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Penelope Name Meaning, Origins & History

Penelope

Pronunciation: puh-NEL-uh-pee

Meaning Bobbin worker, weaver Origin Ancient Greek Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#22
TREND
6
Peak Years
2019, 2017, 2018
Lowest Years
1880, 1895, 1890
Energy Archetype
Intellectual & Expressive

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Penelope in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Penelope

  • Gaining ground: Penelope remained in the U.S. top 100 for 13 consecutive years, from 2013 through 2025. In 2025, it gained 6 ranking positions compared with the previous year.
  • More than 109 thousand babies named Penelope: U.S. records list 109,493 babies given the name Penelope from 1880 through 2025. Even 53 boys received the name Penelope - about 1 boy for every 2,065 girls.

What Does the Name Penelope Mean?

Penelope is a Greek name of uncertain meaning. It comes from the ancient Greek Πηνελόπη (Pēnelópē). One common explanation connects it with πήνη (pēnē), 'thread' or 'weft,' and ὤψ (ōps), 'face' or 'eye,' which could be interpreted as 'thread-face' or, more loosely, 'weaver.' Another proposed derivation links it to πηνέλοψ (pēnelops), a Greek word for a water bird, probably a duck, though the exact bird is not certain. Because no Greek derivation is fully convincing, some accounts treat the name as Pre-Greek, perhaps from an older Aegean language. The familiar idea that Penelope means 'weaver' is a later symbolic reading tied to the story of Odysseus's wife, not a securely established literal translation.

Penelope Name History & Origins

The most famous literary use of the name is in Homer's Odyssey, where Penelope is the wife of Odysseus and queen of Ithaca. In the poem she waits twenty years for Odysseus while he fights at Troy and then wanders. To hold off suitors, she weaves a burial shroud for Odysseus's father Laertes and unravels at night what she has woven by day. When Odysseus finally returns, she tests him by asking about the bed he built around a living olive tree. The Odyssey is a literary treatment of an older heroic figure, not the source of the name.

In later Greek and Roman writing, Penelope became a standard example of a faithful wife. Ovid's Heroides includes a letter from Penelope to Odysseus, and some ancient accounts made her the mother of Pan by Hermes, though other sources give Pan a different mother. From Greek, the name passed into Latin as Penelope and then into modern European languages. In English it is found by the 16th century; Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich (1563 - 1607), is one documented English bearer. The Spanish form is Penélope, with the accent marking stress.

How Popular is the Name Penelope?

Penelope recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2019. Penelope entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2013.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

Explore Name Lists Featuring Penelope

Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.

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How the Name Penelope Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.

You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.

✦ Penelope's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Penelope's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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