Penn
- US rank
- #2,676
- Syllables
- 1
- Peak
- #1,857 in 2014
48 babies were named Penn in the US in 2025. It has dropped 714 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 1915–2025
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Penn you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Penn
Penn Badgley
American actor and musician (born 1986)
Choose Penn and your child shares a first name with Penn Badgley, an American actor and musician. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Penn, like who?” Penn Badgley's Wikipedia article is available in 50 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Penn Badgley on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Gordon Correll, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 35,587 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Penn, 48 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Penn would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryPenn first shows up in US birth records in 1915, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 110 years since.
- Best yearIts best year was 2014, when it reached #1,857.
- Then vs nowPenn is 7.8× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 277,778 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 35,587.
- TrendPenn has slipped 714 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,676. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
About the name Penn
Penn is a boy name of English and German origin. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with P and ending in “-enn”. US birth records list Penn for boys from 1915 to 2025, in 58 of those 111 years. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked #1,857 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #2,676, with 48 babies.
Origin:English namesGerman names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 2.9 | 340,136 boys |
| 1920s | 1.9 | 523,560 boys |
| 1930s | 1.0 | 1,000,000 boys |
| 1940s | 1.5 | 657,895 boys |
| 1950s | 1.8 | 546,448 boys |
| 1960s | 1.0 | 1,020,408 boys |
| 1970s | 1.0 | 1,030,928 boys |
| 1980s | 1.8 | 571,429 boys |
| 1990s | 1.2 | 806,452 boys |
| 2000s | 5.9 | 168,919 boys |
| 2010s | 29 | 34,843 boys |
| 2020s | 34 | 29,615 boys |
More English boy names
- Boy name: Oliver · olive tree
- Boy name: Henry · ruler of the home
- Unisex name: James · supplanter
- Boy name: William · resolute protector
- Boy name: Benjamin · son of the right hand
- Boy name: Jack · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Hudson · son of Hudde
- Unisex name: Julian · of the Julius family
Questions about the name Penn
What is the origin of the name Penn?
Penn has English, German roots in our records. Other English names include Oliver, Henry, James.
Is Penn a boy or girl name?
Penn is a boy name.
How popular is the name Penn?
Penn ranked #2,676 for US boys in 2025, given to 48 babies. Its best year was 2014 (#1,857).