Daily AncestorJenny
Jenny is an old nickname for Jane, Janet or Virginia, found in American records of the 1700s and 1800s.
Jenny was historically a pet form of Jane and Janet; in older records it does not mean Jennifer. Lists of 18th and 19th century nicknames also give it for Virginia and Genevieve.
The same woman can be Jane in one record and Jenny in the next, for example a birth under one name and a marriage under the other. Match age, place and relatives before you join the two. Because Jenny served for more than one name, see which full name the same woman carries in other records.
As seen in a recordTown marriage register, 1806; her baptism gives her name as Jane
Levi Ambler and Jenny Nunnally, both of this town, married 8 Aug. 1806
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Jenny." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/nicknames/jenny. Last checked 2026-10-15.