Jenny
Girl nameJenny has been given to 92,706 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1977.
Meaning & origin /ˈd͡ʒɛni/
From Jen +‎ -y, historically as a hypochoristic form of Janet, Jane, etc. but now more often used as a diminutive of Jennifer. Rarely also a nickname of Genevieve (compare Genny, pronounced the same), Eugenia or Virginia (compare Ginny). Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in derivations from Jane etc. In senses related to inanimate objects, partially derived from the generic senses of Jane and partially an informal pronunciation of engine. (This etymology is mis
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
92,706
Peak year
1977 (2,700 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -49%
Gender split
99% girls / 1% boys
Famous people named Jenny
Jenny Slate
American actress and comedian (born 1982)
Jenny Lind
Swedish opera singer (1820–1887)
Jenny Agutter
British film and television actress (born 1952)
Jenny Erpenbeck
German opera director and writer (born 1967)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Jenny.
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