U.S. first-name statistics

How common is Penny?

Penny was the #646 most frequent first name in the 2020 Census.

People with the first name Penny

81,497

About 1 in 4,067 Americans had this first name in the 2020 Census.

Measured, privacy-protected national Census count—not a total of historical baby-name records.

National rank

#646

More common than 98.8% of listed first names

Peak year

1963

5,143 SSA-recorded births

2025 births

368

#1,460 across first names

Census frequency

1 in 4,067

Across the 2020 U.S. population

Sex distribution

Reported in the 2020 Census first-name table.

0.3% male99.7% female

Demographic distribution

Aggregated race and Hispanic-origin reporting in the 2020 Census name table.

White, non-Hispanic88.8%
Black, non-Hispanic3.98%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.75%
Asian / Pacific Islander1.51%
Two or more races2.97%
Hispanic or Latino1.97%

Reading the result

Penny across two different records

The Census count answers “how many people had this name?” using a national snapshot of living residents in 2020. The SSA series answers “when was this name popular?” using Social Security card applications associated with births.

Penny reached its highest published annual SSA count in 1963, with 5,143 recorded births. In 2025, SSA recorded 368 babies with the name.

Names do not determine a person’s identity. Demographic percentages above describe national aggregates and should never be applied to an individual.

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