Jennifer (given name)

For other uses, see Jennifer (disambiguation).

Jennifer

William Morris, Queen Guinevere, 1858: King Arthur's wife is known to English-speakers by a Norman French cognate of "Jennifer Machenje"

Pronunciation| /ˈdʒɛnɪfər/
Gender| Female
Origin
Language(s)| Cornish
Meaning| "Fair One", "White Wave"
Region of origin| Cornwall
Other names
Alternative spelling| Jenifer, Yenifer (Spanish)
Nickname(s)| Yennu, Jen, Jenn, Jenna, Jenni, Jenny
Related names| Guinevere, Gwenhwyfar, Gwenore, Ginevra
Popularity| see popular names

Jennifer, also spelled Jenifer or Jenefer, is a feminine given name, the Cornish form of Guinevere,[1] that became popular in the English-speaking world in the 20th century.

## History

[edit]

"Jennifer" may mean "the fair one" (from Proto-Celtic "Windo-*sēbro" (cognate with Old Irish síabar "a spectre, phantom, supernatural being [usually in pejorative sense]"). A Cornish form, it is cognate with the Welsh form Gwenhwyfar and with the Old Irish Findabair.[2] Despite the name's similarity to the Old English words "jenefer," "genefer," and "jinifer," these appear to be derived from the juniper plant used to flavor the beverage.[3]

A common first name for females in English-speaking countries during the 20th century, the name Jennifer has been in use since the 18th century.[1] Before 1906, the name was fairly uncommon, but it gained some recognition after George Bernard Shaw used it for the main female character in The Doctor's Dilemma.[4] However, United Kingdom government statistics (covering England and Wales) only show the name first entering the top 100 most commonly used names for baby girls in 1934 – 28 years after the play was first staged, but it thereafter rose in popularity somewhat, peaking at No. 11 in 1984.[5] Jennifer remained in the top 100 in England and Wales until 2005.[6] It was ranked No. 166 in 2009.[5]

In the United States, the name Jennifer first entered the annual government-derived list of the 1,000 most commonly used names for newborn baby girls in 1938, when it ranked at No. 987. Thereafter, the name steadily gained popularity, entering the top 100 most commonly given girls names in 1956 and breaking through into the top 10 in 1966. It gained even more popularity in the 1970s, possibly due to its use in the movie Love Story.[7][8] Jennifer was the single most popular name for newborn girls in the United States every year from 1970 to 1984, inclusive.[9][10] It dropped out of the top 10 in the United States in 1992 and out of the top 100 in 2009. It has remained among the top 1,000 names in use for American girls and, as of 2021, was ranked in 492nd position on the Social Security Administration’s list of most used names for newborn girls. It has also been well used in other European and North American countries.[11]

## Notable people

[edit]

