Jenniffer
A feminine variant of Jennifer, from the Welsh Gwenhwyfar meaning "fair and smooth".
Name Census estimates that about 2,627 living Americans carry the first name Jenniffer. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jenniffer today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jenniffer births was 1972 (125 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jenniffer. 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
2.6K
~ 1 in 130,474 Americans
Peak year
1972
125 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2012 SSA rank
#14,156
Tracked since 1947
Popularity
Jenniffer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jenniffer from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,040 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
Jenniffer 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 Jenniffer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jenniffers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Jenniffer, while Washington, Utah, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 65 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jenniffer
The name Jenniffer is an anglicized variant of the Hebrew name Jennie, which is a diminutive form of the name Jennifer. The name Jennifer can be traced back to the Welsh name Gwenllian or Gwenhwyfar, meaning "fair and smooth" or "white wave."
The earliest recorded use of the name Jenniffer dates back to the late 19th century, around the 1880s. It is believed to have emerged as a variant spelling of the more common name Jennifer, possibly due to regional dialects or misspellings.
While the name Jenniffer does not have a strong historical presence in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it shares its origins with the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, which was the name of the legendary Queen Guinevere from Arthurian legends.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Jenniffer was Jenniffer Hartley (born in 1906), an American actress known for her roles in silent films and early talkies. Another early bearer of the name was Jenniffer Browning (1914-1992), an American poet and writer.
Other historical figures with the name Jenniffer include Jenniffer Graham (1927-2020), a Canadian author and journalist; Jenniffer Estrada (born 1941), a Mexican-American actress and singer; and Jenniffer Moss (born 1952), an American author and journalist.
It is worth noting that while the name Jenniffer has been used throughout history, its popularity has been relatively low compared to the more common spelling of Jennifer. The unique spelling has added a distinct touch to the name, making it stand out while still retaining its roots and meaning.
People
Jenniffer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jenniffer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jenniffer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jenniffer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,627 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jenniffer 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 130,474 US residents.
Is Jenniffer a common name?
We classify Jenniffer as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,878 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jenniffer most popular?
The single biggest year for Jenniffer was 1972, when 125 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jenniffer is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jenniffer a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jenniffer 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.