| Ariana | Penelope | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Most holy | Weaver (disputed) |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ar-ee-AH-nuh | peh-NEL-oh-pee |
| Syllables | 4 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1957 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2014 (5,504) | 2019 (6,734) |
| In 2025 | 2,219 | 6,225 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ariana | Penelope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,532 | 37,005 |
| 2010s | 41,342 | 47,614 |
| 2000s | 38,010 | 5,677 |
| 1990s | 18,864 | 795 |
| 1980s | 4,685 | 609 |
| 1970s | 788 | 1,750 |
| 1960s | 154 | 2,871 |
| 1950s | 5 | 4,758 |
| 1940s | 0 | 6,383 |
| 1930s | 0 | 1,109 |
| 1920s | 0 | 562 |
| 1910s | 0 | 248 |
| 1900s | 0 | 29 |
| 1890s | 0 | 36 |
| 1880s | 0 | 34 |
Usually traced to the Greek Ariadne, “most holy.”
Borne by the faithful wife of Odysseus. The meaning is uncertain: one line derives it from 'pene' ('thread, weft') giving 'weaver', while another ties it to 'penelops', a type of duck or waterfowl. Both readings are considered folk etymologies by some classicists, so the sense is unsettled.
Penelope is more popular than Ariana today: about 6,225 US babies were given the name Penelope in 2025, compared with 2,219 named Ariana.
Ariana means Most holy (Greek origin), while Penelope means Weaver (disputed) (greek origin).
In US records, Ariana first appears in 1957 and Penelope in 1880, so Penelope has the longer recorded history.