UK girl's name
Pennie
A feminine diminutive form of the name Penelope, meaning "weaver" in Greek.
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.
Pennie is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Pennie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3015, with 8 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 20 births.
This profile covers 154 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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.
The latest count is about 40% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 167 living people in the UK are called Pennie. 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
- • Pennie ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 8 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 20 girls were registered as Pennie.
- • Pennie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #355 in 2017.
- • About 167 living people in the UK are estimated to have Pennie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3015
2024
Births in 2024
8
Latest year
Peak year
2019
20 births
Estimated living
167
2026
Meaning
What does Pennie mean?
The name Pennie is derived from the Latin name "Penelope," which means "weaver" or "duck." It has its origins in Greek mythology, where Penelope was the faithful wife of Odysseus in Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey.
The name Penelope was popular in ancient Greece and later spread to other parts of Europe during the Roman Empire. The name Pennie emerged as a diminutive or shortened form of Penelope, likely during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Pennie can be found in the 13th century in England. It was a common name among the lower classes and was often spelled as "Penne" or "Penny" during that time.
In the 16th century, the name Pennie gained popularity among the upper classes as well. One notable figure was Pennie Meautys, an English noblewoman who lived from 1532 to 1607. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her political influence during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another historical figure with the name Pennie was Pennie Brewster, an English Puritan who was born in 1609. She was one of the founders of the town of Taunton, Massachusetts, and played a significant role in the establishment of the colony.
During the 18th century, the name Pennie was particularly popular in Scotland. One notable bearer was Pennie Lochhead, a Scottish poet who lived from 1737 to 1805. She was known for her satirical works and her contributions to the Scottish literary tradition.
In the 19th century, the name Pennie appeared in various literary works, including the novel "Pennie by the Beach" by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, published in 1888. This helped to further popularize the name.
Other notable historical figures with the name Pennie include Pennie Edmiston, an American singer and actress born in 1932, and Pennie Laingen, an American author and political activist born in 1935.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Pennie over time
The chart below shows babies named Pennie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 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 Pennie, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 8 births in 2024, compared with 20 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pennie by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Pennie 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 | #2928 | 48 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2998 | 95 | 10 |
| 2000s | #4564 | 4 | 1 |
| 1990s | #3537 | 7 | 2 |
Geography
Where Pennie is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Pennie. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Pennie ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #355 in 2017.
Across the UK
Pennie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#652 in 2021
2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#355 in 2017
2 years of NISRA records, 7 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Pennie
-
Pennie Quinton
visual artist
1971-
-
Pennie Smith
photographer; journalist
English photographer
1949-
-
Pennie Smith
visual artist
1947-
Related
Names similar to Pennie
- Poppy 52,802
- Phoebe 47,609
- Paige 24,717
- Penelope 13,109
- Pippa 6,346
- Polly 5,678
- Philippa 4,446
- Penny 4,394
- Paris 4,372
- Piper 3,961
- Pearl 3,516
- Paisley 3,419
FAQ
Pennie: questions and answers
How popular is the name Pennie in the UK right now?
In 2024, Pennie was ranked #3015 for girls in England and Wales, with 8 births registered.
When was Pennie most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 20 babies registered as Pennie in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Pennie?
A feminine diminutive form of the name Penelope, meaning "weaver" in Greek.
How many people are called Pennie in the UK?
A total of 154 babies have been registered as Pennie across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland and 7 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Pennie most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Pennie ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #355 in 2017. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.