Penny
Girl name · English · German · Latin
- US rank
- #740
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #86 in 1963
368 babies were named Penny in the US in 2025. It has dropped 15 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 girls, 1882–2025
US births per million boys, 1915–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Penny you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Penny
Penny Marshall
American actress, director and producer (1943–2018)
Choose Penny and your child shares a first name with Penny Marshall, an American actress, director and producer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Penny, like who?” Penny Marshall's Wikipedia article is available in 65 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Penny Marshall on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: ABC, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 4,367 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Penny, 368 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Penny would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryPenny first shows up in US birth records in 1882, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 143 years since.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 1963, when it ranked #86. Today it's #740, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowPenny is 7.8× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 34,247 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 4,367.
- Where it's lovedPenny is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #172, followed by Idaho (#221) and Oregon (#396). It's in the top 1,000 in 26 states.
About the name Penny
Penny is a girl name of English, German and Latin origin. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with P and ending in “-nny”. US birth records list Penny for girls from 1882 to 2025, in 131 of those 144 years. Its best year was 1963, when it ranked #86 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #740, with 368 babies.
Origin:English namesGerman namesLatin names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 10 | 100,000 girls |
| 1890s | 13 | 77,101 girls |
| 1900s | 17 | 58,928 girls |
| 1910s | 17 | 57,737 girls |
| 1920s | 39 | 25,608 girls |
| 1930s | 105 | 9,558 girls |
| 1940s | 873 | 1,145 girls |
| 1950s | 1,296 | 772 girls |
| 1960s | 2,067 | 484 girls |
| 1970s | 806 | 1,240 girls |
| 1980s | 174 | 5,753 girls |
| 1990s | 43 | 23,143 girls |
| 2000s | 34 | 29,744 girls |
| 2010s | 173 | 5,776 girls |
| 2020s | 244 | 4,100 girls |
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 3.5 | 287,356 boys |
| 1920s | 0.9 | 1,098,901 boys |
| 1930s | 2.1 | 469,484 boys |
| 1940s | 4.4 | 228,311 boys |
| 1950s | 4.3 | 234,192 boys |
| 1960s | 6.8 | 146,843 boys |
| 1970s | 6.2 | 161,812 boys |
Other spellings of Penny
More English girl names
- Girl name: Olivia · olive tree
- Girl name: Charlotte · free
- Unisex name: Harper · harp player
- Girl name: Elizabeth · God is my oath
- Girl name: Lily · lily flower
- Girl name: Lucy · light
- Girl name: Lainey · possibly light
- Girl name: Scarlett · scarlet red
Questions about the name Penny
What is the origin of the name Penny?
Penny has English, German, Latin roots in our records. Other English names include Olivia, Charlotte, Harper.
Is Penny a boy or girl name?
Penny is a girl name.
How popular is the name Penny?
Penny ranked #740 for US girls in 2025, given to 368 babies. Its best year was 1963 (#86).