Meaning & Origin
A female given name.
Jenny is a girl's and boy's baby name of Hebrew origin, traditionally used as a diminutive of Jennifer or Jane, with Jennifer deriving from the Cornish form of Guinevere and Jane from the Hebrew Yohanan meaning 'God is gracious.'
Jenny has an irresistible sing-song quality — it is practically impossible to say without a slight smile. The song '867-5309/Jenny' by Tommy Tutone (1981) embedded it permanently in pop culture memory. Jenny McCarthy, Jenny from Forrest Gump, and literary Jenny Wren from Dickens give the name a surprisingly wide cultural range. Sweet, unpretentious, and genuinely likable.