Jennifer was the No. 1 baby name for girls in America from 1970 to 1984. In addition, Jennifer was consistently in the top 10 from 1966 to 1991, an astonishing 25-year span in which Jennifer was exceptionally popular. Jennifer’s rise to the top was relatively sudden. In the early 1900s, the name was so unusual that in the play “The Doctor’s Dilemma” by George Bernard Shaw, a character introduced herself as Jennifer and the doctor replied, “That’s a strange name.” After Shaw’s play came to Broadway in 1915, the name Jennifer quickly started to become popular in the U.S. By 1938, it was in the top 1000 girl names in the U.S.; in 1956, it was in the top 100. The name Jennifer remained a top-100 girl name in the U.S. until 2009. The name’s popularity has waned in recent years, with the latest statistics ranking it as No. 434. Although the name Jennifer is typically used as a girl name, it can be used any way you see fit, as sex does not have to be a part of your name selection process.

Name Variations

Sometimes alternate spellings are used, such as Jenifer or Jennefer. The name is frequently shortened to Jen, Jenna, Jenni, Jennie, or Jenny. In addition, the name Jennifer takes quite different forms in other languages:

Dzsenifer (Hungarian)Ginebra (Spanish)Ginevra (Italian)Ginewra (Polish)Guenièvre (French)Xenevra (Galician)

Similar Names

The first syllable in Jennifer has been mashed up or combined with various other names, leading to such creations as Jenibeth (Jen + Elizabeth), Jenilee (Jen + Lee), and Jenilyn (Jen + Lynn). Other J names, such as Jeanine and Jeannette, have also been spelled as Jenine or Jennette, reflecting the influence of Jennifer. Other Totally ‘80s Girl Names:

AmandaAshleyHeatherKimberlyMeganMelissaNicoleStephanie

More Girl Names Starting with J:

JadeJaneJanetJasmineJessicaJosieJoyJulianaJuliette

Suggested Sibling Names

Some names that might go well with Jennifer are:

AmberBrandonBrittanyDanielJohnJosephLauraMatthewSamantha

Famous People Named Jennifer

There are many famous Jennifers, including:

Jennifer Aniston, Emmy Award-winning actress known for her role on the TV show “Friends”Jennifer Beals, American actress known for her roles in the film “Flashdance” and the Showtime TV series “The L Word”Jennifer Connelly, Academy Award-winning actress known for her roles in the films “Labyrinth” and “A Beautiful Mind”Jennifer Coolidge, American actress and comedian known for her roles in the “American Pie” and “Legally Blonde” filmsJennifer Doudna, American biochemist and Nobel prize winner known for her pioneering work in CRISPR gene editingJennifer Garner, American actress known for her roles in the film “13 Going on 30” and the TV show “Alias”Jennifer Granholm, American politician, former governor of Michigan and sixteenth U.S. Secretary of EnergyJennifer Grey, American actress known for her roles in the films “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Dirty Dancing”Jennifer Love Hewitt, American actress known for her roles in the TV show “Party of Five” and the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” film seriesJennifer Hudson, American singer and Academy Award-winning actress known for her Grammy Award-winning self-titled R&B album and her role in the film “Dreamgirls”Jennifer Lawrence, American actress known for her role as Katniss in the “Hunger Games” film series and her Academy Award-winning performance in “Silver Linings Playbook”Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress known for her roles in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Backdraft,” and “Single White Female”Jennifer Lopez, American singer, dancer, actress, and Latina cultural icon, known for her highly successful songs and films as well as her appearances as a judge on “American Idol”Jennifer Lynch, American director and screenwriter, known for her films “Boxing Helena” and “Surveillance”Jennifer Psaki, American political advisor and press secretary for President Joe BidenJennifer Rubin, American political commentator and columnist for “The Washington Post”

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