Jennifer
/ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɪ.fəɹ/
Jennifer is a Cornish form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, the origin of Guinevere, combining gwen (“white, fair, blessed”) and hwyfar (“smooth, soft”). The Cornish pronunciation shifted the Welsh consonants into the form familiar today.
The name was largely confined to Cornwall until the 20th century. American actress Jennifer Jones (1919-2009) introduced it to a wider US audience, and it exploded in the late 1960s and 1970s to become the most dominant American girl name of its era.
Jennifer peaked at an extraordinary No. 1 in 1970 with 46,150 births — the largest single-year total of any name in SSA records. In 2024 it ranks No. 547 with 552 births.
What the name Jennifer means
Famous bearers include Jennifer Aniston (1969-), Jennifer Lopez (1969-), Jennifer Lawrence (1990-), and Jennifer Connelly (1970-). The name defined a generation of American women born in the 1970s-1980s.
Three syllables — JEN-ih-fer — with stress on the first beat. The name flows naturally in American English and generates the nearly universal nickname Jen or Jenny.
Jennifer today is a generational name — parents choosing it are often honouring a mother, aunt, or sister, or deliberately selecting a name that feels both familiar and slightly retro.
Variant forms include Jenifer (single n), Jenniffer (rare), and the Welsh original Gwenhwyfar. The short forms Jen, Jenni, and Jenny are all widely used.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named Jennifer
Jennifer - similar names
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