* Jenifer (born 1982), French singer and actress
* Jennifer Aaker (born 1967), American social psychologist and Professor of Marketing
* Jennifer Abbott (born 1965), Canadian film director
* Jennifer Abel (born 1991), Canadian diver
* Jennifer Abod (born 1946), American feminist activist, musician, journalist, and filmmaker
* Jennifer Abruzzo, American attorney and politician
* Jennifer Ackerman (born 1959), American author
* Jennifer Ahern (born 1978), American epidemiologist
* Jennifer Åkerman (born 1989), Swedish model, blogger and singer
* Jennifer Alanyo, Ugandan physician, military officer, and politician
* Jennifer Alexander (1972–2007), Canadian ballet dancer
* Jennifer Lucy Allan, British writer, researcher, and radio presenter
* Jennifer Allen (born 1961), American author and commentator
* Jennifer Alley, American basketball coach
* Jennifer Alleyn (born 1969), Canadian artist, filmmaker, writer, and photographer
* Jennifer Allison (born 1966), American author
* Jennifer Angus (born 1961), Canadian artist, professor, and author
* Jennifer Aniston (born 1969), American actress, producer and businesswoman
* Jennifer Anson (born 1977), American-Palaun judoka
* Jennifer Antony, Indian actress and model
* Jennifer Archer (born 1957), American author
* Jennifer Arcuri (born 1985), American technology entrepreneur
* Jennifer Arias (born 1987), Colombian politician
* Jennifer Armintrout (born 1980), American author
* Jennifer Armour (born 1985), American actress and voice artist
* Jennifer Armstrong (born 1961), American children's writer
* Jennifer Armstrong (born 1992), Canadian curler
* Jennifer Arndt, American politician
* Jennifer Arroyo (born 1975), American bassist
* Jennifer Arveláez (born 1982), Venezuelan athlete
* Jennifer Ashton (born 1969), American physician, author and television correspondent
* Jennifer Aspen (born 1973), American actress
* Jennifer Aylmer (born 1972), American operatic soprano
* Jennifer Ayoo, Ugandan politician
* Jennifer Azzi (born 1968), American basketball coach
* Jennifer Baichwal (born 1965), Canadian documentary filmmaker, writer and producer
* Jennifer Balakrishnan, American mathematician
* Jennifer Margaret Barker (born 1965), Scottish-American classical composer
* Jennifer Barnhart (born 1972), American actress and puppeteer
* Jennifer Bartlett (1941–2022), American artist
* Jennifer Batten (born 1957), American guitarist
* Jennifer Baumgardner (born 1970), American writer, activist and filmmaker
* Jennifer Beals (born 1963), American actress and former teen model
* Jennifer Beard, American physician
* Jen Beattie (born 1991), Scottish footballer
* Jennifer Bendery (born 1974), American political journalist
* Jenifer Benítez (born 1988), Spanish diver
* Jennifer Berman, American sexual health expert, urologist, and female sexual medicine specialist
* Jennifer Bernhard (born 1966), American electrical engineer
* Jennifer Betit Yen (born 1986), American actress, lawyer, producer and writer
* Jennifer Blake (born 1983), Canadian professional wrestler
* Jennifer Blanc (born 1974), American actress
* Jennifer Blatherwick, Canadian politician
* Jennifer Blow (born 1991), Australian goalball player
* Jennifer Bolande (born 1957), American artist
* Jennifer Botterill (born 1979), Canadian former women's hockey player
* Jennifer Finney Boylan (born 1958), American author, reality television personality and transgender activist
* Jennifer Brackenbury, Canadian actress who was a cast member on the Canadian sketch comedy TV series You Can't Do That on Television
* Jennifer Brady (born 1995), American tennis player
* Jenifer Branning (born 1979), American lawyer and politician
* Jennifer Braun (born 1991), German singer
* Jennifer Brea, American documentary filmmaker and activist
* Jenifer Brening (born 1996), German singer
* Jennifer Brewin, Canadian theatre creator and artistic director
* Jennifer Bricker (born 1987), American acrobat and aerialist
* Jennifer Brown (born 1972), Swedish singer
* Jennifer Brozek (born 1970), American freelance author
* Jennifer Brunner (born 1957), American attorney, politician and judge
* Jennifer Burge (born 1970), American travel writer
* Jennifer Byrne (born 1966), Australian Professor of Molecular Oncology at University of Sydney
* Jennifer Camper (born 1957), Lebanese-American cartoonist and graphic artist
* Jennifer Capriati (born 1976), American former world No. 1 tennis player
* Jennifer Carnahan (born 1976), American political operative
* Jennifer Carpenter (born 1979), American actress
* Jennifer Carroll (born 1959), Trinidadian-American Republican politician and retired naval officer
* Jennifer Carroll Foy (born 1981), American lawyer and politician
* Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (born 1980), Irish Fine Gael politician
* Jennifer Cave (died 2005), American female murder victim
* Jennifer Celotta (born 1971), American television producer, writer and director
* Jennifer Paige Chambers, American musical theatre actress
* Jennifer Anne Chappill (1959–2006), Australian botanist
* Jennifer Charles (born 1968), American singer, poet and writer
* Jennifer Childs-Roshak, American physician and executive
* Jennifer Clement (born 1960), American-Mexican author
* Jennifer Cody (born 1969), American actress and dancer
* Jennifer Cohen (born 1976), Canadian fitness personality
* Jennifer Condos, American bass guitarist
* Jennifer Connelly (born 1970), American actress
* Jennifer Conrad, American economist
* Jennifer Cook O'Toole (born 1975), American author and public speaker
* Jennifer Coolidge (born 1961), American actress
* Jennifer Corday (born 1966), American singer
* Jennifer Elise Cox (born 1969), American actress
* Jennifer Cramblett, American woman notable for giving birth to a multiracial child after receiving supposedly white sperm
