Penelope vs Penny

Side-by-side comparison of Penelope and Penny — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Penelope

Girl name · Rank #28

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Name B

Penny

Girl name · Rank #746

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Penelope Penny
Current Rank #28 #746
Total Births (all years) 103,215 100,247
Peak Year 2019 1963
Peak Year Births 6,733 5,127
Peak Decade 2010ss 1960ss
Gender Girl Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1882

Births by Decade

Decade Penelope Penny
1880ss 34 11
1890ss 36 29
1900ss 29 50
1910ss 248 146
1920ss 562 467
1930ss 1,109 1,128
1940ss 6,383 13,113
1950ss 4,758 25,124
1960ss 2,870 38,219
1970ss 1,754 12,578
1980ss 611 2,952
1990ss 794 782
2000ss 5,677 623
2010ss 47,607 3,023
2020ss 30,743 2,002

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Penelope Penny
2014 5,089 345
2015 5,952 372
2016 6,397 419
2017 6,667 360
2018 6,523 363
2019 6,733 362
2020 6,149 383
2021 6,364 408
2022 6,424 402
2023 6,065 433
2024 5,741 376

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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