Jennifer, also spelled Jenifer or Jenefer, is a feminine given name, the Cornish form of Guinevere,[1] that became popular in the English-speaking world in the 20th century.

"Jennifer" may mean "the fair one" (from Proto-Celtic "Windo-*sēbro" (cognate with Old Irish síabar "a spectre, phantom, supernatural being [usually in pejorative sense]").

[2] Despite the name's similarity to the Old English words "jenefer," "genefer," and "jinifer," these appear to be derived from the juniper plant used to flavor the beverage.

Before 1906, the name was fairly uncommon elsewhere in English-speaking countries, but it gained some recognition after George Bernard Shaw used it for the main female character in The Doctor's Dilemma.

Jennifer, played by actress Veronica Lake, was the heroine of the 1942 American romantic comedy fantasy film I Married a Witch.

The name was later used for popular film characters such as Jennifer North, played by actress Sharon Tate in the American drama film Valley of the Dolls, which was released in December 1967 in the United States, and Jennifer Cavalleri, played by Ali MacGraw in the American romantic drama film Love Story, which was released in December 1970 in the U.S.[6] Other possible influences on the popularity of the name included the bubblegum pop song “Jennifer Eccles”, released in March 1968 by the British band The Hollies, and the folk-pop hit song “Jennifer Juniper”, released in February 1968 in the UK and in March 1968 in the United States by singer-songwriter Donovan.

[14] In the United States, the name Jennifer first appeared in U.S. Social Security data in 1916, the year after a production of The Doctor's Dilemma made its American debut on Broadway It first appeared on the list of 1,000 most commonly used names for newborn baby girls in 1938, when it ranked at No.

The name increased significantly in use for American girls in 1944, the year Jennifer Jones won an Oscar for her role in the 1943 film The Song of Bernadette.

[15] Jennifer then remained the single most popular name for newborn girls in the United States every year from 1970 to 1984, inclusive.

It has since continued to decline in use, but has remained among the top 1,000 names in use for American girls and, as of 2023, was ranked 517th on the popularity chart.