* Jennifer Crittenden (born 1969), American screenwriter and producer
* Jennifer Crocker, American Professor of Social Psychology at Ohio State University
* Jennifer Crusie (born Jennifer Smith; 1949), American author of contemporary romance novels
* Jennifer Dahlgren (born 1984), Argentine hammer thrower
* Jennifer Dale (born 1956), Canadian actress and former dancer
* Jennifer Damiano (born 1991), American actress and singer
* Jennifer Darling (born 1946), American voice, film and television actress
* Jennifer Decilveo, American record producer and songwriter
* Jennifer Decker (born 1982), French actress
* Jennifer Des (born 1975), Belgian photographer
* Jennifer Dickson (born 1936), South African-born British photographer
* Jennifer Dionne, American scientist and pioneer of nanophotonics
* Jennifer A. Di Toro (born 1967), American judge
* Jennifer Dixon, British chief executive of the Health Foundation
* Jennifer Dodds (born 1991), Scottish curler
* Jennifer Doleac, American economist
* Jennifer Don (born 1984), Taiwanese-American figure skater
* Jennifer Donahue, American political analyst
* Jennifer Donnelly (born 1963), American young adult fiction writer
* Jennifer A. Dorsey (born 1971), American attorney and jurist
* Jennifer Doudna (born 1964), American biochemist
* Jennifer Dougherty (born 1961), American mayoress
* Jennifer Douglas (born 1964), American writer, producer and activist
* Jennifer Dowd, American social scientist
* Jennifer duBois (born 1983), American novelist
* Jennifer Dugan, American activist and writer
* Jennifer Dunn (1941–2007), American politician and engineer
* Jennifer Eberhardt (born 1965), American social psychologist
* Jennifer Echols, American writer of romantic fiction for young adults
* Jennifer Edwards (born 1957), American actress
* Jennifer Egan (born 1962), American novelist and short-story writer
* Jennifer Egelryd (born 1990), Swedish football forward
* Jennifer Ehle (born 1969), English-American actress
* Jennifer Elie (born 1986), American professional tennis player
* Jennifer Eliogu (born 1976), Nigerian actress and singer
* Jennifer Elisseeff (born 1973), American biomedical engineer, ophthalmologist and academic
* Jennifer Ellison (born 1983), English actress, television personality, dancer, singer and former glamour model
* Jennifer Elster, American experimental artist, filmmaker, writer, photographer, musician and performer
* Jennifer Elvgren, American author and journalist
* Jennifer England (born 1978), American model and actress
* Jennifer Esposito (born 1973), American actress and author
* Jennifer Estep, American author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels
* Jenifer Estess (1963–2003), American theatre producer
* Jennifer Euston (born 1974), American casting director
* Jennifer Fallon (born 1959), Australian author of fantasy and science fiction
* Jennifer Faunce (born 1965), American politician and judge
* Jennifer Ferrin (born 1979), American actress
* Jennifer Mitchell Fetch, Canadian scientist
* Jennifer Fichter (born 1984), American convicted criminal
* Jennifer Fidler, American politician in Alabama
* Jennifer Finch (born 1966), American musician, designer and photographer
* Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, American psychologist, sexuality educator and clinical professional counsellor
* Jennifer Finnigan (born 1979), Canadian actress
* Jennifer Fiori (1986–2021), Italian racing cyclist
* Jennifer Fisher, American jewellery designer
* Jennifer Flackett, American film director and screenwriter
* Jennifer Flavin (born 1968), American entrepreneur, businesswoman, former model and wife of Sylvester Stallone
* Jennifer Flay (born 1959), New Zealand director of the Fiac
* Jennifer Fleiss, co-founder of Rent the Runway
* Jennifer Crystal Foley (born 1973), American actress
* Jennifer Fonstad, American venture capital investor and entrepreneur
* Jennifer Foster, English scholar of prehistoric and medieval archaeology
* Jennifer Fox, American film producer
* Jennifer Fox (born 1959), American film producer, director, writer and cinematographer
* Jennifer Francis, American senior scientist at Woods Hole Research Center
* Jennifer Freeman (born 1985), American actress
* Jennifer Freyd (born 1957), American researcher, author, educator and public speaker
* Jennifer Fry (born 1989), South African badminton player
* Jennifer Garner (born 1972), American actress and producer
* Jennifer George, American playwright, director, and professor
* Jennifer E. Glick, American sociologist and social demographer
* Jennifer Eaton Gökmen (born 1971), American writer and editor
* Jennifer Gommerman, Canadian immunologist
* Jennifer Granholm (born 1959), Canadian-American politician, lawyer, educator and author
* Jennifer Grey (born 1960), American actress
* Jennifer Hale (born 1965), Canadian-American voice actress
* Jennifer Hall (born 1977), American actress
* Jennifer Caron Hall (born 1958), English actress, singer and journalist
* Jenifer Hart (1914–2005), English academic and senior civil servant
* Jennifer Hart (1979–2018), one of the American perpetrators of the Hart family murders
* Jennifer Hawkins (born 1983), American model, television presenter, beauty pageant titleholder, and Miss Universe 2004
* Jennifer Michael Hecht (born 1965), American teacher, author, poet and historian
* Jennifer M. Heemstra, Professor of Chemistry at Emory University
* Jennifer Hermoso (born 1990), Spanish footballer
* Jennifer Herold (born 1985), American politician
* Jennifer Love Hewitt (born 1979), American actress, producer, and singer
* Jennifer A. Hillman (born 1957), American lawyer and professor
* Jennifer Hines, American mezzo-soprano
