Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Penne is a variant of Penelope. A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1939. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Penne is a variant of Penelope. The history of Penelope gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Penelope is associated with the faithful wife of Odysseus.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Penne through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 485
- 0 boys · 485 girls
- Most popular year
- 1962
- 93 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1971. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 93 in 1962. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 454 as a first name in 2020; 329 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Penne’s family of names
In French usage, Penne as a surname shares a linguistic root with the Spanish form Peña. Penne has a related form in Penelope.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Penne
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Penne, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Penney
Penney is a surname.
>99% girls
Penni
>99% girls
Pennie
Pennie is a surname.
>99% girls
Dede
“a brokenhearted or raging woman”
>99% girls
Cyndee
>99% girls
Penny
“duck”
>99% girls
Bridgitte
>99% girls
Inge
“ing's wolf” · “protected by the god Ing”
>99% girls