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

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1963 · 5,129 births
Debut · girls
5 births
In top 100 · girls
4 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
100,619
since 1882

Penny over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201946peak #86, 1963girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#740368
2024#747377
2023#676434
2022#726402
2021#704409
2020#725383
2019#768362
2018#751363
2017#768361
2016#692419
2015#757372
2014#808345
2013#996251
2012#1,071233
2011#1,382165
2010#1,474153
2009#1,979105
2008#2,20690
2007#2,36880
2006#2,88760
2005#3,08151
2004#2,96553
2003#3,29144
2002#2,97649
2001#3,48638
2000#2,74053
1999#2,61054
1998#2,39858
1997#2,17463
1996#2,17762
1995#2,10164
1994#1,79880
1993#1,69488
1992#1,66191
1991#1,517102
1990#1,330121
1989#1,067158
1988#1,053151
1987#947171
1986#800210
1985#670270
1984#632280
1983#602295
1982#522379
1981#445482
1980#407555
1979#339697
1978#311750
1977#279856
1976#268870
1975#2351,027
1974#2191,174#4,1907
1973#1841,471#3,01311
1972#1801,587#3,6228
1971#1582,001#2,68613
1970#1572,145#2,62113
1969#1422,360#2,86110
1968#1242,576#2,57611
1967#1192,811#2,24213
1966#1123,109#2,9868
1965#973,898#2,47611
1964#964,396#2,04016
1963#865,129#2,20014
1962#925,001#1,54626
1961#1014,638#2,70610
1960#1134,302#2,31513
1959#1223,756#2,8219
1958#1243,556#2,26513
1957#1383,044#3,0248
1956#1582,348#2,9698
1955#1612,213#3,5056
1954#1632,134#2,9428
1953#1572,153#2,18613
1952#1572,091#2,51410
1951#1532,077#2,24612
1950#1611,751
1949#1581,846#3,0197
1948#1531,861
1947#1422,101#2,49810
1946#1631,645#2,14312
1945#1831,131
1944#1801,204#3,4305
1943#1841,203#2,9647
1942#205992#2,5239
1941#254637#3,5055
1940#282493#2,4789
1939#317380#2,8297
1938#439234#3,5345
1937#510165#3,5185
1936#660100#3,1476
1935#78574
1934#96651
1933#1,10240
1932#1,56824
1931#1,33630
1930#1,40330
1929#1,21238
1928#1,05151
1927#1,10847#4,2105
1926#1,03252
1925#89069
1924#1,08652
1923#88968
1922#1,50830
1921#1,37434
1920#1,62626#4,2865
1919#1,36932
1918#1,80521#3,7286
1917#2,20415
1916#1,73920#3,8975
1915#2,25513#3,8255
1914#1,89613
1913#1,88311
1912#1,9819
1911#2,4635
1910#1,9357
1909#2,2085
1908#1,6767
1907#1,8216
1906#1,9515
1905#1,4208
1904#1,4867
1903
1902
1901#1,3397
1900#1,9325
1899#1,5965
1898#1,3797
1897#1,5555
1896
1895
1894
1893
1892#1,2786
1891
1890#1,2106
1889
1888#1,1366
1887
1886
1885
1884
1883
1882#9085
1881
1880
First appearance
1882

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
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 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)
Rise & fade · girls
81 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1882
  • Peaked 1963 at #86 (5,129 births)
  • Births halved by 1969, 6 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 4 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 4 yrs · run 1962–1965
  • Top 1,000: 70 yrs · run 1934–1987
Share of babies · girls
1 in 376
  • Highest: 1 in 376 girls born in 1963 were named Penny (0.27%)
  • Latest: 1 in 4,368 girls born in 2025 (0.02%)
Era · girls
The 1960s
  • 38.0% of all girls named Penny (38,220) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s11#908 (1882)#1,022
1890s29#1,210 (1890)#1,404
1900s50#1,339 (1901)#1,729
1910s146#1,369 (1919)#1,953
1920s467#889 (1923)#1,178
1930s1,128#317 (1939)#909
1940s13,113#142 (1947)#190
1950s25,123#122 (1959)#149
1960s38,220#86 (1963)#108
1970s12,578#157 (1970)#233
1980s2,951#407 (1980)#715
1990s783#1,330 (1990)#1,946
2000s623#1,979 (2009)#2,798
2010s3,024#692 (2016)#947
2020s2,373#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 1946

girls
#163
1,645 births · 1 in 955 girls
boys
#2,143
12 births · 1 in 135,335 boys

Top girls' names in 1946

  1. #1Mary67,471
  2. #2Linda52,710
  3. #3Patricia46,297
  4. #4Barbara45,126
  5. #5Carol34,284
  6. #6Sandra31,692
  7. #7Nancy28,345
  8. #8Susan28,267
  9. #9Sharon27,824
  10. #10Judith22,310
  11. #163Penny1,645

Top boys' names in 1946

  1. #1James87,438
  2. #2Robert84,136
  3. #3John79,267
  4. #4William60,034
  5. #5Richard58,870
  6. #6David46,444
  7. #7Michael41,194
  8. #8Thomas38,877
  9. #9Charles38,215
  10. #10Ronald31,858
  11. #2,143Penny12
More about 1946

girls

1,571,305 girls got a published name in 1946; 1 in 955 of them was named Penny, which outranked 97.1% of the 5,686 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Penny
  1. #160Priscilla1,659
  2. #161Eva1,652
  3. #162Marian1,649
  4. #163Penny1,645
  5. #164Billie1,635
  6. #165Sheryl1,632
  7. #166Jill1,624
Biggest movers since 1945
Risers
  1. 1,830Jacalyn#2,742#912
  2. 914Kimberly#1,621#707
  3. 615Suzette#1,032#417
  4. 538Randi#1,356#818
  5. 528Dayle#1,356#828
Fallers
  1. 335Oma#941#1,276
  2. 324Iola#824#1,148
  3. 324Artie#994#1,318
  4. 303Eartha#954#1,257
  5. 301Willia#830#1,131

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,624,023 boys got a published name in 1946; 1 in 135,335 of them was named Penny, which outranked 46.7% of the 4,018 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Penny
  1. #2,030West13
  2. #2,030Woodson13
  3. #2,030Wray13
  4. #2,143Penny12
  5. #2,143Abron12
  6. #2,143Alcide12
  7. #2,143Aldon12
  8. #2,271Almer11
  9. #2,271Alston11
  10. #2,271Andrea11

Tied with 127 names at #2,143; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1945
Risers
  1. 584Zachary#1,536#952
  2. 514Patric#1,494#980
  3. 385Kris#1,296#911
  4. 385Rich#1,296#911
  5. 380Furman#1,270#890
Fallers
  1. 469Layton#971#1,440
  2. 438Farris#971#1,409
  3. 394Delano#558#952
  4. 312Leopoldo#864#1,176
  5. 290Rosevelt#927#1,217

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1946