* Jennifer Ho, American government official
* Jennifer A. Hoeting, American statistician
* Jennifer F. M. Horne (died 2008), Kenyan ornithologist and bioacoustician
* Jennifer Hudson (born 1981), American singer and actress
* Jennifer Irwin (born 1975), Canadian actress
* Jennifer Jajeh, American actress and writer
* Jennifer A. Johnson, American Assistant Professor of Sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University
* Jennifer Jones (1919–2009), American actress and mental health advocate
* Jennifer Kluska, American film director
* Jennifer Lawrence (born 1990), American actress
* Jennifer Lee (born 1971), American screenwriter, film director and chief creative officer and Walt Disney Animation Studios
* Jennifer Jason Leigh (born 1962), American actress and producer
* Jennifer Leaning, American health scholar
* Jenifer Lewis (born 1957), American actress, comedian, singer and activist
* Jennifer A. Lewis (born 1964), American materials scientist and engineer
* Jennifer Li, neuroscientist
* Jennifer Long (died 1998), American murder victim
* Jennifer Lopez (born 1969), American singer, actress, producer and dancer
* Jennifer D. Luff, American historian of 20th century politics
* Jennifer S. Lund (born 1940), British neuroscientist
* Jennifer Lyon (1972–2010), American reality show participant
* Jennifer Macdonald, American conceptual artist
* Jennifer Maia (born 1988), Brazilian professional mixed martial artist
* Jennifer Maiden (born 1949), Australian poet
* Jennifer Maidman (born 1958), British musician, singer, producer and actress
* Jennifer Malat, American sociologist
* Jennifer Manly, American neuropsychologist
* Jennifer Marohasy (born 1963), Australian biologist, columnist and blogger
* Jennifer Martínez (born 1971), American human rights lawyer
* Jennifer McClellan (born 1972), American politician
* Jennifer McFalls (born 1971), American Olympic softball player
* Jennifer McGregor, American curator and arts planner
* Jennifer McIntosh (born 1991), Scottish sports shooter and fantasy author
* Jennifer C. McIntosh, American hydrogeologist and Professor of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences
* Jennifer Mee (born 1991), better known as "Hiccup Girl", American woman with a long-lasting case of the hiccups
* Jennifer Metcalfe (born 1983), English actress
* Jennifer Meyer (born 1977), American jewellery designer
* Jennifer Monson (born 1961), American dancer and choreographer
* Jennifer Morgan (born 1971), American technology executive
* Jennifer Morla (born 1955), American graphic designer
* Jennifer Morrison (born 1979), American actress, director, producer and former child model
* Jennifer Moss (1945–2006), English actress and singer
* Jennifer Sheridan Moss, American papyrologist
* Jennifer Moyle (1921–2016), British biochemist
* Jennifer Murphy (born 1979), American Internet personality and former beauty pageant contestant
* Jennifer Musisi, Ugandan lawyer and public administrator
* Jennifer E. Nashold, American attorney
* Jenifer Neils (born 1950), American classical archaeologist
* Jennifer Nettles (born 1974), American singer, actress and record producer
* Jennifer R. Niebyl (born 1942), Canadian professor
* Jennifer A. Nielsen (born 1971), American author
* Jennifer Padilla (born 1990), Colombian track and field athlete
* Jennifer Pagliaro (1983–2019), American singer-songwriter
* Jennifer Pan (born 1986), Vietnamese-Canadian killer
* Jenifer Papararo (born 1966), Canadian curator and writer of contemporary art
* Jennifer Paredes, American actress
* Jennifer Poirier, American politician
* Jennifer Radloff (born 1961), South African feminist activist
* Jenifer Rajkumar (born 1982), American politician and lawyer
* Jennifer Anne Reddall (born 1975), American prelate bishop
* Jennifer Clyburn Reed, American businessperson and schoolteacher
* Jennifer Reeser (born 1968), American poet
* Jennifer Diane Reitz (born 1959), American writer, webcomic author and game designer
* Jennifer Ramírez Rivero (1978–2018), Venezuelan model and businesswoman
* Jennifer Rice, Canadian politician
* Jenifer Rice-Genzuk Henry, American screenwriter and former singer
* Jennifer Richeson (born 1972), American social psychologist
* Jenifer Ringer (born 1972/1973), American ballet dancer and educator
* Jennifer Risper (born 1987), American professional basketball player
* Jennifer Rivera, American mezzo-soprano
* Jennifer Roizen, American chemist
* Jennifer Rowe (born 1955), British civil servant
* Jennifer Ash Rudick (born 1963), American journalist, author, and filmmaker
* Jennifer Saunders (born 1958), English actress, comedian and screenwriter
* Jennifer Zhu Scott, Chinese investor
* Jennifer Speake (born 1944), Canadian-British freelance writer and editor
* Jennifer E. Smith (born 1980), American author of young adult novels
* Jennifer Stefano, American executive and activist
* Jennifer K. Stuller (born 1975), American writer, editor, popular culture critic, and historian
* Jennifer Elaine Smith, behavioural ecologist and evolutionary biologist
* Jennifer Anne Thomas, British physicist
* Jennifer Tilly (born 1958), American-Canadian actress and poker player
* Jennifer Trusted (1925–2017), British philosopher
* Jennifer Vanderpool, American artist
* Jennifer Westfeldt (born 1970), American actress, screenwriter, director and producer
* Jennifer White-Johnson, American artist and activist
* Jennifer Whyte, British engineer
* Jenifer Widjaja (born 1986), Brazilian professional tennis player
* Jennifer Winget (born 1985), Indian actress
* Jenifer K. Wofford, American contemporary artist
* Jennifer Worth (1935–2011), British nurse and author
* Jennifer Yu (actress) (born 1993), Hong Kong actress, singer, and model
* Jennifer Ziegler, American author

