 368 babies. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked 86th with 5,129 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 19 places. More babies were named Penny in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Penelope (origin uncertain) · Greek, English
Say it PEN-ee /ˈpɛni/
- Rank in 2025
- #740 girls, down 13 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 368girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19635,129 babies
- Total since 1880
- 101,003babies recorded
What does the name Penny mean?
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)
Penny popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 384 since 1915.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #740 | 368 |
| 2020 | #727 | 383 |
| 2010 | #1,478 | 153 |
| 2000 | #2,769 | 53 |
| 1990 | #1,332 | 121 |
| 1980 | #407 | 555 |
| 1970 | #157 | 2,145 |
| 1960 | #113 | 4,302 |
| 1950 | #161 | 1,751 |
| 1940 | #282 | 493 |
| 1930 | #1,426 | 30 |
| 1920 | #1,655 | 26 |
| 1910 | #2,095 | 7 |
| 1900 | #2,164 | 5 |
| 1890 | #1,313 | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Penny, counting every spelling?
Penny is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #733 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #740 for Penny 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 Penny?
368 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Penny (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Penny 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 23 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Penny.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Penny?
About 82,800 people born in the US named Penny are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 56 and 69. That makes Penny 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.
Penny by state
How common Penny was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (7.4×), Idaho (4.6×), Oregon (3.1×), Minnesota (2.4×), Colorado (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Penny: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Penny, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Penny · Sibling names for Penny
Penny is also a nickname for Penelope.
Questions about the name Penny
What does Penny mean?
Penny is usually explained as “pet form of Penelope (origin uncertain)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Penny?
Penny was the 740th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 368 babies. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked 86th with 5,129 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 19 places. More babies were named Penny in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Penny a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Penny in the US.
Where is Penny most popular?
In 2021–2025, Penny was most common in Utah (1.81 per 1,000 girls), followed by Idaho and Oregon.