Jennifer is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Jennifer means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Jennifer across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Jennifer has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Jennifer is a girl name of Cornish origin meaning “white, fair, smooth”. a Cornish form of Guinevere.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 1,476,540 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 11,497 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 15,389 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 334 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 14,809 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 9,991 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Jennifer per year, United States (1919 to 2025). United States peaked in 1972 (63,790/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (1,200/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1984 (850/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1983 (682/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (44/yr).
Jennifer has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1972, when it ranked #2 nationally (given to 64,120 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1970s.
Jenifer · Jenniffer · Jennafer · Jennefer · Jeniffer · Gennifer · Jennyfer · Jennipher
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