Girl's name
Penny
Say it PEN-ee
Greek origin from Penelope, possibly duck
2 syllables
Where Penny is loved, common and rare
Rare in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and two more places.
1 in 383 girls born in Northern Ireland in 2025
Northern Ireland 111thIreland 156thScotland 164th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 7 of the 40 official lists, among them Northern Ireland (111th), Ireland (156th) and Scotland (164th).
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| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 111th 2025 | 19 | 1 in 383 |
| Ireland | 156th 2025 | 30 | 1 in 704 |
| Scotland | 164th 2025 | 25 | 1 in 716 |
| Sweden | 188th 2025 | 46 | about 1 in 873 |
| England and Wales | 232nd 2025 | 201 | 1 in 1,260 |
| Ontario province | 823rd 2024 | 14 | about 1 in 3,890 |
| France | 3366th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 57,359 |
Rare, below the listed names: Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Sources: NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France). How we count, and every source
About the name
Penny began as a short form of Penelope, and it carries that name's meaning, which is given as possibly 'duck'. The 'possibly' is important, since the origin of Penelope is uncertain. In Greek mythology, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus.
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Two syllables, said PEN-ee, with the stress on the first. Pennie is an alternative spelling, and Penelope remains the full form.
Canadian records put its peak in 1961, so it has a strong mid-century flavour. Today it is used in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Scotland, each ranking it in the top 200, and also in Sweden. It is declining in several regions, which makes it a friendly vintage choice rather than a fashionable one.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
Over time
Over five years: falling in 4 of 6 regions, rising in none.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 178 | 176 | 198 | 173 | 166 | 178 | 196 | 194 | 193 | 232 |
| Scotland | 131 | 125 | 111 | 107 | 134 | 117 | 139 | 133 | 138 | 164 |
| Northern Ireland | 88 | 77 | 98 | 98 | 95 | 71 | 67 | 102 | 134 | 111 |
| Ireland | 110 | 108 | 103 | 114 | 83 | 98 | 82 | 93 | 130 | 156 |
| Ontario | 598 | 537 | 602 | 546 | 1122 | 683 | 634 | 504 | 823 | |
| British Columbia | 263 | 415 | 520 | 409 | 326 | 547 | ||||
| South Australia | 383 | 272 | ||||||||
| France | 3634 | 3605 | 3608 | 3650 | 3366 | |||||
| Sweden | 88 | 81 | 103 | 112 | 113 | 131 | 134 | 134 | 141 | 188 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 232 | 201 | 79.4 |
| 2024 | 193 | 251 | 97.3 |
| 2023 | 194 | 256 | 99.8 |
| 2022 | 196 | 262 | 99.4 |
| 2021 | 178 | 288 | 105.1 |
| 2020 | 166 | 304 | 113.3 |
| 2019 | 173 | 294 | 105.0 |
| 2018 | 198 | 260 | 90.2 |
| 2017 | 176 | 305 | 102.0 |
| 2016 | 178 | 305 | 99.3 |
| 2015 | 183 | 301 | 97.7 |
| 2014 | 208 | 259 | 84.5 |
| 2013 | 254 | 190 | 61.6 |
| 2012 | 308 | 156 | 48.4 |
| 2011 | 398 | 115 | 35.8 |
| 2010 | 396 | 112 | 34.9 |
| 2009 | 543 | 72 | 23.0 |
| 2008 | 580 | 65 | 20.6 |
| 2007 | 716 | 47 | 15.4 |
| 2006 | 976 | 29 | 9.7 |
| 2005 | 824 | 34 | 11.8 |
| 2004 | 655 | 45 | 15.7 |
| 2003 | 607 | 48 | 17.2 |
| 2002 | 722 | 36 | 13.5 |
| 2001 | 579 | 47 | 17.5 |
| 2000 | 519 | 55 | 20.1 |
| 1999 | 529 | 54 | 19.2 |
| 1998 | 437 | 69 | 23.9 |
| 1997 | 506 | 54 | 18.4 |
| 1996 | 400 | 81 | 27.4 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Penny in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1961. First recorded in 1941. Her peak year there: 1961, at 280.4 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Penny per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 1961 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Penny
1 in 754 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 604 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 346 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 291 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 347 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 1,174 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 520 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 335 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Penny.
1 in 416 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Penny.
Middle names for Penny
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Penny Grace
2-1 beats · initials PG
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Penny Olivia
2-4 beats · initials PO · Penny slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Penny slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Penny Sophia
2-3 beats · initials PS
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Penny Maria
2-3 beats · initials PM
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Penny Rose
2-1 beats · initials PR
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Penny Emily
2-3 beats · initials PE · Penny slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Penny slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Penny Julia
2-3 beats · initials PJ
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Penny Miriam
2-3 beats · initials PM
Changes the beat after Penny: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Penny
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 346 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
1 in 160 in Scotland
89% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
1 in 121 in Ireland
89% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
1 in 270 in Northern Ireland
89% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
1 in 274 in Ireland
89% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
1 in 364 in Northern Ireland
88% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
1 in 716 in Scotland
87% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
1 in 187 in Northern Ireland
86% alike: moves with Penny across countries and decades.
Famous people named Penny
Penny Marshall, Penny Mordaunt, Penny Johnson Jerald, Penny Oleksiak, Penny Pritzker, Penny Wong, Penny Taylor and Penny Singleton.
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American actress, director and producer (1943–2018)
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British politician (born 1973)
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American actress born 1961
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Canadian swimmer (2000-)
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American billionaire businesswoman (born 1959)
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Australian politician born 1968
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Australian basketball player (born 1981)
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American actress (1908-2003)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Penny
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Penny?
Her best rank is No. 111 in Northern Ireland in 2025, about 1 in 383 girls. She is in the published lists of 7 of our 40 regions.
What does Penny mean?
Penny takes her meaning from Penelope: "possibly duck", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Penny?
PEN-ee, with 2 syllables.
Is Penny getting more popular?
Over five years: falling in 4 of 6 regions, rising in none.
Which sister names go with Penny?
The deck's top five sisters for Penny: Ellen, Margaret, Faye, Martha and Nancy. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.