girls' name ★ peaked 1972

Jennifer

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #586 Trend ↓ Falling 30%

From Cornish Gweniver, from Middle Cornish Gwynnever (cognate with Welsh Gwenhwyfar), from Proto-Brythonic *Gwɨnnohuɨβar.

Rank 2025
#586
among girls · ↓42 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
501
named Jennifer · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,208
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1972
63,790 babies
All-time total
1,476,540
#4 all-time among girls
First recorded
1919
in Social Security records

Jennifer popularity over time

1,476,540 babies have been named Jennifer since 1919, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
12.52537.55018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s 6 – 6 1 – #4,507
1920s 86 – 86 9 +1333% #2,050
1930s 368 – 368 37 +328% #893
1940s 10,685 6 10,691 1,069 +2805% #121
1950s 43,075 84 43,159 4,316 +304% #78
1960s 164,413 444 164,857 16,486 +282% #3
1970s 581,729 1,920 583,649 58,365 +254% #1
1980s 440,914 1,683 442,597 44,260 -24% #1
1990s 148,041 486 148,527 14,853 -66% #8
2000s 63,509 185 63,694 6,369 -57% #26
2010s 15,253 29 15,282 1,528 -76% #121
2020s (to 2025) 3,624 – 3,624 604 -60% #431

Where Jennifer is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 471 0.29 outside top 500
2027 448 0.28 outside top 500
2028 428 0.27 outside top 500
2029 413 0.26 outside top 500
2030 400 0.25 outside top 500

Where Jennifer is most popular

Girls named Jennifer per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.359 per 1,000. Strongest in Maryland, Alaska, and Nevada.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Jennifer born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Maryland 71 0.670 +87%
Alaska 5 0.581 +62%
Nevada 25 0.538 +50%
California 449 0.534 +49%
South Carolina 48 0.534 +49%
Alabama 50 0.533 +48%
Washington 76 0.526 +47%
Virginia 85 0.499 +39%
New Jersey 90 0.499 +39%
New York 185 0.467 +30%
Indiana 65 0.463 +29%
Wisconsin 47 0.456 +27%
Kansas 26 0.451 +26%
North Carolina 102 0.448 +25%
Texas 355 0.441 +23%
Utah 36 0.433 +21%
Massachusetts 52 0.430 +20%
Tennessee 68 0.429 +20%
Pennsylvania 101 0.427 +19%
Georgia 97 0.427 +19%
Florida 181 0.423 +18%
Kentucky 36 0.421 +17%
Oklahoma 29 0.394 +10%
Ohio 93 0.392 +9%
Illinois 89 0.389 +8%
Arizona 54 0.385 +7%
Colorado 38 0.340 -5%
Missouri 41 0.340 -5%
Minnesota 27 0.250 -30%
Mississippi 11 0.235 -34%
Michigan 41 0.225 -37%
Nebraska 8 0.223 -38%
Louisiana 19 0.217 -40%
Iowa 11 0.188 -48%
Connecticut 9 0.155 -57%
Arkansas 6 0.114 -68%
Oregon 5 0.077 -79%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Jennifer

Jennifer is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #586 in 2025 with 501 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1919, 1,476,540 American babies have been named Jennifer. Its peak came in 1972, when 63,790 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jennifer stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jennifer?

The median living Jennifer is about 46 years old; half are between 40 and 52. An estimated 1.4 million people named Jennifer are alive in the United States today.

median 46 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jennifer year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 501 #586 – –
2024 556 #544 – –
2023 586 #520 – –
2022 630 #501 – –
2021 638 #494 – –
2020 713 #431 – –
2019 788 #391 – –
2018 921 #344 – –
2017 1,052 #309 – –
2016 1,162 #272 6 #11,335
2015 1,286 #251 – –
2014 1,521 #222 6 #11,350
2013 1,692 #192 – –
2012 1,928 #164 5 #13,118
2011 2,281 #134 6 #11,475
2010 2,622 #121 6 #11,386
2009 2,987 #110 5 #13,341
2008 3,797 #84 15 #5,904
2007 4,653 #64 7 #10,278
2006 5,268 #51 17 #5,178
2005 5,837 #42 15 #5,413
2004 6,545 #39 23 #3,932
2003 7,569 #31 18 #4,516
2002 8,540 #28 27 #3,301
2001 8,923 #26 26 #3,363
2000 9,390 #26 32 #2,837
1995 12,683 #18 55 #1,659
1990 22,236 #8 87 #1,168
1985 42,661 #3 161 #694
1980 58,374 #1 211 #599
1975 58,190 #1 225 #534
1970 46,150 #1 119 #754
1965 15,207 #20 34 #1,326
1960 7,243 #61 13 #2,370
1955 4,123 #104 – –
1950 2,802 #118 8 #2,891
1945 985 #200 – –
1940 102 #689 – –
1935 36 #1,190 – –
1930 17 #2,063 – –
1925 9 #3,506 – –
1920 7 #4,172 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Jennifer

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Lawrence American actress and producer (born 1990) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez American singer and actress (born 1969) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Aniston American actress (born 1969) Contemporary
  4. 4 Jennifer Garner Jennifer Garner American actress (born 1972) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jennifer Connelly Jennifer Connelly American actress (born 1970) Contemporary
  6. 6 Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh American actress (born 1962) Contemporary
  7. 7 Jennifer Coolidge Jennifer Coolidge American actress (born 1961) Contemporary
  8. 8 Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt American actress and singer (born 1979) Contemporary
  9. 9 Jennifer Tilly Jennifer Tilly American-Canadian actress (born 1958) Contemporary
  10. 10 Jennifer Grey Jennifer Grey American actress (born 1960) Contemporary
  11. 11 Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Hudson American singer and actress (born 1981) Contemporary
  12. 12 Jennifer Morrison Jennifer Morrison American actress and director (born 1979) Contemporary
  13. 13 Jennifer Esposito Jennifer Esposito American actress (born 1973) Contemporary
  14. 14 Jennifer Carpenter Jennifer Carpenter American actress (born 1979) Contemporary
  15. 15 Jennifer Ehle Jennifer Ehle American-British actress (born 1969) Contemporary
  16. 16 Jennifer Beals Jennifer Beals African-American actress (born 1963) Contemporary
  17. 17 Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Saunders English comedian (born 1958) Contemporary
  18. 18 Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones American actress (1919–2009) Contemporary
  19. 19 Jennifer Lee Jennifer Lee American filmmaker (born 1971) Contemporary
  20. 20 Jennifer Taylor American actress b. 1972 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jennifer, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jennifer?

The median living Jennifer is about 46 years old. Half of all living Jennifers are between 40 and 52 years old.

How many people named Jennifer are alive today?

An estimated 1.4 million people named Jennifer are alive in the United States, based on 1,476,540 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jennifer mean?

From Cornish Gweniver, from Middle Cornish Gwynnever (cognate with Welsh Gwenhwyfar), from Proto-Brythonic *Gwɨnnohuɨβar.

How popular is the name Jennifer in 2025?

Jennifer ranked #586 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 501 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jennifer?

1,476,540 babies have been named Jennifer in the United States since 1919, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jennifer most popular?

Jennifer peaked in 1972, when 63,790 newborns received the name.

Is Jennifer a boy or girl name?

Jennifer is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jennifer rising or falling?

Jennifer is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jennifer become more popular?

Jennifer is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 400 girls named Jennifer in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jennifer?

Well-known people named Jennifer include Jennifer Lawrence (actor), Jennifer Lopez (singer), Jennifer Aniston (actor).

Names like Jennifer

Names that sound and feel close to Jennifer: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jennifer with similar names → More names starting with J →