The name Penny is of English origin and it means "one penny." It comes from the word "penny," which was used to refer to a small silver coin worth one penny in British currency during the Middle Ages. The name Penny has been popular for girls in English-speaking countries since the late 19th century, but it wasn't until the mid-20th century that it became particularly fashionable. Today, Penny is still a commonly used name for girls and it's often associated with its short form, "Pen."
Based on the provided statistics, the name Penny experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the years. The number of births with the name Penny peaked around the mid-1950s to early 1960s, reaching a high of 5127 births in 1963. However, since then, there has been a consistent decline in the usage of this name, with only 431 births recorded in 2023. The lowest point occurred recently, with just 38 births in 2001. Overall, from 1882 to 2023, there were a total of 99,867 births registered with the name Penny.