Jenny

Meaning: Its source is Gwenhwyfar, a Welsh name meaning "Pure and yielding, whitewave."

Languages: This girl's name is used in German and English.

Nickname For: Genevieve, Jane, Jenelle, Jenna, Jennifer, Joanna and Virginia

Compound Forms: Jenell, Jenelle, Jennell, Jennilee, Jennilyn, Jennilynn and Jennylinn

Alternative Spellings: Genny, Jeni, Jenni, Jeny and Jenie

Variant Forms: Jenee and Jenise

Source Forms: Gwenhwyfar

Popularity: The name Jenny ranked 368th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 282nd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: In British legend, Gwenhwyfar (the Welsh source of this name) was identified with King Arthur's tragic queen.

Caught as she was between her devotion to her husband and her illicit love for the saintly Sir Lancelot, her predicament is succinctly expressed in the meaning of her name.

Science and Philosophy

Jenny P. Glusker
American chemist.
- 1979 winner of the American Chemical Society''s Garvan Medal (see list of Chemists)

Stage and Screen

Jenny
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Jenny Nichols (see list of Characters in the film Crimes and Misdemeanors)
Jenny O'Hara
- Actress on soap opera ''''As the World Turns'''' (see list of Performers on ''As The World Turns'')
Jenny Piccalo
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Cathy Silvers (see list of Characters on ''Happy Days'')

The Literary World

Jenny Brown
Fictional character.
- Character in Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter (see list of Characters in Literature of the American South)
Jenny Engstron
Fictional character.
- Dayana''s partner in Las Vegas in Stephen King''s novel The Stand (see list of Characters in The Stand)