Gennifer
Of Greek origin, meaning "well-born" or "woman of noble birth".
Name Census estimates that about 1,075 living Americans carry the first name Gennifer. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gennifer today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gennifer births was 1982 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gennifer. 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
1.1K
~ 1 in 318,841 Americans
Peak year
1982
50 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2010 SSA rank
#17,922
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Gennifer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gennifer from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 394 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gennifer 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 Gennifer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gennifers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Gennifer, while Ohio, Michigan, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gennifer
The name Gennifer is a modern variant of the more traditional name Jennifer, which has its roots in the Welsh language. The name Jennifer is derived from the Welsh name Gwenfrewi, which means "white stream" or "fair stream." This name was borne by a 5th-century Welsh saint who later became revered as the patron saint of quarrelsome women.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gennifer can be traced back to the late 20th century, with some of the earliest notable figures bearing this name being Gennifer Flowers, an American model and actress born in 1950, and Gennifer Choldenko, an American children's book author born in 1957.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Jennifer, which is closely related to Gennifer. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is Jennifer Remington, an English novelist who lived from 1608 to 1666. Another notable figure is Jennifer Bute, a Scottish noblewoman who lived from 1736 to 1828 and was known for her philanthropic work.
In the realm of literature, Jennifer Wingfield is a fictional character from the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell, published in 1936. The name Jennifer also gained popularity in the 20th century, with Jennifer Jones being an American actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1943 for her role in "The Song of Bernadette."
Moving into the modern era, Jennifer Aniston is a renowned American actress best known for her role as Rachel Green in the popular television sitcom "Friends." She was born in 1969 and continues to be a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
While the name Gennifer is a relatively recent variant, its connection to the Welsh name Gwenfrewi and its historical variants like Jennifer give it a rich background rooted in Welsh culture and tradition.
People
Gennifer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gennifer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gennifer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gennifer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,075 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gennifer 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 318,841 US residents.
Is Gennifer a common name?
We classify Gennifer as "Rare". It ranks above 90.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gennifer most popular?
The single biggest year for Gennifer was 1982, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gennifer is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gennifer a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gennifer 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.