## Fictional characters

[edit]

* Jennifer, from the Pig Destroyer album Prowler in the Yard
* Jennifer, a character in the 1982 Australian movie Turkey Shoot
* Jennifer Aldridge, character on the British soap opera The Archers
* Jennifer Armstrong, character in the British novel Five Run Away Together
* Jennifer Baylor, a protagonist in the horror film Jennifer
* Jennifer "Pilot" Chase, a character in the Canadian-American science fiction-action television series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future
* Jennifer Check, character in the horror comedy film Jennifer's Body
* Jennifer Corvino, a protagonist in the 1985 horror film Phenomena
* Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, on the CBS/Paramount+ crime drama Criminal Minds
* Jennifer Keaton, character in the television sitcom, Family Ties
* Jennifer Parker, a character in the science fiction comedy franchise movie Back to the Future
* Jennifer "Jen" Scotts, the pink ranger in the Power Rangers Time Force
* Jennifer Shope, one of the protagonists of Supernoobs
* Jennifer Simpson, a protagonist in the horror video game Clock Tower (1995) and Clock Tower (1996)
* Jennifer "Jenny" Wakeman/XJ-9, a protagonist in My Life as a Teenage Robot
* Jennifer "Jenny" Humphrey, character from the in American teen drama and novel series "Gossip Girl"
* Jennifer "Jenn" Lindy, character on the American teen drama Dawson's Creek
* Jennifer Walters, also known as SheHulk, a Marvel Comics character
* Jennifer Kale, a character in Marvel Comics

## See also

[edit]

* Cornwall portal

* All pages with titles beginning with Jennifer
* Jenna
* Jenny
* Society for Preventing Parents from Naming Their Children Jennifer

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Room, Adrian. Cassell's Dictionary of First Names. Sterling Publishing (2002), p. 332. ISBN 0-304-36226-3.
2. ^ Monaghan, Patricia (2009). The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase. p. 188\. ISBN 9781438110370.
3. ^ Richard Oliver Heslop, Northumberland Words (Archived 2007-11-24 at the Wayback Machine), 1892–1894: see Ginifer and Jinifer.
4. ^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (1 November 2011). "Jennifer went from 'strange' to popular". Omaha World Herald. Omaha, Nebraska. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
5. ^ a b "THE TOP 100 NAMES IN ENGLAND AND WALES 1984". British Baby Names. 14 December 2016.
6. ^ "Home - Baby Names". babynames.co.uk.
7. ^ Gerson, Jen (23 January 2015). "The Jennifer epidemic: How the spiking popularity of different baby names cycle like genetic drift". Retrieved 12 May 2019.
8. ^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (2007), "The Tsunami Curve and Popular Culture: Influences on Given Names", Names: A Journal of Onomastics, 55 (4)
9. ^ SueKunkel. "Popular Baby Names". Social Security Administration.
10. ^ "Most Popular Baby Names by State 1910-2015". msbarry.github.io.
11. ^ "Popularity for the name Jennifer - Behind the Name".

Name list

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