Fenna
A feminine Dutch name meaning "marsh dweller" or "from the fen".
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the first name Fenna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fenna today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fenna births was 2015 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fenna. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
120
~ 1 in 2,856,286 Americans
Peak year
2015
13 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,591
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Fenna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fenna from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 60 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fenna by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fenna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fenna
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.
People
Fenna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fenna as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fenna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fenna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fenna going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,856,286 US residents.
Is Fenna a common name?
We classify Fenna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fenna most popular?
The single biggest year for Fenna was 2015, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fenna is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fenna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fenna in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.