June vs Penelope
June and Penelopecompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, June was ranked #776 and Penelope #36 among girls in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 1952, June was ranked #83 and Penelope #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, June was ranked #544 and Penelope #148 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
June and Penelope over time
June and Penelope appear together in 2 published lists, across 53 years of shared records. Penelope held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, June in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — June #776 in 2024, Penelope #32 in 2022.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
June held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Penelope in 28.
Highest recorded here: June #776 in 2024, Penelope #32 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: June #776, Penelope #36.
Republic of Ireland · Girls25 shared years, 1964–2025
June held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Penelope in 13.
Highest recorded here: June #118 in 1964, Penelope #119 in 2019.
The order changed in 2012: Penelope moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #213 and #523; by 2012 that had become #768 and #560.
Most recent shared year, 2025: June #544, Penelope #148.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | June | Penelope |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | The origin is disputed: one proposed origin ties it to a word for 'thread on the bobbin' (related to weaving and cloth); a second proposed origin derives it from a term for a duck or wild goose with a coloured neck. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Greek |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /pəˈnɛləpi/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE, NO | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #242 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #41 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Penelope has a recorded origin (Greek); June does not have one recorded yet.
- June has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Penelope.
- A meaning is recorded for Penelope; June doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
June
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #328 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1952–1953
Highest recorded position: #83 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1952 (recorded 1952–1953).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #242 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Penelope
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #32 among girls in England and Wales, in 2022 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #41 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls