Penny
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Meaning
nickname-style diminutive of Penelope, traditionally associated with 'weaver'
The formal names behind Penny
Penny is an established short form of this name.
Penelope · Greek origin · traditionally "weaver," after the wife in the Odyssey who unwove her loom each night to hold off suitors, though the root may be an old word for a duck; four syllables of loyal, literary charm that clip to Penny and Poppy
How popular is Penny around the world?
In the United States, 2,373 babies were named Penny between 2020 and 2025. In Scotland, 32 girls named Penny were registered in 2024, the 138th most common name among girls that year.
Penny is on the official records of the United States, Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, South Australia and Canada.
United States
1 in 9,200
In the United States, 2,373 babies were named Penny between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Penny peaked in the 1960s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Scotland
1 in 1,400
In Scotland, 32 girls named Penny were registered in 2024, the 138th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Ireland
1 in 1,800
In Ireland, 30 girls named Penny were born in 2025, the 156th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
England and Wales
1 in 2,900
In England and Wales, 201 girls named Penny were born in 2025, the 232nd most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
South Australia
1 in 3,7002017
In South Australia, 5 girls were registered as Penny in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Canada
1 in 8,700
In Canada, 42 girls named Penny were born in 2024, the 685th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Austria
last on record 2020
Penny is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
New Zealand
last on record 2020
Penny is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Penny
Most people given the name Penny in the United States were born between 1950 and 1979. The Penny you meet today is most often in her 50s or 60s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Penny deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Penny truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Penny fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Penny fit YOUR family?
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