Meaning and origin
Penelope is an ancient Greek name best known through the wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. Its meaning is disputed. It probably comes from penelops, a Greek word for a type of duck, although another explanation connects it with words meaning “threads” or “weft” and “face” or “eye.”
The possible weaving connection is especially memorable because weaving plays a central role in Penelope’s story. The name has occasionally been used in English since the sixteenth century, giving it a history as an everyday given name as well as a much older literary life.
Penelope in the Odyssey
While Odysseus is away, Penelope faces pressure from suitors who want her to choose a new husband. She promises to make her choice once she has completed a burial shroud for Laertes, Odysseus’ father. By day she weaves; by night she secretly unravels the work, delaying the promised decision.
The plan makes Penelope an active strategist within the story. Her waiting is shaped by intelligence and deception as well as loyalty, and her weaving has become one of the most recognizable scenes associated with her name.
The story also inspired later art. A sixteenth-century tapestry at Hardwick, The Homecoming of Ulysses, shows the reunited couple and includes Penelope at her loom among its smaller narrative scenes. Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, so the tapestry carries the same story into another artistic tradition.
Pronunciation and related forms
English Penelope is pronounced puh-NEL-uh-pee, with four syllables and the emphasis on the second. Penny and Pen are established familiar forms, offering much shorter alternatives to the flowing full name.
Related forms include French Pénélope, Greek Pinelopi, and Spanish and Portuguese Penélope. Their accents and pronunciations follow their own languages, while keeping the connection with the Greek name visible.
Penélope Cruz
Actor Penélope Cruz gives the name family a modern screen association. She won the Academy Award for Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2009 ceremony for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a film released the previous year. Her Spanish form of the name is closely related to English Penelope, with the accent marking its different stress pattern.
Popularity in the United States
Penelope has become particularly prominent among American girls in the twenty-first century. It ranked number 34 in 2015 and number 26 in 2020, then reached its best rank of number 21 in 2022.
Its largest annual count came in 2019, when 6,734 girls received the name. It ranked number 22 in 2025, remaining close to its national peak. The recent popularity gives a very old mythological name a strong place in contemporary American naming.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
How popular is Penelope?
In 2025, Penelope ranked #22 among girls in the United States, with 6,225 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 6,734 in 2019. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.