Penelope
PEH-nuh-loh-pee
A classic name associated with weaving, famously linked to the clever wife of Odysseus.
Meaning
The name is of Greek origin. In the excerpts, it is explained as possibly meaning “female weaver” and is connected with the Greek idea of a web or garment; the books also note the Homeric form and Doric variant. One excerpt additionally says the Irish name Finnghuala was Anglicised to Penelope, which helped make the name common in England.
Origin
Greekfeminine
Fun fact
The excerpts trace some English Penelopes to the Irish Finnghuala, through the Anglicised forms Fenella and Nuala.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland.