Jennifer
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Jennifer
Jennifer is the Cornish variation of Guinevere, which ultimately derived from the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar. As such, it is connected to the queen of Arthurian legend, and sharees the same meaning of "white shadow", "white wave", or "white phantom".
It has been in use in the English-speaking world since the 18th century but came to prominence in the 20th, after playwright George Bernard Shaw chose Jennifer for the name of his leading lady in his play The Doctor's Dilemma in 1906. It took a little more time to catch on in the US, but by the 1940s it was on the up and remained so until its heyday in the 70s.
But how did this Cornish name, originally used only among Cornish immigrants to the US, become such a star? One possibility is that parents were inspired by its similarity of other longstanding popular choices, such as Janet, Jane, Jenny, Jean, and Josephine, but another factor is pop culture. It was likely propelled on by actress Jennifer Jones and the use of the name in a variety of films, including I Married A Witch (1942), Portrait of Jennie (1948), Jennifer (1953), and Valley of the Dolls ( (1967). The songs Jenny Rebecca, Jennifer Eccles and Jennifer "Juniper" might also have got the name in people's heads.
Jennifer became the girl top name of the 1970s in the US, when there were close to 800,000 Jennifers born, meaning 3.5% of girls born were called Jennifer. To put it in perspective, the second most popular name of the decade, Amy, was given to 1.6% of girls in the same time period, while 90s favorites Ashley and Jessica were chosen for 1.5% in they own heyday.
Jennifer began to really fall back down the charts in the 2000s and by 2010 it was out of the Top 100. Currently, it sits just outside the Top 500 in the US and just within it in the UK.
While Jennifer might be out of style then (and perhaps even slightly unexpected these days), a number of names with similar sounds have taken over. These include Genevieve, Imogen, Josephine, and Genesis, while the more modern Cornish fave is probably Elowen (or Elowyn).
Jennifer is also given to boys.
Pronounced JEN-uh-fur.
As of October 2026, Jennifer ranked #586 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1 in 1982, Nameberry popularity #202.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #222 | 1,521 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #251 | 1,286 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #272 | 1,162 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #309 | 1,052 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #344 | 921 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #391 | 788 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #431 | 712 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #494 | 638 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #501 | 630 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #521 | 584 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #547 | 552 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #586 | 501 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Jennifer for girls
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Jennifer.
Jennifer on lists
Famous Jennifers
- Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley)Girl
American actress
- Jennifer Shrader LawrenceGirl
American Actress
- Jennifer Maria CapriatiGirl
American tennis player
- Jennifer Joanna AnistonGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Lynn LopezGirl
American singer/actress
- Jennifer Love HewittGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Kate HudsonGirl
American singer/actress
- Jennifer J. ArroyoGirl
bassist for Canadian band Kittie
- Jennifer Anne GarnerGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Lynn ConnellyGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Marie MorrisonGirl
American actress
- Jennifer GreyGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow)Girl
American actress
- JenniferGirl
Yvette Holliday, American actress/singer
- Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan)Girl
American actress
- Jennifer Lindsay StoneGirl
American actress
- Jennifer PaigeGirl
American singer,songwriter
- Jennifer BealsGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Jane SaundersGirl
English actress and comedienne of duo French & Saunders
