Is Penelope a boy or girl name?

Penelope is primarily a girl name in U.S. records: about 100% of recorded births are female.

What is the average age of someone named Penelope?

The average Penelope alive today is an estimated 16 years old. People named Penelope were most often born around 2019.

When was the name Penelope most popular?

Penelope peaked in 2019 with 6,734 recorded births in the United States.

What vibe does the name Penelope have?

In one report's words: bookish, fluttery, kindergarten. Penelope ranks #650 among all U.S. first names since 1880.

Penelope — Name Meaning, Age & Vibe

UNDERSTAND YOUR NAME

Origin & Meaning

AI-Written

Derived from the Greek name Penelopeia, traditionally associated with pēnelops, a type of mottled duck, or pēnē, referring to a weaver's thread. Homer gave it enduring life through the steadfast queen of Ithaca in the Odyssey. In America, it lived quietly in double-digit annual tallies for over a century before undergoing an unprecedented climb after 2000.

Also answers toPenny, Nell, Poppy, Pip

Fig. 1 — Births per annum, 1880–2025

SSA Data

1880 peak: 6,734 souls, A.D. 2019 2025

2025: 6,225 born, rising ↑

Estimated Age

16 yrs

Most Penelopes were born around 2019 — learned to read on a touchscreen.

Peak Reign

2019

№22 that year

Generation

Gen Alpha, 76%

then Gen Z 12% · Boomer 7%

Rarity

Top 2000 all-time

≈110K ever born · now rising

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How many Americans share Penelope ______?

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Estimates from SSA birth records and standard survival rates. Immigration and name changes not counted.

Penelope grew up with

SSA Data

Cocomelon·Zoom kindergarten·Alexa as a household member

Generation Distribution — Living Penelopes

SSA Data

Silent 2%Boomer 7%Gen X 3%Gen Z 12%Gen Alpha 76%

Data vs. Humans

What the data says

SSA Data

SSA: Penelope peaked in 2019.

Estimated average age: 16.

What people think

Opinion Ledger

Awaiting human data — cast the first votes.

Penelope sounds like someone born in —

Fig. 2 — Style Coordinates

AI Seed · Votes Override at n=30

Vintage Modern

Formal Casual

Soft Strong

Cast your vote No account · one tap

In your mind, Penelope sounds more like a —

Voting opens when the ledger goes live. No account. 24h cooldown per question.

Public Opinion Ledger

Ledger Opens Soon

The public has not yet weighed in on Penelope. Early ballots carry the most weight.

First Impressions

AI-Written

A Penelope is almost certainly still in school. While the name carries antiquity on paper, more than three-quarters of living bearers belong to Generation Alpha. It suggests Peter Pan collars, watercolor sets, and structured playground negotiations. The name sounds like it belongs to someone with an elaborate excuse for missing library books.

Field Notes

AI-Written

Field Note 01

The name lingered below the top five hundred for most of the twentieth century before peaking in 2019 at twenty-second place.

Field Note 02

The average Penelope today is roughly sixteen years old, though the bulk of the cohort is young enough to still require supervision around glue sticks.

Field Note 03

Despite Homeric origins, modern American registers show Penelope largely displacing Penny rather than the other way around.

Notable Penelopes

AI-Written

Penelope CruzSpanish actress, b. 1974

Penelope FitzgeraldEnglish novelist and biographer, b. 1916

Penelope WiltonEnglish actress, b. 1946

Adjacent Names

Clementine · Daphne · Phoebe · Hazel · Eloise · Juniper

Ephemera — If Penelope were a…

AI-Written

City

Burlington, Vermont

Color

Duck egg blue

Object

Felt-tip calligraphy pen

And what of your name?