# Jenny (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/jenny/  
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 | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɛni/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Jenni, Jennie, Jenna, Genny |
| US babies named this | 92,706 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 605 / 92,101 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,500, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Jen + -y, historically as a hypocoristic form of Janet, Jane, etc. but now more often used as a diminutive of Jennifer. Rarely also a nickname of Genevieve (compare Genny, pronounced the same), Eugenia or Virginia (compare Ginny). Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in derivations from Jane etc. In senses related to inanimate objects, partially derived from the generic senses of Jane and partially an informal pronunciation of engine.

## 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 | 362 | 761 |
| 2012 | 308 | 864 |
| 2013 | 337 | 804 |
| 2014 | 335 | 827 |
| 2015 | 281 | 967 |
| 2016 | 235 | 1,095 |
| 2017 | 260 | 997 |
| 2018 | 220 | 1,113 |
| 2019 | 196 | 1,196 |
| 2020 | 153 | 1,428 |
| 2021 | 148 | 1,454 |
| 2022 | 166 | 1,382 |
| 2023 | 174 | 1,306 |
| 2024 | 162 | 1,392 |
| 2025 | 142 | 1,503 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 16 | 2,834 |
| 1980 | 18 | 2,666 |
| 1981 | 14 | 3,121 |
| 1982 | 14 | 3,190 |
| 1983 | 13 | 3,315 |
| 1984 | 13 | 3,359 |
| 1985 | 10 | 4,188 |
| 1986 | 13 | 3,535 |
| 1987 | 13 | 3,617 |
| 1988 | 18 | 3,021 |
| 1989 | 6 | 7,399 |
| 1990 | 11 | 4,825 |
| 1991 | 5 | 8,803 |
| 1994 | 5 | 9,472 |
| 1995 | 10 | 5,685 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 47 | 789 |
| 2012 | 31 | 1,099 |
| 2013 | 27 | 1,253 |
| 2014 | 33 | 1,070 |
| 2015 | 31 | 1,114 |
| 2016 | 26 | 1,278 |
| 2017 | 22 | 1,457 |
| 2018 | 26 | 1,272 |
| 2019 | 17 | 1,703 |
| 2020 | 30 | 1,100 |
| 2021 | 10 | 2,499 |
| 2022 | 13 | 2,058 |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,640 |
| 2024 | 21 | 1,491 |
| 2025 | 14 | 2,006 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: جِينِي
- Chinese: 珍妮
- Danish: Jenny
- Dutch: Jenny
- Finnish: Jenni
- Japanese: ジェニー
- Korean: 제니
- Norwegian: Jenny
- Russian: Дже́нни
- Spanish: Juanita, Juani
- Swedish: Jenny, Jennie

## People named Jenny

- Jenny Slate, American actress and comedian (born 1982)
- Jenny Erpenbeck, German opera director and writer (born 1967)
- Jenny Agutter, British film and television actress (born 1952)
- Jenny Han, American writer (born 1980)
- Jenny Holzer, American conceptual artist (born 1950)
- Jenny Saville, British painter (born 1970)
- Jenny Mollen, American actress
- Jenny Lamy, Australian sprinter
- Jenny Jones, British snowboarder
- Jenny Shimizu, American model and actress
- Jenny Beavan, English costume designer
- Jenny Meadows, British athletics competitor

## 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.