# Jennifer (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/jennifer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Cornish |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪfɚ/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Jenni, Jenn |
| Variant spellings | Jenifer, Jenipher, Jenafer, Jenefer |
| US babies named this | 1,476,540 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 4,837 / 1,471,703 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 11,588, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Cornish Gweniver, from Middle Cornish Gwynnever (cognate with Welsh Gwenhwyfar), from Proto-Brythonic *Gwɨnnohuɨβar. Doublet of Guinevere. Compare Irish Fionnabhair, which may be cognate. The /d͡ʒ/ consonantism is due to Anglo-Norman influence; compare Old French Genievre /d͡ʒəˈniɛ̯vɾə/, /d͡ʒəˈnjɛvɾə/.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,281 | 134 |
| 2012 | 1,928 | 164 |
| 2013 | 1,692 | 192 |
| 2014 | 1,521 | 222 |
| 2015 | 1,286 | 251 |
| 2016 | 1,162 | 272 |
| 2017 | 1,052 | 309 |
| 2018 | 921 | 344 |
| 2019 | 788 | 391 |
| 2020 | 713 | 431 |
| 2021 | 638 | 494 |
| 2022 | 630 | 501 |
| 2023 | 586 | 520 |
| 2024 | 556 | 544 |
| 2025 | 501 | 586 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 32 | 2,837 |
| 2001 | 26 | 3,363 |
| 2002 | 27 | 3,301 |
| 2003 | 18 | 4,516 |
| 2004 | 23 | 3,932 |
| 2005 | 15 | 5,413 |
| 2006 | 17 | 5,178 |
| 2007 | 7 | 10,278 |
| 2008 | 15 | 5,904 |
| 2009 | 5 | 13,341 |
| 2010 | 6 | 11,386 |
| 2011 | 6 | 11,475 |
| 2012 | 5 | 13,118 |
| 2014 | 6 | 11,350 |
| 2016 | 6 | 11,335 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 301 | 175 |
| 2012 | 254 | 196 |
| 2013 | 222 | 226 |
| 2014 | 237 | 217 |
| 2015 | 230 | 224 |
| 2016 | 205 | 246 |
| 2017 | 193 | 257 |
| 2018 | 157 | 303 |
| 2019 | 124 | 355 |
| 2020 | 99 | 430 |
| 2021 | 91 | 469 |
| 2022 | 92 | 457 |
| 2023 | 68 | 569 |
| 2024 | 83 | 483 |
| 2025 | 59 | 650 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 珍妮弗
- Finnish: Jennifer
- Greek: Τζένιφερ
- Hungarian: Dzsenifer
- Latin: Guenevera
- Polish: Ginewra
- Portuguese: Jennifer
- Russian: Дже́ннифер, Дже́ннифер
- Spanish: Ginebra, Yénifer

## People named Jennifer

- Jennifer Lopez, American singer and actress (born 1969)
- Jennifer Aniston, American actress (born 1969)
- Jennifer Lawrence, American actress and producer (born 1990)
- Jennifer Connelly, American actress (born 1970)
- Jennifer Garner, American actress (born 1972)
- Jennifer Doudna, American biochemist
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress and singer
- Jennifer Hudson, American singer, actress, model and spokesperson
- Jennifer Morrison, American actress
- Jennifer Jones, American actress (1919–2009)
- Jennifer Coolidge, American actress (born 1961)
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress (born 1962)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.