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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201952peak #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 1952

girls
#157
2,091 births · 1 in 887 girls
boys
#2,514
10 births · 1 in 194,363 boys

Top girls' names in 1952

  1. #1Linda67,082
  2. #2Mary65,629
  3. #3Patricia53,101
  4. #4Deborah49,811
  5. #5Susan41,348
  6. #6Barbara39,864
  7. #7Nancy31,739
  8. #8Karen28,956
  9. #9Debra26,832
  10. #10Sandra26,097
  11. #157Penny2,091

Top boys' names in 1952

  1. #1James87,065
  2. #2Robert86,588
  3. #3John83,140
  4. #4Michael79,037
  5. #5David71,752
  6. #6William63,039
  7. #7Richard58,350
  8. #8Thomas48,647
  9. #9Charles38,866
  10. #10Gary38,754
  11. #2,514Penny10
More about 1952

girls

1,854,335 girls got a published name in 1952; 1 in 887 of them was named Penny, which outranked 97.5% of the 6,389 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Penny
  1. #154Renee2,179
  2. #155Christina2,169
  3. #156Annette2,160
  4. #157Penny2,091
  5. #158Terri2,071
  6. #159Mildred2,051
  7. #160Dolores2,044
Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. 2,501Pandora#3,284#783
  2. 368Lise#1,314#946
  3. 353Vanessa#656#303
  4. 334Dorinda#1,170#836
  5. 332Mitzi#928#596
Fallers
  1. 380Rhona#988#1,368
  2. 342Sharleen#765#1,107
  3. 270Enid#908#1,178
  4. 237Allyn#988#1,225
  5. 230Sheron#908#1,138

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

boys

1,943,633 boys got a published name in 1952; 1 in 194,363 of them was named Penny, which outranked 40.9% of the 4,257 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Penny
  1. #2,376Zbigniew11
  2. #2,376Zeb11
  3. #2,376Zebedee11
  4. #2,514Penny10
  5. #2,514Abran10
  6. #2,514Abron10
  7. #2,514Adelbert10
  8. #2,680Alban9
  9. #2,680Alphonsa9
  10. #2,680Ames9

Tied with 165 names at #2,514; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1951
Risers
  1. 753Darren#1,598#845
  2. 372Robby#1,242#870
  3. 355Cris#1,218#863
  4. 301Ethan#1,295#994
  5. 280Adan#1,150#870
Fallers
  1. 477Ottis#984#1,461
  2. 408Wayland#915#1,323
  3. 330Mcarthur#806#1,136
  4. 305Arvin#963#1,268
  5. 285Levon#881#1,166

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

See the top 100 for 1952