# Jennifers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831 "2003-03-28T18:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/41 "2003-03-29T16:51:09Z")
I had a friend named Jennifer who was known as Nef. We always joke that we should name a daughter Jennifer, after every friend we have. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/42 "2003-03-29T21:58:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Breezy \* > \*\*I have a friend Jennifer. (Doesn’t everyone?) Anyway, she doesn’t mind being called Jen, and really doesn’t care to be called Jenny. > > I think it’s because of some song by Kenny Rogers. The Coward of The County maybe. Anyway, Jenny (in the song) gets raped. So Jennifer doesn’t like to be referred to as Jenny!!..\*\* Actually, that is incorrect. The girl’s name was Becky in that song, and the boy (known as “Yellow” or "Yell’r) was Tommy. - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/43 "2003-03-29T22:18:08Z")
_No offense to the jennifer’s I have not met:_ I too went through school with quite a few jennifer’s, jen’s or what ever you would like to call it. They were all total whores. Just skanky, white trash sluts. I should have learned my lesson back then, but after college I dated two separate Jennifers: One was psychotic, the other one was also a slut. You might be thinking “Damn Broc, you’re just a bitter, cranky punk bastard!” Not true! I have quite a few great things to say about all my other ex’s and most women in general… Just for some reason all the Jen’s I know, well, I already said it so no need to repeat. Keep your name. ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/44 "2003-03-29T23:30:21Z")
Forget Jennifer. I wanna be a Jem! 😃 ~Magickly, cursed with a name common among the senior-citizen set ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/45 "2003-03-29T23:55:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Magickly Delicious \* > **Forget Jennifer. I wanna be a Jem!** Now that would be outrageous. Truly, truly, truly outrageous. ---
**Author:** ![JayElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@JayElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayElle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/46 "2003-03-30T06:07:56Z")
**Indygrrl** , I’ll trade you my “Jennifer” for your name. All my life, through school, work, whatever, there have always been “Jennifers” crawling out of the woodwork. I really wish my parents had taken the time to be a little more creative. Most of my friends call me “Jen” but never “Jenny”. My S.O. calls me “J.L.” (hence the screen name). ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/47 "2003-03-30T13:12:20Z")
My sister is a Jen, and while it was Jenny when she was yonger, calling her that now will get your face ripped off. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/48 "2003-03-30T14:23:20Z")
A female mule is called a Jenny. Just a fun fact for the day. ---
**Author:** ![JayElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@JayElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayElle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/49 "2003-03-30T18:50:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by belladonna \* > \*\*A female mule is called a Jenny. > Just a fun fact for the day. \*\* Yep, that’s what my parents would always say when anyone tried to call me “Jenny” as a child. My grandparents were always calling me Jenny and my folks would automatically respond with “JenniFER”. One Christmas, the grandparents bought me a little white fake fur coat. They said, “Aw, she looks like a little bunny!.” Without thinking, my Dad responded, “It’s BunniFER.” The stupid nickname has stuck for 27 years. ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/50 "2003-04-10T19:40:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually, that is incorrect. The girl’s name was Becky in that song, and the boy (known as “Yellow” or "Yell’r) was Tommy. - Jinx You are exactly right. Don’t I feel silly. I guess we are always drunk by the time that CD comes up on the CD Changer, and for all of our friends just say “Jenny” when it gets to Becky’s name. I am just used to hearing “Jenny” instead of “Becky”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Kallisti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@Kallisti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallisti)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/51 "2003-04-10T19:54:23Z")
From the Welsh, “white wave” or “white phantom.” I may not be a smart man, Jenny, but I know what love is. ~Forrest Gump ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/52 "2003-04-11T00:17:01Z")
I’ve known a lot of Jennifers, Jens, Jenns, and Jennys in my time… in fact, my church friends used to call one Jennifer “Jenny,” until we realized that she might get confused with another Jenny at church. (and in Jenny’s case, the name wasn’t short for Jennifer) So now she goes by Jen, which is fine with her. However… at church, we have the “SO many people with this name” problem with the name Karen. Seems we’ve always had a lot of Karens… there used to be two people named Karen Lee, but one got married and changed her name to Karen Harris. Then there’s the Karen who used to go by her first and middle names when she was a kid. Her family changed churches for a few years, then went back to this one. Surprise… she’d dropped her middle name (Grace) as something to go by. She also happens to be close friends with another Karen (and their last names both start with the letter L). In my set of church friends, there are two people named Karen… they go by first and last name. ( **their** last names both start with the letter C) It’s usually not too confusing… although having four Karens at church that my siblings and our church friends talk about regularly could get that way. (and there’s Karen Harris, who we still see occasionally… she’s the cousin of one of my sister’s close friends) There were these three siblings that used to go to our church (one still might, but I don’t really see him around), and their mother’s name is Karen. (we refer to her as “Auntie Karen”) Also, there’s at least one little kid (maybe not so little anymore) that is named Karen. (and at least three other Karens who used to go to our church) No wonder we usually refer to Karens by first and last name! (if we didn’t, that could lead to a lot of confusion for sure) F\_X ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/53 "2003-04-11T00:57:36Z")
Someone I contract for is the “state” Representative for the 4th District of San Juan (Republican, though I’m a DLC Democrat) **Jenniffer Gonzalez** (two n’s, two f’s). On her very first day in office (she took over from a legislator who resigned in disgrace) the majority leader in the House addressed her as “Jennifer Lopez” ever since those of us close to her have called her _‘J- **G** o’_. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/54 "2003-04-11T01:52:02Z")
I used to be a Jennifer. It was and still is my first name, and growing up in the 80s, I was lost in a sea of Jennifers. There would be two or three other Jennifers in every class I took. What finally decided me to change to my middle name was when I was walking down the school hall in eighth grade, someone called “Jennifer! Jennifer!”, I turned around and said, “Yes?”, and the caller gave me the hairy eyeball and answered “Not YOU.” It was then that I decided I no longer wanted to be associated with Jennifer. I like my middle name, Robin, much better. It’s nowhere near as common, and it sounds much more fun and smart. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/55 "2003-04-11T04:42:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by carlotta \* > **Of course it seems like all the men are taken by Jennifers. There are so many of them! It was the single most popular name for something like 20 years running before it was finally mercifully edged out by Emily. There is a reason a popular baby naming book was titled _Beyond Jennifer and Jason_.** A little hijack–a little over three years ago, my sister and I were both pregnant. I had a little (12 lb.) boy and three weeks (to the day) later she had a little girl. Their names? Jason and Jennifer! We also have a sister named Jennifer. And incidentally, **carlotta** , my older daughter’s name is another form of your user name–her name is Charlotte! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/56 "2003-04-11T04:43:40Z")
I work with a Jennifer. When we go to the sandwich shop for lunch, she uses her middle name because, when the place is busy and they call out “Jennifer!” five different girls invariably make a grab for accross the counter for the sandwich. I no longer mind having an unusual first name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831/57 "2003-04-11T13:00:03Z")
Jennifer if flat out my favorite. And I say “Jennifer”. Little Jennifer was my favorite girlfriend. Man, she was built for sex. 5’ 1", into ballet/dance.Brown hair, green eyes…ah. A 10 on the ‘F scale’. (Now in song, Jenny can work, even if you love Jennifer. “JENNY I GOT YOUR NUMBER, I NEED TO MAKE YOU MINE…JENNY DON’T CHANGE YOUR NUMBER… 867-5309…867-5309…I GOT IT, I GOT IT…!”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jennifers/164831.md?page=2)