[name_f]Jenny[/name_f][name_f][/name_f] [JEHN-ee] is a diminutive of [name_f]Jane[/name_f], which is ultimately from the Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan)[name_f][/name_f] meaning “Yah is gracious”. Although most people tend to think of [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] as a nickname for [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] that usage didn’t arise until the mid-20th century. As a term, [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] is the feminine equivalent of [name_m]Jack[/name_m] and is sometimes used as a general name for a female animal, most notably the [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] wren.
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I tend to associate [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] with the 1960s to 1970s so it feels a bit retro, friendly, and folkish. I see it as a very sunny and approachable name. It’s also a nod to my partner’s sister who is very spunky as well!
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What do you think of the name [name_f]Jenny[/name_f]? Which, if any, of the combos below do you like?
I like [name_f]Jenny[/name_f], I think it’s charming and fun-loving and has a slightly mischievous energy. I will say it’s quite trim and childlike as a full name, I think I would personally prefer it as a nickname with a full name that offers more flexibility. [name_f]My[/name_f] favourite would be [name_f]Jane[/name_f] “Jenny” (so classic! So cute!), or [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] “Jenny”. However, [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] has the advantage of more serious nickname [name_f]Jen[/name_f], and if [name_m]Alfie[/name_m] and [name_m]Charlie[/name_m] and [name_f]Nell[/name_f] are full names, why not [name_f]Jenny[/name_f]?
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You do have some great combos. [name_f]My[/name_f] top three would be:
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- I think this one pushes [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] back in time, which actually makes it feel more timeless. This combo makes me think of a garden, fresh air and beautiful views.
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Lark[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- This combo is playful to an extreme, but I love the crisp clear sound of [name_f]Lark[/name_f] against Jenny’s bounciness. It’s so quirky and fun.
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- I often struggle with [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] in combos because it’s such a heavy, solemn name, but this combo makes that weightiness feel grounded and secure. [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] offers a nice airiness that contrasts [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] well. This combo also offers potential nickname [name_m]Jem[/name_m] and it’s probably the most fun to say of all the combos for me.
[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] is kind of sweet [name_f][/name_f]- and unexpected these days [name_f][/name_f]- I like it a bit like I like [name_f]Jilly[/name_f]
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] and [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Blair[/name_f] are nice
I really like your 3 syllable middles with Jenny, and my favourite is Jenny Matilda.
An 80’s baby, I grew up with quite a few Jennys, both Jenny as a full name and a nn for Jennifer, so it feels a little dated. However, picturing a chubby-cheeked baby named Jenny I really see the appeal and think that would be adorable!
Ahhhh I think [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] is adorable such a retro friendly girl next door name that feels sunshiney and endearing.
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From your combinations I love [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f] and [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f] but all the combinations are stunning though these just have an adorable warm feel especially [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]!
I love [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Blair[/name_f] !! [name_f][/name_f]I have a cousin who is [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f] and I have always loved that name !!
I like [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] for a baby, it has a bright and youthful sound. I prefer the [name_f]Jennie[/name_f] spelling, especially as a diminutive of [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. I think it puts a bit more distance between the [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f] generation of the 70’s and makes the name more ‘vintage darling.’
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f] is very sweet. I enjoy the lilting rhythm and playful alliteration. This would be a fun name to sing and call out. Very sunny.
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] is more my usual style, with the more sturdy [name_f]Frances[/name_f] balancing out the dainty sound of [name_f]Jenny[/name_f]. This combination has a little more attitude and probably the most classic in sound.
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] leans towards the vintage lace and curls imagery. I like how the playfulness and elegance of the names come together.
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f] has a bright, clear sound that I just enjoy. The flower imagery complements the cheerful tone and it feels very versatile overall, with [name_f]Violet[/name_f] adding softness and sharpness in equal parts. I’m not sure this would appeal to you, but I could see [name_m]Jet[/name_m] as a stetchy nickname.
@FreyByTheWay[name_f][/name_f]: I feel so silly that despite knowing that [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] originated as a nickname for [name_f]Jane[/name_f] I never consider [name_f]Jane[/name_f] nn [name_f]Jenny[/name_f].
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I also love the idea of [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] “Jem”. How sweet!
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@Greyblue[name_f][/name_f]: [name_f]Jilly[/name_f] is so cute!
