Penn
A masculine name derived from a nickname meaning "small one".
Name Census estimates that about 1,107 living Americans carry the first name Penn. It is a predominantly male name (98.1% of registrations). The average person named Penn today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Penn births was 2020 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Penn. 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.
Key insights
- • Penn is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 309,625 Americans
Peak year
2020
80 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,978
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Penn
Penn leans heavily male at 98.1% of total registrations, but 22 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Penn as a male name
- Ranked #2,978 in 2024
- 42 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (79 births)
Penn as a female name
- Ranked #13,123 in 2020
- 7 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2015 (10 births)
Popularity
Penn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Penn from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 554 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Penn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Penn 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 Penn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Penns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Pennsylvania, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Penn, while Virginia, Utah, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Penn
The name Penn has its origins in the Welsh language and culture. It is believed to be derived from the Welsh word "pen," which means "head" or "chief." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to denote someone of importance or authority in the community.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name Penn appeared as a personal name in medieval Welsh poetry and literature from the 12th century onwards. It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Wales, where it was likely used as a name for male children born into influential families or those with aspirations of leadership.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Penn was Sir Penn Shon of Weobley, a Welsh landowner and knight who lived in the late 13th century. He played a significant role in the conflicts between the Welsh and English during the time of Edward I's conquest of Wales.
Another notable figure bearing the name Penn was William Penn, the English Quaker leader and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania. Born in 1644, Penn established the colony as a haven for religious freedom and democratic principles, and his legacy has had a lasting impact on American history.
In the literary realm, Penn Warren, an American novelist, poet, and literary critic, made significant contributions to the field of literature. Born in 1905, he received numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1947 for his novel "All the King's Men."
The name Penn also found its way into the world of sports with Penn Hendricks, an American football player who competed in the early 20th century. Born in 1887, Hendricks played professional football for the Canton Bulldogs and the Cleveland Indians in the National Football League.
Another individual of note was Penn Yan, a Native American leader of the Seneca tribe who lived in the late 18th century. He played a crucial role in negotiating treaties and maintaining peaceful relations between the Seneca nation and the United States government during the post-Revolutionary War period.
People
Penn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Penn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Penn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Penn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,107 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Penn 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 309,625 US residents.
Is Penn a common name?
We classify Penn as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,182 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Penn most popular?
The single biggest year for Penn was 2020, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Penn is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Penn a male name?
Yes, 98.1% of people registered as Penn in the SSA data are male. 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.