Venelope
A feminine name derived from the Greek words meaning "Venus" and "friend".
Name Census estimates that about 75 living Americans carry the first name Venelope. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Venelope today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Venelope births was 2020 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Venelope. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Venelope. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
75
~ 1 in 4,570,058 Americans
Peak year
2020
11 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2023 SSA rank
#17,419
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Venelope: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Venelope from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 47 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Venelope remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Venelope 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 Venelope 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 Venelope
The name Venelope traces its origins to Ancient Greece, deriving from the Greek words "pene" meaning "thread" and "lope" meaning "woven". It was a name associated with weaving, a prominent skill and art form in ancient Greek culture. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 5th century BC, where it was mentioned in classical Greek literature and historical records.
One of the most notable historical references to the name Venelope can be found in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. Penelope, the faithful wife of Odysseus, is portrayed as a skilled weaver who waited patiently for her husband's return from the Trojan War. Her cunning strategy of weaving and unraveling a shroud to delay her suitors became a symbolic representation of marital fidelity and perseverance.
In the 4th century BC, Penelope of Sparta was a renowned Spartan princess and wife of Pausanias, the Spartan regent during the Peloponnesian War. Her influence and political acumen played a significant role in shaping the events of the war, further cementing the name's historical significance.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained renewed popularity, particularly in Italy. Penelope Devereux, Countess of Devonshire (1563-1607), was an English noblewoman known for her beauty, intellect, and literary patronage. Her life and romantic entanglements with prominent figures like Sir Philip Sidney and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, were widely celebrated in poetry and literature.
In the 17th century, Penelope Naunton (1615-1672) was an English writer and translator who gained recognition for her translations of French and Spanish works. Her contributions to the literary world helped to further establish the name's association with intellectual pursuits.
Another notable figure was Penelope Barker (1728-1796), an English poet and writer who advocated for women's education and social reform. Her work, "An Apology for the Professed Disobedience and Non-Conformity of the Dissenters to the Ecclesiastical Establishment," addressed religious tolerance and freedom of conscience.
Throughout history, the name Venelope has maintained its connection to weaving, literature, and intellectual pursuits, reflecting the enduring legacy of its ancient Greek origins.
People
Venelope + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Venelope as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Venelope: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Venelope?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 75 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Venelope 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 4,570,058 US residents.
Is Venelope a common name?
We classify Venelope as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 76 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Venelope most popular?
The single biggest year for Venelope was 2020, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Venelope is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Venelope a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Venelope 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.