Find out how popular the last name Jenny is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jenny.

Jenny, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jenny surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jenny in America

Jenny is the 19019th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jenny surname appeared 1,432 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jenny.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jenny to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jenny

The surname JENNY is of English origin, and it is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning "God is gracious." The name gained popularity in England during the Middle Ages, where it was commonly spelled as Jenney or Genny.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name JENNY is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Ginan is listed as a landowner in Lincolnshire. This early spelling variation suggests that the name was already present in England during the Norman Conquest.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name JENNY appeared in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire (1273) and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire (1327), where individuals with the surnames Jeneye and Genney were documented.

In the 16th century, the name was sometimes associated with place names, as evidenced by the record of a Richard Jeny from Jenycourt in Somerset, mentioned in the Feet of Fines for the year 1539.

One notable individual bearing the surname JENNY was Sir Walter Jenny (c. 1585-1658), an English judge and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of Charles I.

Another prominent figure was Sir Armine Jenny (1665-1718), an English lawyer and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in the early 18th century.

The name JENNY also has connections to the United States, with John Jenny (1749-1836) being one of the earliest recorded immigrants with this surname. He was a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the surname was George Jenny (1823-1902), an English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London and other parts of England.

Another individual of note was Henry Albert Jenny (1852-1923), a Swiss-born American engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early internal combustion engines and automobiles.

While the surname JENNY is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and countries, reflecting the diverse origins and influences that have shaped many English surnames over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jenny

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jenny.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jenny was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jenny has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jenny was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jenny, please contact us.

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