UK girl's name
Fenna
A feminine Dutch name meaning "marsh dweller" or "from the fen".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Fenna is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Fenna popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1894, with 15 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 15 births.
This profile covers 46 England and Wales registrations across 8 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Fenna is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 46 living people in the UK are called Fenna. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Fenna ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 15 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 15 girls were registered as Fenna.
- • About 46 living people in the UK are estimated to have Fenna as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1894
2024
Births in 2024
15
Latest year
Peak year
2024
15 births
Estimated living
46
2026
Meaning
What does Fenna mean?
The given name Fenna originated in the Frisian language, which is a West Germanic language spoken in the northern Netherlands and parts of Germany. It is believed to have derived from the Old Frisian word "fenn," meaning "fenland" or "marshy land." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to denote someone who lived near or in a marshy region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fenna can be traced back to the 9th century. It is mentioned in the Frisian legal text known as the "Lex Frisionum," which was a compilation of laws and customs that governed the Frisian people during that period. This suggests that the name was in use among the Frisians as early as the Middle Ages.
In the 12th century, a woman named Fenna van Stavoren was recorded as being a wealthy and influential figure in the city of Stavoren, which was a prominent trading center in the Frisian region at the time. She is believed to have played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs.
Another notable figure who bore the name Fenna was Fenna Mastenbroek, a Dutch artist and sculptor who lived from 1899 to 1987. She was known for her distinctive style, which combined elements of modernism and traditional Dutch folk art. Her works are displayed in various museums and galleries throughout the Netherlands.
In the field of literature, Fenna Wilkens (1923-2007) was a Dutch writer and poet who gained recognition for her contributions to children's literature. She published numerous books and poems that explored themes of childhood and imagination, earning her several literary awards and accolades.
One of the most recent historical figures with the name Fenna was Fenna Oosterhoff (1924-2019), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II. She played a crucial role in the Dutch resistance movement against the German occupation, risking her life to aid Allied forces and shelter Jewish refugees. She was recognized for her bravery and received several honors, including the Dutch Resistance Memorial Cross.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Fenna over time
The chart below shows babies named Fenna registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Fenna, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 15 births in 2024, compared with 15 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fenna by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Fenna was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3342 | 25 | 3 |
| 2010s | #4730 | 15 | 3 |
| 2000s | #3998 | 3 | 1 |
| 1990s | #3795 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Fenna
- Freya 50,564
- Florence 32,908
- Francesca 18,752
- Faith 14,325
- Fatima 11,112
- Faye 8,999
- Felicity 8,554
- Frankie 6,977
- Ffion 6,115
- Flora 3,499
- Frances 3,417
- Fatimah 3,065
FAQ
Fenna: questions and answers
How popular is the name Fenna in the UK right now?
In 2024, Fenna was ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales, with 15 births registered.
When was Fenna most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 15 babies registered as Fenna in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Fenna?
A feminine Dutch name meaning "marsh dweller" or "from the fen".
How many people are called Fenna in the UK?
A total of 46 babies have been registered as Fenna across the 8 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.