Jenny
Jenny is a female given name. The name was originally the diminutive form of Jane, but it is now associated with Jennifer. It may also be spelt Jennie, which was the most common spelling before the 20th century.
Meaning & Origin of Jenny
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Jenny is a female given name. The name was originally the diminutive form of Jane, but it is now associated with Jennifer. It may also be spelt Jennie, which was the most common spelling before the 20th century.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Jenny
Jenny first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 13 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1977, when 2,688 Jennys were born — ranking #108 that year. As of 2026, Jenny ranks #1,325 for baby girls with 171 births, gradually falling (-14%). In total, more than 92K Jennys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Jenny
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Jenny Agutter (born 1952), English actress
- Jenny-Wanda Barkmann (1922–1946), German concentration camp guard
- Jenny Beavan (born 1950), English costume designer
- Jenny Berggren (born 1972), Swedish singer
- Jenny Berrigan (born 1983), American snowboarder
- Jenny Berthelius (1923–2019), Swedish crime novelist and children's writer
- Jennie Bimson (born 1976), English field hockey player
- Jennie M. Bingham (1859–1933), American author and littérateur
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Jenny
Phonetically similar names — useful when Jenny is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jenny
What does the name Jenny mean?
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When was Jenny most popular?
In which U.S. states is Jenny most popular?
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About the name Jenny
Jenny is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 92K births in the dataset. Jenny's peak popularity came in 1977 when it ranked #108. Use the chart and map above to compare Jenny's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1977 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.