Penny
#740 for girls in 2025, 368 births · Last seen for boys in 1974 at #4,190
Given to girls 99.6% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1963 · 5,129 births
- Debut · girls
- 5 births
- In top 100 · girls
- 4 yrsof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 100,619since 1882
Penny over time
Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #740 | 368 | — | |
| 2024 | #747 | 377 | — | |
| 2023 | #676 | 434 | — | |
| 2022 | #726 | 402 | — | |
| 2021 | #704 | 409 | — | |
| 2020 | #725 | 383 | — | |
| 2019 | #768 | 362 | — | |
| 2018 | #751 | 363 | — | |
| 2017 | #768 | 361 | — | |
| 2016 | #692 | 419 | — | |
| 2015 | #757 | 372 | — | |
| 2014 | #808 | 345 | — | |
| 2013 | #996 | 251 | — | |
| 2012 | #1,071 | 233 | — | |
| 2011 | #1,382 | 165 | — | |
| 2010 | #1,474 | 153 | — | |
| 2009 | #1,979 | 105 | — | |
| 2008 | #2,206 | 90 | — | |
| 2007 | #2,368 | 80 | — | |
| 2006 | #2,887 | 60 | — | |
| 2005 | #3,081 | 51 | — | |
| 2004 | #2,965 | 53 | — | |
| 2003 | #3,291 | 44 | — | |
| 2002 | #2,976 | 49 | — | |
| 2001 | #3,486 | 38 | — | |
| 2000 | #2,740 | 53 | — | |
| 1999 | #2,610 | 54 | — | |
| 1998 | #2,398 | 58 | — | |
| 1997 | #2,174 | 63 | — | |
| 1996 | #2,177 | 62 | — | |
| 1995 | #2,101 | 64 | — | |
| 1994 | #1,798 | 80 | — | |
| 1993 | #1,694 | 88 | — | |
| 1992 | #1,661 | 91 | — | |
| 1991 | #1,517 | 102 | — | |
| 1990 | #1,330 | 121 | — | |
| 1989 | #1,067 | 158 | — | |
| 1988 | #1,053 | 151 | — | |
| 1987 | #947 | 171 | — | |
| 1986 | #800 | 210 | — | |
| 1985 | #670 | 270 | — | |
| 1984 | #632 | 280 | — | |
| 1983 | #602 | 295 | — | |
| 1982 | #522 | 379 | — | |
| 1981 | #445 | 482 | — | |
| 1980 | #407 | 555 | — | |
| 1979 | #339 | 697 | — | |
| 1978 | #311 | 750 | — | |
| 1977 | #279 | 856 | — | |
| 1976 | #268 | 870 | — | |
| 1975 | #235 | 1,027 | — | |
| 1974 | #219 | 1,174 | #4,190 | 7 |
| 1973 | #184 | 1,471 | #3,013 | 11 |
| 1972 | #180 | 1,587 | #3,622 | 8 |
| 1971 | #158 | 2,001 | #2,686 | 13 |
| 1970 | #157 | 2,145 | #2,621 | 13 |
| 1969 | #142 | 2,360 | #2,861 | 10 |
| 1968 | #124 | 2,576 | #2,576 | 11 |
| 1967 | #119 | 2,811 | #2,242 | 13 |
| 1966 | #112 | 3,109 | #2,986 | 8 |
| 1965 | #97 | 3,898 | #2,476 | 11 |
| 1964 | #96 | 4,396 | #2,040 | 16 |
| 1963 | #86 | 5,129 | #2,200 | 14 |
| 1962 | #92 | 5,001 | #1,546 | 26 |
| 1961 | #101 | 4,638 | #2,706 | 10 |
| 1960 | #113 | 4,302 | #2,315 | 13 |
| 1959 | #122 | 3,756 | #2,821 | 9 |
| 1958 | #124 | 3,556 | #2,265 | 13 |
| 1957 | #138 | 3,044 | #3,024 | 8 |
| 1956 | #158 | 2,348 | #2,969 | 8 |
| 1955 | #161 | 2,213 | #3,505 | 6 |
| 1954 | #163 | 2,134 | #2,942 | 8 |
| 1953 | #157 | 2,153 | #2,186 | 13 |
| 1952 | #157 | 2,091 | #2,514 | 10 |
| 1951 | #153 | 2,077 | #2,246 | 12 |
| 1950 | #161 | 1,751 | — | |
| 1949 | #158 | 1,846 | #3,019 | 7 |
| 1948 | #153 | 1,861 | — | |
| 1947 | #142 | 2,101 | #2,498 | 10 |
| 1946 | #163 | 1,645 | #2,143 | 12 |
| 1945 | #183 | 1,131 | — | |
| 1944 | #180 | 1,204 | #3,430 | 5 |
| 1943 | #184 | 1,203 | #2,964 | 7 |
| 1942 | #205 | 992 | #2,523 | 9 |
| 1941 | #254 | 637 | #3,505 | 5 |
| 1940 | #282 | 493 | #2,478 | 9 |
| 1939 | #317 | 380 | #2,829 | 7 |
| 1938 | #439 | 234 | #3,534 | 5 |
| 1937 | #510 | 165 | #3,518 | 5 |
| 1936 | #660 | 100 | #3,147 | 6 |
| 1935 | #785 | 74 | — | |
| 1934 | #966 | 51 | — | |
| 1933 | #1,102 | 40 | — | |
| 1932 | #1,568 | 24 | — | |
| 1931 | #1,336 | 30 | — | |
| 1930 | #1,403 | 30 | — | |
