Penelope

Greek

"weaver"

Penelope Origin and Meaning

The name Penelope is girl's name of Greek origin meaning "weaver".

Penelope is a name from Greek mythology; she was the wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. It has two possible origin stories—Penelope was either derived from the Greek pēnē, meaning "thread of a bobbin," or penelops, a type of duck. Mythological Penelope was cared for by a duck as an infant, and later was known for delaying her suiters by pretending to weave a garment while her husband was at sea.

Penelope is a classic name that's been leaping up the charts, thanks to the glamorous image of Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and its choice by Kourtney Kardashian for her young daughter. It's one of the fastest-rising names; it reached the Top 100 for the first time in 2013 and is now the most popular girls' name starting with P.

Penelope was also picked for their girls by Tina Fey, by Anna Chlumsky, and by Natalie and Taylor Hanson, of the group Hanson. In 2001, before this rash of celebrity usage, Penelope was down at Number 945.

It has several British novelists as namesakes—Penelopes Fitzgerald, Mortimer, Gilliatt, and Lively. And yes, she's also a Harry Potter character: Penelope "Penny" is a student at Hogwarts.

Penelope is a strong Nameberry favorite, though instead of the traditional Penny as a nickname, many Berries suggest Nell or Poppy.

Penelope Popularity

• 23 US 2021
• 35 Nameberry 2023
• 12 Future 2028
• 38 England 2021
• 83 Scotland 2021
• 50 Australia 2021
• 59 New Zealand 2022
• 428 Germany 2016
• 86 Dogs 2022
• 39 Cats 2022