Girls' name · since 1942
Pennelope
Pennelope has 399 recorded births since 1942 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2017 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #13,540 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,954 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 399
- born since 1942
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Pennelope is the #7954 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 399 recorded since 1942.
Pennelope has 399 recorded births among girls since 1942, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7954 as of the latest data, more common than 54% of girls, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #13,540 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #7,954 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 399 born since 1942
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Pennelope ranks #13,540 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,954 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 399 born since 1942, peaking in the 2010s.
- #13,540 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #7,954 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 399
- born since 1942
- 2010s
- peak decade
Pennelope's 399 recorded births place it above 81.27% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Pennelope compares
399 Top 49% higher than 51% of 17,297 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
Pennelope's all-time total is 6% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Pennelope | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 399 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 30 | 21 | 19,840 |
Pennelope's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Pennelope's full recorded timeline at 2008, 66% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 34% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1942, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2017 peak of 30 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Pennelope popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (2017)
- 30
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Pennelope by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (162 births, 41% of the file).
2010s was Pennelope's strongest decade.
162 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 41% of all-time use.
Pennelope births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 48
1940s
48 births
- 1950s 57
1950s
57 births
- 1960s 6
1960s
6 births
- 2000s 41
2000s
41 births
- 2010s
2010s
162 births
- 2020s
2020s
85 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 162 births (41% of all-time use).
Pennelope by state
Where Pennelope concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 22 | 5.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 11 | 2.8% |
22 of 399 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Pennelope? ▼
Where does Pennelope sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Pennelope most popular? ▼
Where is Pennelope most popular? ▼
How long has the name Pennelope been used? ▼
What names are similar to Pennelope? ▼
What to do with Pennelope's data
- Pennelope's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (162 total births) through the 2020s (85) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Pennelopes (22 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Pennelope
Nearby Names Like Pennelope
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Pennelope
Compare Pennelope side by side: Pennelope vs Penelope Pennelope vs Penny Pennelope vs Pennie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Pennelope
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Pennelope: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2017)
Similar record span (~83 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1942–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Pennelope 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 August 2026.