Penny
Girl name · #740 in 2025 · Uniqueness 60/100
Penny is currently the #740 girl name in the United States — 368 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #757, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 4,891 girls born in 2025 was named Penny.
The 143-year story
Penny first appears in the Social Security records in 1882, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1963, when 5,129 girls were named Penny — good for #86 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Penny per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Penny against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Penny in class?
Penny scores 60 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Penny is most common
Geography matters for names, and Penny is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Pennys were CA (35), UT (26), TX (22), FL (19), NY (15). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Penny
Statistically, parents drawn to Penny tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Paula, Polly, Darla, Robin, and Wendy.
PaulaPollyDarlaRobinWendyTeresaDarcyLisa
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Penny | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 368 | #740 |
| 2024 | 377 | #747 |
| 2023 | 434 | #676 |
| 2022 | 402 | #726 |
| 2021 | 409 | #704 |
| 2020 | 383 | #725 |
| 2019 | 362 | #768 |
| 2018 | 363 | #751 |
| 2017 | 361 | #768 |
| 2016 | 419 | #692 |
| 2015 | 372 | #757 |
| 2014 | 345 | #808 |
| 2013 | 251 | #996 |
| 2012 | 233 | #1071 |
| 2011 | 165 | #1382 |
| 2010 | 153 | #1474 |
| 2009 | 105 | #1979 |
| 2008 | 90 | #2206 |
| 2007 | 80 | #2368 |
| 2006 | 60 | #2887 |
| 2005 | 51 | #3081 |
| 2004 | 53 | #2965 |
| 2003 | 44 | #3291 |
| 2002 | 49 | #2976 |
| 2001 | 38 | #3486 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Penny a popular girl name?
Penny ranked #740 among girls in 2025 with 368 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #757.
When was the name Penny most popular?
Penny peaked in 1963, when 5,129 American girls received the name (ranked #86 that year). Since 1963 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Penny?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 4,891 newborn American girls was named Penny. It scores 60/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.