Total births
109,480
Girls' name · since 1880
Penelope
109,480 babies named Penelope in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2019. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #28
- among girls today
- 109,480
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other girls
Penelope currently ranks #28 among girls' names in America, with 109,480 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Penelope recorded 109,480 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #28 nationally today, ahead of 99.8% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #28 among girls today
- 109,480 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.8% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Penelope is currently the #28 girls' name in America, more common than 99.8% of girls - 109,480 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #28
- among girls today
- 109,480
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.8%
- more common than other girls
Penelope vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#28
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.8% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
43% of everyone ever named Penelope was born in this single decade.
2019
Single peak year
6,734 babies were named Penelope in 2019 - its busiest year on record.
How Penelope compares
109,480 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Penelope's all-time total is 287x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Penelope | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 109,480 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,734 | 48 | 19,840 |
Penelope's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Penelope's SSA record in two at 1960 and the more recent half accounts for 88% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 12%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2019 peak of 6,734, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Penelope at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
2019
Current rank
#28
Active since
1880
Penelope popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 6,734
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Penelope popularity over time - boys
53 total births recorded since 2015 (Penelope as boys' name)
Penelope by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Penelope's strongest decade.
47,614 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Penelope births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 34
1880s
34 births
- 1890s 36
1890s
36 births
- 1900s 29
1900s
29 births
- 1910s 248
1910s
248 births
- 1920s 562
1920s
562 births
- 1930s 1,109
1930s
1,109 births
- 1940s 6,383
1940s
6,383 births
- 1950s 4,758
1950s
4,758 births
- 1960s 2,871
1960s
2,871 births
- 1970s 1,750
1970s
1,750 births
- 1980s 609
1980s
609 births
- 1990s 795
1990s
795 births
- 2000s 5,677
2000s
5,677 births
- 2010s
2010s
47,614 births
- 2020s
2020s
37,005 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 47,614 births (43% of all-time use).
How Penelope compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Penelope's total volume
Penelope vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Penelope by state
Where Penelope concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 16,224 | 14.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 9,934 | 9.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 7,204 | 6.6% |
| #4 | Florida | | 5,617 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 4,977 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 4,160 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 4,009 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 3,355 | 3.1% |
California share of Penelope's total US births 14.8%
Even split
16,224 of 109,480 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Penelope appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Penelope? ▼
Penelope has been given to 109,480 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #28 as of the latest data. 6,734 babies were born in 2019, its single highest year.
When was Penelope most popular? ▼
Penelope was most popular in the 2010s decade with 47,614 total births. The single peak year was 2019.
Where is Penelope most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Penelope are California (16,224 births), Texas (9,934 births), New York (7,204 births).
How long has the name Penelope been used? ▼
Penelope has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Penelope? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Penny, Pennie, Penni, Penney, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Penelope's data
- Penelope's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (47,614 total births) through the 2020s (37,005) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Penelopes (16,224 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Penelope
Nearby Names Like Penelope
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Penelope
Penny Girl
#748 100,619 births
Pennie Girl
#9564 5,814 births
Penni Girl
2,606 births
Penney Girl
1,951 births
Penina Girl
#4590 1,009 births
Compare Penelope side by side: Penelope vs Penny Penelope vs Pennie Penelope vs Penni
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Penelope
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Penelope: #28 Girls' Name - 109,480 Births, Peak 2019." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/penelope. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Penelope draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.