Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Jenna

Jenna is a fanciful respelling of the name Jenny, which is derived from the English Jennifer. Jennifer is essentially the anglicized version of the Celtic name Guinevere from Arthurian Legends. Guinevere comes from the Gaelic name “Gwenhwyfar” which translates to gwen (fair) + hwyfar (smooth), or, quite simply: the fair one. Jenny was originally an English pet form of the name Jennifer, but became an independent name in its own right. Jenna is a Latinized version of Jenny by adding the feminine suffix “-a”. In the Arabic language, Jenna apparently means “small bird.”

All About the Baby Name – Jenna

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME JENNA

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME JENNA

The name Jenna makes her first appearance on the U.S. popularity graphs in 1971, debuting in on the charts at position #875 (i.e., low usage). However, thanks to the popular 1980s television series, Dallas, the name experiences a significant increase in usage between 1978 and 1984. One of the key characters of the series, Jenna Wade, was notably played by Pricilla Presley. The name Jenna reached a spot on the Top 100 list in 1984, and stays there for over 20 years. The next significant jump in the name’s popularity came in 2001, the year George W. Bush assumed the presidency in January. As a first daughter, Jenna’s name gained another little push up the charts. By 2007, however, Jenna falls off the Top 100 list so it appears her prom queen days are over. Jenna is a really pretty, really simple sounding name in the ever-popular “J” category of names. If you don’t mind that it’s most famously borne by a Porn Star (i.e., Jenna Jamison), we’ll forgive you.

Quick Facts

ON JENNA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Arabic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

227

PRONUNCIATION:

JEHN-nә

SIMPLE MEANING:

The fair one, small bird

Characteristics

OF JENNA

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Jenna

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME JENNA

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME JENNA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Jenna


Popular Songs

ON JENNA

Jenna Jameson
a song by Daycare Swindlers

Jenna Bush Army
a song by Nerf Herder

Jenna
a song by King's X

Famous People

NAMED JENNA

Jenna Boyd (actress)
Jenna Bush (daughter of President George W. Bush)
Jenna Dewan (actress)
Jenna Elfman (actress)
Jenna Fischer (actress)
Jenna Hawkins (mother of Laura Bush and grandmother of Jenna Bush)
Jenna Jameson (porn actress)
Jenna Lee (broadcast journalist)
Jenna Leigh Green (actress)
Jenna Lewis (reality TV star from Survivor)
Jenna McCorkell (figure skater)

Children of Famous People

NAMED JENNA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Jenna

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME JENNA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Jenna