Penelope
Girl namePenelope has been given to 109,533 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 2019 and currently ranks #22 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /pɪˈnɛləpi/
From Ancient Greek Πηνελόπη (Pēnelópē)API, possibly from πηνέλοψ (pēnélops, “duck”).
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
109,533
Peak year
2019 (6,734 babies)
Rank in 2025
#22 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▲ +4%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Penelope
Penelope Fitzgerald
British writer and poet (1916–2000)
Penny Mordaunt
British politician (born 1973)
Penelope Ann Miller
American actress
Penelope Lively
British novelist (born 1933)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Penelope.
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