- Jennifer EspositoGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Odessa NettlesGirl
lead singer of American country band Sugarland
- Jennifer CoolidgeGirl
American actress/comedienne
- Jennifer Nicole FreemanGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Kate Stitt DavidsonGirl
American former vice president of The Cartoon Network
- Jennifer Lesley EllisonGirl
English actress, model and singer
- Jennifer Christina FinniganGirl
Canadian actress
- Jennifer Kathleen HansonGirl
American country music singer,songwriter
- Jennifer JohnstonGirl
Irish novelist
- Jennifer Michelle LeeGirl
American film director
- Jennifer Lynn KnappGirl
American,Australian folk rock singer
- Jennifer J. LavoieGirl
American model and actress
- Jennifer Ann LienGirl
American actress
- Jennifer Chambers LynchGirl
American film director
- Jennifer Leann CarpenterGirl
American actress
- Jennifer "Kitty" DunnGirl
drummer of the American rock band Mindless Self Indulgence
- Jennifer ShuGirl
Chinese actress
- Jennifer Lee WorthGirl
British midwife and author of "Call the Midwife"
- Jasmine Lucilla Elizabeth Jennifer van den Bogaerde aka BirdyGirl
English singer, songwriter
- Jennifer Patricia 'Jen' BeattieGirl
Scottish football player
- Jennifer Young (b. 1964)Girl
daughter of actor Gig Young
- Jennifer Grant (b. 1966)Girl
daughter of actor Cary Grant
- Jennifer Chambers Lynch (b. 1968)Girl
director; daughter of director David Lynch
- Jennifer Adamson (b. 1971)Girl
daughter of actor Kit Culkin; half,sister of Macaulay Culkin
- Jennifer Katharine Gates (b. 1996)Girl
daughter of Microsoft's Bill and Melinda Gates
- Jennifer Jane Brown (b. 2001)Girl
late daughter of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
- Jennifer Danielle Duggar (b. 2007)Girl
17th child of reality TV's Duggar family
- Jennifer Lee WigginsGirl
American actress , of Chinese & Irish/English descent
- Jennifer Lynn "Jen" AffleckGirl
TikTok influencer and reality TV personality
Jennifer in pop culture
- Jennifer CarsonGirl
character on Australian TV series "Carson's Law"
- Jennifer "Jen" LindleyGirl
character on TV's "Dawson's Creek"
- Jennifer Tallulah HumphreyGirl
character on TV's "Gossip Girl"
- Jennifer "J" RobbinsGirl
character on TV's "Into the Dark"
- Jennifer CheckGirl
main character in 2009 film "Jennifer's Body"
- Jennifer KaleGirl
sorceress in Marvel Comics
- Jennifer ParkerGirl
character in the "Back to the Future" series
- Jennifer KellerGirl
character on TV's "Stargate Atlantis"
- Jennifer "J.J" JareauGirl
character on TV's "Criminal Minds"
- Jennifer "Jenny Matrix" MattheusGirl
character from YouTube series Video Game High School
- Miss Jennifer HoneyGirl
nice teacher from book/movie "Matilda"
- Jennifer DuganGirl
character in the movie "Spiderman 3"
- JenniferGirl
Louis Dubedat's beautiful wife in the 1906 play "The Doctor's Dilemma" by G. Bernard Shaw; upon introduction, Dr. Ridgeon remarks, "That's a strange name." Jennifer answers, "Not in Cornwall."
- Jennifer Adams TownsendGirl
character from Yesterday's child, by Barbara Wood
- Jennifer "Jen" ScottsGirl
Pink Power Ranger on TV's Power Rangers Time Force
- Jennifer McMinaminGirl
character in the YouTube series "Most Popular Girls in School"
- "JenniferGirl
" 1953 film
- "Jennifer JuniperGirl
" 1968 song by Donovan that sent this name to the top of the charts
- "Jennifer EverGirl
" song by The Smashing Pumpkins
- Jennifer AdamsGirl
main character in 'The Gray Wolves' series by Quinn Loftis
- Jennifer PierceGirl
younger daughter of Jefferson Pierce aka Black Lightening
- Jennifer "Jen"Girl
character in novel series "Real Friends"
- Jennifer "Jen K" KenneyGirl
character in series "Greek"
- Jennifer "Jen" Ann MastersonGirl
a main character in series "6teen"
- "Jennifer's Body"Girl
2009 film
- "Jennifer's Body"Girl
1994 song by Hole
- JenniferGirl
a main character in film “Pleasantville”
Variations & nicknames
More nicknames
- GenifferGirl
- GennGirl
- GennaGirl
- GenniGirl
- GennieGirl
- GenniferGirl
- GenniverGirl
- GennyGirl
- GinniferGirl
- JenGirl
- JenaGirl
- JenaeGirl
- JenaleeGirl
- JenalynGirl
- JeneferGirl
- JenessaGirl
- JenettaGirl
- JeniGirl
- JeniferGirl
- JenifferGirl
- JenitaGirl
- JennGirl
- JennaGirl
- JenneeGirl
- JenneferGirl
- JennelleGirl
- JenniGirl
- JennicaGirl
- JennieGirl
- JennikaGirl
- JennipherGirl
- JennisGirl
- JenniverGirl
- JennyGirl
- JinniferGirl