Girls' name · since 1938
Penni
Since 1938, U.S. Social Security records show 2,606 babies named Penni, peaking in 1962. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #3,942 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,606
- born since 1938
- 1960s
- peak decade
2,606 girls have been named Penni since 1938, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Penni has 2,606 recorded births among girls since 1938, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1938 to 2023.
- #3,942 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 2,606 born since 1938
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Penni ranks #3,942 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 2,606 born since 1938, peaking in the 1960s.
- #3,942 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 2,606
- born since 1938
- 1960s
- peak decade
Penni's 2,606 recorded births place it above 94.55% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
23 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Penni's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Penni splits its recorded history at 1969: 26% of all births land in the more recent half, 74% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1990 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1962 peak of 148 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Penni popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1938–2023
- Peak year (1962)
- 148
- Annual births at peak, across 86 years of records
No longer in the modern top-1000, last recorded 2023.
2,606 total births across 86 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1962 with 148 births in a single year.
Penni by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (1,182 births, 45% of the file).
1960s was Penni's strongest decade.
1,182 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Penni births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 7
1930s
7 births
- 1940s 211
1940s
211 births
- 1950s
1950s
614 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,182 births
- 1970s 419
1970s
419 births
- 1980s 105
1980s
105 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2010s 44
2010s
44 births
- 2020s 19
2020s
19 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 1,182 births (45% of all-time use).
Penni decade highlights
- Peak decade 1,182 births
- Runner-up 614 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How Penni 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 Penni's total volume
Penni by state
Where Penni concentrates geographically, total births since 1938
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 187 | 7.2% |
| #2 | New York | | 116 | 4.5% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 115 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 98 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 67 | 2.6% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 66 | 2.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 57 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 37 | 1.4% |
187 of 2,606 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 23 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- California 7.2% of nationwide
- New York 4.5% of nationwide
- Ohio 4.4% of nationwide
- Texas 3.8% of nationwide
- Illinois 2.6% of nationwide
Recorded in 23 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
California accounts for 7.2% of all recorded births nationwide - a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Penni appears in 23 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Penni? ▼
Where does Penni sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Penni most popular? ▼
Where is Penni most popular? ▼
How long has the name Penni been used? ▼
What names are similar to Penni? ▼
What to do with Penni's data
- Penni's decade-level peak was the 1960s (1,182 total births); usage has since declined to 19 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Pennis (187 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 Penni
Nearby Names Like Penni
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Penni
Compare Penni side by side: Penni vs Penelope Penni vs Penny Penni vs Pennie
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Penni: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1962)
Similar record span (~85 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, 1938–2023 (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 Penni 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.
Published by
NameAlmanac
Independent public-data reference that compiles, verifies, and contextualizes official datasets. We do not accept compensation from entities we cover, and every dataset cites its originating public source.