Penny vs Penelope

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

Name A

Penny

Girl name · Rank #746

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Name B

Penelope

Girl name · Rank #28

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Which name is more popular?

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

Births by Decade

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

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

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

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, 1882–2024.

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