Did you know National Jenny Day is on June 5? Whether it's spelled Jennie, Jeni or Jenny; or Jennifer, Guinevere or Gwenhwyfar, many wonderful ladies throughout history share this royal name. Other forms of Jenny include Joanna, Joanne, Jane and Jenna.
Our family line is filled with Jennies. My great-grandmother Gardner's father named her Jennie after hearing the famous "Swedish Nightingale" Jennie Lind sing. I have a dear cousin Jeni (Jennifer) Carr. My beloved sister-in-love Jennie Carr is married to her own Lancelot-my brother Lance (main photo). Her mother (like my great-great=grandparents) named her Jennie (not Jennifer). Each of these ladies holds a special place in my heart.
The Welsh name Gwenhwyfar literally means ‘gwen’ (fair) and ‘hwyfar’ (smooth). Often, the name is translated as "little fair one".
The most famous Guinevere in history was the legendary Celtic queen married to Great Britain's King Arthur. (Sadly, she betrayed him by falling in love with the knight Sir Lancelot.) The next would be Jennie Lind, whose proper name was actually Joanna. Today, Jennifer Aniston portrays a beautiful version of Jenny. And who can forget the Jennie made famous by the Huey Lewis and the News song, "867-5309"? ("Jennie, I've got your number, I need to make you mine, Jennie don't change your number, 867-5309.")
Variations of the name Jenny remain a perennial favorite, generation after generation. In the U.S., Jenna is a popular version of Jenny today. In Norway, Jenny is one of the most prevalent given names, and is firmly in the top 25 of girls names.
Thanks for reading "Jennie It's Your Day! Happy Jenny Day June 5!"
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