Hey berries! So I don’t know if it’s my hormones getting the best of me right now but I need some help! [name]Ive[/name] long loved the name [name]Penelope[/name] (been my favorite since high school). Im due to have a girl in 8 weeks and i’m freaking out now. [name]Do[/name] you think it is stupid/wrong of me to take [name]Penelope[/name] off my short list because of it’s recent jump in popularity? I love it for so long, but our last name is also [name]Olsen[/name] which is also a very common last name. Please tell me what you think and I would also love to hear some possible middle name suggestions that would maybe give her a more unique name! She will be sibling to an [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Rex[/name] 
Thank you in advance for your suggestions!
[name]Penelope[/name] is perfect with [name]Oliver[/name]. Go with the name you love!
I agree with paw. [name]Penelope[/name] sounds lovely with [name]Oliver[/name], and if you love a name you should use it.
[name]Penelope[/name] isn’t even that popular. Yes it jumped up the charts and it might keep climbing, but its still not that common. In the States there were only 1800 baby Penelopes born last year. I believe that is far less than 1%. I say use it!
Sorry, also wanted to mention that it sounds great with your last name!
Use it. It’s lovely.
[name]Just[/name] don’t call her [name]Nelly[/name] [name]Olsen[/name]
thank you all for making me feel better! i know it’s silly! and hahahahaha @ the nelly olsen comment! i’m undecided on [name]Penny[/name] or [name]Poppy[/name] right now!
[name]Penelope[/name] is lovely! If you’ve loved it for years, I would definitely go for it. I think [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Olsen[/name] is lovely–and personally, I don’t think [name]Olsen[/name] is that common–nowhere near as common as my surname, anyway, and there are much more common ones out there. For what it’s worth, [name]Poppy[/name] gets my vote for the nn.
I don’t think you should take it off of your list. It’s a beautiful name!
Nope, [name]Penelope[/name] is beautiful and especially with brother [name]Oliver[/name].
I don’t think it is terribly popular. Certainly not as popular as [name]Oliver[/name]. I think [name]Penelope[/name] and [name]Oliver[/name] are perfect together.
Oh, [name]Penelope[/name] is my [name]Favorite[/name]! [name]Ive[/name] worried about popularity too, but I have yet to meet a [name]Penelope[/name]. Id say, use it. [name]Oliver[/name] and [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Olsen[/name] is great
Beautiful name. Go with what you love.
[name]Penelope[/name] is a beautiful choice, despite her recent rise in popularity, she’s a classic and sounds perfect with [name]Oliver[/name] [name]Rex[/name]. I think also as you have a unusual middle name of the same caliber of [name]Rex[/name] then [name]Penelope[/name] will be a beautiful choice and the popularity rise won’t be an issue as it won’t be a ‘predictable’ combination like [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Jane[/name].
I love the name [name]Penelope[/name]. The name may be becoming more popular but its far from common in the US. I think there is more talk than actual naming going on.
[name]Poppy[/name] gets my nn vote.
This. People on this site put way too much stock into the popularity of a name. If you love it, use it regardless of popularity.
I say use it. [name]How[/name] popular is it in NJ where you live? Sometimes the state lists are different from the national one. [name]IMO[/name] it goes very well with [name]Oliver[/name] and is a lovely name in general. Use it.
I would definately use it if you’ve loved it for that long… But I think giving her a somewhat unexpected middle is a good idea to give it a unique twist! I love nn [name]Poppy[/name] but I also think [name]Pip[/name]/[name]Pippy[/name] is totally adorable when she’s very little… I like [name]Lola[/name] too as another option!its a bit hard to suggest middles with nothing to go on… Some idea of what you’re after eg. [name]Whimsy[/name], classic, spunky, romantic, mythological etc. or maybe a list if a few people you might like to honour in the middle… Personally I like the sound of
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Aurora[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Isadora[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Lily[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Azura[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Opal[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Delphine[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Plum[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Willow[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Love[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Adelaide[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]June[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Luna[/name]
[name]Penelope[/name] [name]Lucille[/name]
In 2011, there were only 47 [name]Penelope[/name]'s born in NJ. Cannot find stats for 2010 or 2011 but there were just about 110,000 babies born in NJ in 2009 and I would guess the number was slightly less than that in 2011.
you ladies are right, thank you all! it was so hard for me to tell just how popular it actually was as i have no friends that have children yet, and my little one is two and hasn’t been enrolled in pre-k. My assumption was that [name]Penelope[/name] wasn’t popular around here, but I had no way of knowing for sure. Obviously I didnt think [name]Oliver[/name] was that popular in 2010 and now I hear his name everywhere. As for a middle name, I think I am looking for something a little more spunky and fresh. [name]LOVE[/name] your ideas of [name]Opal[/name] and [name]Luna[/name]. The only name I would use to honor would be [name]Alice[/name], but i’m not sure if [name]Penelope[/name] [name]Alice[/name] is not quite what I was looking for.