ninan.org

Jennifer

Girls' name · Late 20th-century perennial

Living in the US
~1,406,000 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#586 among girls
Births in 2025
501 1,476,540 since 1880
Typical age
46 years, median

Jennifer popularity over time

Jennifer rank by birth year, 1919–2025Jennifer ranked #4,251 in 1919 and #586 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #1, in 1970.#1#10#100#1,000#586best #1 in 1970192019401960198020002020
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1919–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

Jennifer was used most in 1972, when 63,790 babies were given the name. 1919 is the earliest year with at least five recorded births. It has held a top-100 place in 53 separate years.

The 2025 position is #586, on 501 births. The ten-year change is -61%. It slipped 42 places against the previous year.

Babies named Jennifer per yearPeaks at 63,790 births in 1972.63,790 in 19720192019401960198020002020
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Jennifer?

Roughly 1,406,000 Jennifers are alive in the US right now. SSA has recorded 1,476,540 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Jennifer?

Half of living Jennifers are older than 46, half younger. More of them were born in the 1970s than in any other decade. By the site’s era rules that makes Jennifer a late 20th-century perennial name.

Your Jennifer

Ages of living people named JenniferHalf of living Jennifers are older than 46 and half younger.median 46020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Jennifer is most common

Relative to births, Maryland carries 1.7× the national share of Jennifers. California, Nevada and Virginia follow.

Where Jennifer is used more than average5 states use the name Jennifer more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: 1.5× the national rateNVWyoming: not over-representedWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: 1.7× the national rateCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: 1.4× the national rateVAMaryland: 1.7× the national rateMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: not over-representedMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: 1.3× the national rateTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Jennifer is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Maryland 174 1.7×
California 1,368 1.7×
Nevada 71 1.5×
Virginia 219 1.4×
Texas 995 1.3×

Jennifer in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Jennifer ranked #650 in 2025 on 59 births. That is 40% lower than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Jennifer comes from

From Gweniver, from Gwynnever (cognate with Welsh Gwenhwyfar), from Proto-Brythonic *Gwɨnnohuɨβar. Doublet of Guinevere. Compare Irish Fionnabhair, which may be cognate.

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named Jennifer

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Jennifer Lopez American singer and actress 1969 136
Jennifer Aniston American actress 1969 126
Jennifer Lawrence American actress and producer 1990 120
Jennifer Connelly American actress 1970 89
Jennifer Garner American actress 1972 85
Jennifer Doudna American biochemist 1964 84
Jennifer Hudson American singer, actress, model and spokesperson 1981 70
Jennifer Love Hewitt American actress and singer 1979 70
Photo credits (5)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 337 in 1943 to 684 in 1944 — 2.0 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/jennifer.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).