Jenny

Did you know?

A few things about Jenny you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Jenny

Jenny Slate

American actress and comedian (born 1982)

Choose Jenny and your child shares a first name with Jenny Slate, an American actress and comedian. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Jenny, like who?” Jenny Slate's Wikipedia article is available in 68 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Jenny Slate on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Colleen Sturtevant, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 11,325 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Jenny, 142 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Jenny would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJenny has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Jennys, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1977, when it ranked #108. Today it's #1,500, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowJenny was 5.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,193 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 11,325.
• 🍂TrendJenny has slipped 78 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,500. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedJenny is most popular in Mississippi, where it ranks #514, followed by Alabama (#819) and Missouri (#926). It's in the top 1,000 in 3 states.
• 💬MeaningJenny is an English form of Jane, which means “God is gracious”. Our records link it to Celtic, English and Welsh roots.

About the name Jenny

Jenny is a girl name of Celtic, English and Welsh origin meaning “God is gracious”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with J and ending in “-nny”. US birth records list Jenny for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1977, when it ranked #108 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,500, with 142 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesWelsh names