Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2020

Penn

Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #2,706 Trend ↓ Falling 13%
Rank 2025
#2,706
among boys · ↑284 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
48
named Penn · +14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 35,585
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2020
80 babies
All-time total
1,230
#4,562 all-time among boys
First recorded
1915
in Social Security records

Penn popularity over time

1,230 babies have been named Penn since 1915, 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
0.010.030.040.0518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 13 13 1 – #3,317
1920s – 21 21 2 +62% #4,231
1930s – 11 11 1 -48% #3,440
1940s – 25 25 3 +127% #3,111
1950s – 38 38 4 +52% #3,221
1960s – 19 19 2 -50% #3,524
1970s – 16 16 2 -16% #5,079
1980s – 33 33 3 +106% #5,766
1990s – 24 24 2 -27% #7,200
2000s – 119 119 12 +396% #3,457
2010s 15 539 554 55 +366% #1,869
2020s (to 2025) 7 350 357 60 +7% #1,973

Where Penn is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 47 0.03 outside top 500
2027 46 0.03 outside top 500
2028 45 0.03 outside top 500
2029 45 0.03 outside top 500
2030 44 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Penn

Penn is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,706 in 2025 with 48 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 1,230 American babies have been named Penn. Its peak came in 2020, when 80 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Penn stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Penn?

The median living Penn is about 9 years old; half are between 5 and 14. An estimated 1,200 people named Penn are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

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

Penn 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 – – 48 #2,706
2024 – – 42 #2,990
2023 – – 69 #2,121
2022 – – 54 #2,551
2021 – – 64 #2,215
2020 7 #13,134 73 #1,973
2019 5 #17,399 67 #2,145
2018 – – 49 #2,606
2017 – – 61 #2,211
2016 – – 64 #2,159
2015 10 #10,693 56 #2,344
2014 – – 79 #1,869
2013 – – 53 #2,389
2012 – – 46 #2,666
2011 – – 34 #3,288
2010 – – 30 #3,607
2009 – – 32 #3,457
2008 – – 22 #4,501
2007 – – 14 #6,182
2006 – – 10 #7,858
2005 – – 10 #7,517
2004 – – 7 #9,680
2003 – – 8 #8,430
2002 – – – –
2001 – – 9 #7,361
2000 – – 7 #8,888
1995 – – – –
1990 – – – –
1985 – – 5 #7,311
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – 5 #5,253
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – 5 #4,252
1950 – – – –
1945 – – 5 #3,658
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – 5 #4,416
1925 – – – –
1920 – – 5 #4,808
1915 – – 7 #3,317
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Penn

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

  1. 1 Penn Badgley Penn Badgley American actor (born 1986) Contemporary
  2. 2 Penn Jillette Penn Jillette American magician and comedian (born 1955) Contemporary
  3. 3 Penn Nouth Penn Nouth 7th prime minister of Cambodia 1906–1985 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Penn?

The median living Penn is about 9 years old. Half of all living Penns are between 5 and 14 years old.

How many people named Penn are alive today?

An estimated 1,200 people named Penn are alive in the United States, based on 1,230 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Penn in 2025?

Penn ranked #2,706 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 48 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Penn?

1,230 babies have been named Penn in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Penn most popular?

Penn peaked in 2020, when 80 newborns received the name.

Is Penn a boy or girl name?

Penn is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Penn rising or falling?

Penn has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Penn become more popular?

Penn is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 44 boys named Penn 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 Penn?

Well-known people named Penn include Penn Badgley (actor), Penn Jillette (magician), Penn Nouth (politician).

Names like Penn

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

Compare Penn with similar names → More names starting with P →