Jennifer

English

Alternative forms

• Jenifer
• Jenipher

Etymology

From Cornish, from Middle Cornish Gwynnever (cognate with Welsh Gwenhwyfar), from Proto-Brythonic *Gwɨnnohuɨβar. Doublet of Guinevere. Compare Irish Fionnbharr, Fionnabhair, which may be cognate.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪfɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪfə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Jen‧ni‧fer

Proper noun

Jennifer

1. A female given name from Cornish, Middle Cornish, or Proto-Brittonic.
   • 1906, George Bernard Shaw, The Doctor's Dilemma, act I:

     RIDGEON. Thats a wonderful drawing. Why is it called Jennifer?
     MRS DUBEDAT. My name is Jennifer.
     RIDGEON. A strange name.
     MRS DUBEDAT. Not in Cornwall. I am Cornish. It's only what you call Guinevere.

   • 1960, Jerrard Tickell, The Hunt for Richard Thorpe, Doubleday, page 10:

     "Most people's sisters have decent names like Jennifer or Jane or something. What did you say hers was?"

   • 2000, Dana Stabenow, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Dutton, →ISBN, page 131:

     Jennifer. Jenny with the light brown hair. Jenny-fair, their high school French teacher had called her, and fair she had been.

Usage notes

• The name was mostly used in Cornwall before the 20th century. It became popular in all English-speaking countries, first in UK in the 1950s, and then in US as the top name for women born in 1970-1984.

Derived terms

• Jennifer Aniston neuron

 

Related terms

• Gaynor
• Ginevra
• Guinevere
• Gweniver
• pet forms: Jen, Jena, Jeni, Jenn, Jenna, Jenni, Jennie, Jenny, Jeny

Translations

female given name

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 珍妮弗 (Zhēnnīfú)

• Finnish: Jennifer (fi)
• Greek: Τζένιφερ (Tzénifer)
• Hungarian: Dzsenifer (hu)
• Latin: Guenevera f
• Marathi: जेनिफर f (jeniphar)
• Portuguese: Jennifer f
• Russian: Дже́ннифер (ru) f (Džénnifɛr), Дже́ннифер (ru) f (Džénnifer)
• Spanish: Ginebra (es)

Cebuano

Etymology

From English Jennifer, from Cornish, from Middle Cornish Gwynnever, from Proto-Brythonic *Gwɨnnohuɨβar.

Proper noun

Jennifer

1. a female given name from English [in turn from Cornish, in turn from Middle Cornish, in turn from Proto-Brythonic]

French

Etymology

From English Jennifer in the 20th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒɛ.ni.fɛʁ/ ~ /ʒe.ni.fɛʁ/

Proper noun

Jennifer f

1. a female given name

German

Etymology

From English Jennifer in the 20th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪfɐ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Jen‧ni‧fer

Proper noun

Jennifer

1. a female given name.

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English Jennifer.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈʝenifeɾ/ [ˈɟ͡ʝe.ni.feɾ]

• IPA^(key): (everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈʝenifeɾ/ [ˈɟ͡ʝe.ni.feɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /ˈʃenifeɾ/ [ˈʃe.ni.feɾ]
• IPA^(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /ˈʒenifeɾ/ [ˈʒe.ni.feɾ]

• Rhymes: -enifeɾ
• Syllabification: Jen‧ni‧fer

Proper noun

Jennifer f

1. a female given name

Swedish

Etymology

From English Jennifer in the 20th century.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Jennifer c (genitive Jennifers)

1. a female given name