Penelope
Penelope is a girls' name of Greek origin meaning “weaver, with a web over her face.” It ranked #22 in the United States in 2025. Penelope, wife of Odysseus, is the archetype of faithfulness and clever resourcefulness in Western literature.
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how do you pronounce Penelope?
peh-NEL-oh-pee
where does the name Penelope come from?
From the Greek Πηνελόπη, connected either to pēnē, meaning thread or weft, or to pēnelops, a kind of duck. The weaving derivation suits her story so precisely that it may be a later rationalisation, and ancient sources already disagreed about which came first.
She wove and unwove a shroud for twenty years to delay suitors while awaiting her husband's return, making her name synonymous with patience, intelligence, and devotion.
how popular is this name?
Penelope has appeared in the US top 1,000 in 77 years since 1880, and fell outside it for 69. It peaked at #21 in 2022, and ranked #22 in 2025.
See the milestone years
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #22 |
| 2024 | #28 |
| 2023 | #23 |
| 2022 | #21 |
| 2021 | #23 |
| 2020 | #26 |
| 2019 | #22 |
| 2018 | #26 |
| 2017 | #24 |
| 2016 | #27 |
| 2010 | #200 |
| 1970 | #571 |
| 1960 | #547 |
| 1950 | #305 |
| 1940 | #300 |
| 1880 | #836 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset (through 2025). Years absent from the table are years Penelope fell outside the top 1,000.
the history of Penelope
Penelope holds Ithaca for twenty years by unpicking each night the shroud she weaves by day, deferring the suitors until Odysseus returns — a stratagem that made her a byword for both fidelity and cunning. The name saw little English use until the twentieth century and rose sharply after 2000, entering the American top thirty.
what are the nicknames and variants of Penelope?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Penelope?
- Penelope Cruz (Academy Award-winning Spanish actress)
- Penelope Fitzgerald (Booker Prize-winning British novelist)
what names are similar to Penelope?
what names go well with Penelope?
Sibling names that share Penelope's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
quick answers about Penelope
What does the name Penelope mean?
Penelope means “weaver, with a web over her face”.
What is the origin of the name Penelope?
Penelope comes from the Greek naming tradition. Related forms include Penelopa and Pénélope.
How popular is the name Penelope?
Penelope ranked #22 in the US in 2025, according to Social Security data. Its best year was 2022, at #21, and it has spent 77 years in the top 1,000 since 1880.
Is Penelope a boy or girl name?
Penelope is primarily a girls' name.
How do you pronounce Penelope?
Penelope is pronounced peh-NEL-oh-pee, with 4 syllables.
Last updated · Curated by HushName editorial
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