| Penelope | Ariana | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Weaver (disputed) | Most holy |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | peh-NEL-oh-pee | ar-ee-AH-nuh |
| Syllables | 4 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1957 |
| Peak year | 2019 (6,734) | 2014 (5,504) |
| In 2025 | 6,225 | 2,219 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Penelope | Ariana |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 37,005 | 16,532 |
| 2010s | 47,614 | 41,342 |
| 2000s | 5,677 | 38,010 |
| 1990s | 795 | 18,864 |
| 1980s | 609 | 4,685 |
| 1970s | 1,750 | 788 |
| 1960s | 2,871 | 154 |
| 1950s | 4,758 | 5 |
| 1940s | 6,383 | 0 |
| 1930s | 1,109 | 0 |
| 1920s | 562 | 0 |
| 1910s | 248 | 0 |
| 1900s | 29 | 0 |
| 1890s | 36 | 0 |
| 1880s | 34 | 0 |
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.
Usually traced to the Greek Ariadne, “most holy.”
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.
Penelope means Weaver (disputed) (greek origin), while Ariana means Most holy (Greek origin).
In US records, Penelope first appears in 1880 and Ariana in 1957, so Penelope has the longer recorded history.