| 1929 | #1,212 | 38 | — | |
| 1928 | #1,051 | 51 | — | |
| 1927 | #1,108 | 47 | #4,210 | 5 |
| 1926 | #1,032 | 52 | — | |
| 1925 | #890 | 69 | — | |
| 1924 | #1,086 | 52 | — | |
| 1923 | #889 | 68 | — | |
| 1922 | #1,508 | 30 | — | |
| 1921 | #1,374 | 34 | — | |
| 1920 | #1,626 | 26 | #4,286 | 5 |
| 1919 | #1,369 | 32 | — | |
| 1918 | #1,805 | 21 | #3,728 | 6 |
| 1917 | #2,204 | 15 | — | |
| 1916 | #1,739 | 20 | #3,897 | 5 |
| 1915 | #2,255 | 13 | #3,825 | 5 |
| 1914 | #1,896 | 13 | — | |
| 1913 | #1,883 | 11 | — | |
| 1912 | #1,981 | 9 | — | |
| 1911 | #2,463 | 5 | — | |
| 1910 | #1,935 | 7 | — | |
| 1909 | #2,208 | 5 | — | |
| 1908 | #1,676 | 7 | — | |
| 1907 | #1,821 | 6 | — | |
| 1906 | #1,951 | 5 | — | |
| 1905 | #1,420 | 8 | — | |
| 1904 | #1,486 | 7 | — | |
| 1903 | — | — | ||
| 1902 | — | — | ||
| 1901 | #1,339 | 7 | — | |
| 1900 | #1,932 | 5 | — | |
| 1899 | #1,596 | 5 | — | |
| 1898 | #1,379 | 7 | — | |
| 1897 | #1,555 | 5 | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | ||
| 1895 | — | — | ||
| 1894 | — | — | ||
| 1893 | — | — | ||
| 1892 | #1,278 | 6 | — | |
| 1891 | — | — | ||
| 1890 | #1,210 | 6 | — | |
| 1889 | — | — | ||
| 1888 | #1,136 | 6 | — | |
| 1887 | — | — | ||
| 1886 | — | — | ||
| 1885 | — | — | ||
| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | #908 | 5 | — | |
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
The first year at least five girls were named Penny! It came in at #908, and was given to 5 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1882–1887, when fewer than 6 girls a year got the name.
See more about Penny
- 7 spots since 2024 (#747 → #740)
- 15 spots since 2020 (#725 → #740)
- 17 spots since 2015 (#757 → #740)
- Biggest jump: 619 spots in 1923 (#1,508 → #889)
- Biggest drop: 197 spots in 1924 (#889 → #1,086)
- Debuted 1882
- Peaked 1963 at #86 (5,129 births)
- Births halved by 1969, 6 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: 4 yrs · run 1962–1965
- Top 1,000: 70 yrs · run 1934–1987
- Highest: 1 in 376 girls born in 1963 were named Penny (0.27%)
- Latest: 1 in 4,368 girls born in 2025 (0.02%)
- 38.0% of all girls named Penny (38,220) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 11 | #908 (1882) | #1,022 |
| 1890s | 29 | #1,210 (1890) | #1,404 |
| 1900s | 50 | #1,339 (1901) | #1,729 |
| 1910s | 146 | #1,369 (1919) | #1,953 |
| 1920s | 467 | #889 (1923) | #1,178 |
| 1930s | 1,128 | #317 (1939) | #909 |
| 1940s | 13,113 | #142 (1947) | #190 |
| 1950s | 25,123 | #122 (1959) | #149 |
| 1960s | 38,220 | #86 (1963) | #108 |
| 1970s | 12,578 | #157 (1970) | #233 |
| 1980s | 2,951 | #407 (1980) | #715 |
| 1990s | 783 | #1,330 (1990) | #1,946 |
| 2000s | 623 | #1,979 (2009) | #2,798 |
| 2010s | 3,024 | #692 (2016) | #947 |
| 2020s | 2,373 | #676 (2023) | #720 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Penny in 1940
Top girls' names in 1940
Top boys' names in 1940
More about 1940
girls
1,143,528 girls got a published name in 1940; 1 in 2,320 of them was named Penny, which outranked 94.4% of the 5,028 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 128,797 of them was named Penny, which outranked 37.1% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #2,322Watt10
- #2,322Woodson10
- #2,322Yvonne10
- #2,478Penny9
- #2,478Abie9
- #2,478Admiral9
- #2,478Alen9
- #2,671Alger8
- #2,671Ali8
- #2,671Alven8
Tied with 192 names at #2,478; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.