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@EdgeOfTheMeadow[name_f][/name_f]: I hadn’t really sat down and pictured a baby [name_f]Jenny[/name_f]. [name_f]Love[/name_f] it.
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@tori101[name_f][/name_f]: Agreed! [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] just sounds like a ray of sunshine.
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@Ehrob1[name_f][/name_f]: [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Claire[/name_f] is cute! She has a great name.
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@kachenka[name_f][/name_f]: I had considered the spelling [name_f]Jennie[/name_f] but I intuitively go to the [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] spelling—I do like them both though!
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Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the input. It looks like the standouts are [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Rosemary[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Blair[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]June[/name_f], and [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f].
‘Retro, friendly and folkish’ is the perfect description! [name_f]My[/name_f] main association with [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] is my SIL, she is very much my husband’s ‘kid sister’ and is simultaneously quite young for her age, as well as being a bit of a ‘granny’ who knits and loves jigsaw puzzles, so I guess it suits her with its youthful, slightly vintage energy. Her mum calls her [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Wren[/name_f] sometimes but her actual mn is [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. I’ve known lots of Jennifers nn [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] but never a [name_f]Jane[/name_f] nn [name_f]Jenny[/name_f]! I vastly prefer [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] to [name_f]Jen[/name_f]. [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] is cute and spunky, fairisle cardigans and mugs of tea, thrift shopping for vintage clothes, whereas [name_f]Jen[/name_f] reads more middle aged to me and rather boring.
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Of your combos, I’m crushing on [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] (so folky and autumnal!), [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] (gives it a grown up edge), [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] (plays up the vintage, slightly cheeky energy), [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] (pretty!), [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Blair[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Florence[/name_f]. But honestly most things pair well. I think [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Wren[/name_f] is a bit on the nose as a legal name, but [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Lark[/name_f] is breezy and delightful.
I am SO so glad someone is talking about Jenny in a positive way (and so many positive replies too!). I am very biased as Jenny is probably my top contender for another girl and was one of the only other names we considered for our first daughter! But I love Jenny. To me, she is also very sunny. She feels youthful, like rollerskating and ice cream
But where I live, she is seen as dated (more like a woman in her 30s-50s) - when I mentioned it for my little girl’s name last time, people were genuinely perplexed Not going to put me off though! She’s just so sweet and spirited.
Jenny Pearl was also one of my top combos last time around I really like all your choices! My favourites are Jenny Josephine, Jenny June and Jenny Matilda
If I had a Jenny, she would probably be Jenny Katherine (with a second middle, but not sure what!). Jenny Kate! Or maybe Jenny Francesca…
I’m going to be the odd one out and say I don’t like [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] because it’s too nickname-y, but I love [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] so it’s possible I’m a hypocrite.
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] and [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] are really good. Especially the first.
I’ve always loved [name_f]Jennie[/name_f] because of A Portrait of [name_f]Jennie[/name_f] by [name_m]Robert[/name_m] [name_m]Nathan[/name_m] which became a haunting, classic film. [name_f][/name_f] I much prefer the [name_f]Jennie[/name_f] spelling to [name_f]Jenny[/name_f]. [name_f][/name_f] I do love it as a nn for [name_f]Jane[/name_f]. [name_f][/name_f] I also love the Scottish medieval [name_f]Jennet[/name_f].
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[name_f]My[/name_f] favorite is [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Lark[/name_f], I think, followed by [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Clementine[/name_f].
I LOVE [name_f]Jenny[/name_f], and I’m so glad you’re sharing with others who may not know that it is a classic name, not just a [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f]!
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I love so many of the combos you shared, particularly:
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[name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Blair[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Fern[/name_f] (this is the stuff dreams are made of) [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Frances[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Iris[/name_f] [name_f][/name_f][name_f]Jenny[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f]
I can’t click with [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] either. I like the [name_m]Jens[/name_m] & Jennys I know but I’d also go [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] over [name_f]Jenny[/name_f], I think. [name_f]Jenny[/name_f] has a happy, folkish and immediately likeable vibe [name_f][/name_f]- but there’s also something a little babyish and stunted somehow in my mind, definitely naive. I probably need to say it more in my mind and decouple it from [name_f]Jennifer[/name_f]!
Not going to put me off though! She’s just so sweet and spirited.
I really like all your choices! My favourites are Jenny Josephine, Jenny June and Jenny Matilda 