Pernille

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 16 languages in the etymology graph.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Pernille is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Spain, Norway, United States, Brazil

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Pernillé

• Russian given name8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Sweden, United States, Norway

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian

  Also written Pernilla, Перніла, Пернилла

37 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Pernille is also recorded in one other lexicon, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In French, Variante féminine de Pierre, du latin Petrus « rocher »; fête de la Saint-Pierre.

  as a name·Dictionnaire généalogique des prénoms

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Pernille Frahmb. 1954DKDanish politician
• Pernille Bech Christensenb. 1959DKDanish film editor
• Pernille Fischer Christensenb. 1969DKDanish film director
• Pernille Rose Grønkjærb. 1973DKDanish filmmaker
• Pernille Vermundb. 1975DKDanish architect and politician
• Pernille Harderb. 1977DKbadminton player
• Pernille Skipperb. 1984DKDanish politician
• Pernilla Winbergb. 1989SEnot in their usual nameSwedish ice hockey player
• Pernille Harderb. 1992DKDanish footballer
• Pernille Blumeb. 1994DKDanish swimmer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Pernille mean, and where does it come from?

Danish form of Petronilla; from Peter 'rock'. Recorded by Dictionnaire généalogique des prénoms.

How do you pronounce Pernille?

A machine transcription gives /pʰæɐ̯nelə/ (IPA) for Danish.

In which country does Pernille have the most bearers?

In Denmark, the national register counted about 18 thousand people named Pernille, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled pernille.

Where is Pernille most common?

Pernille is densest in Denmark, where the national register counts about 1 in 325 people carrying it.

Is Pernille a male or female name?

Pernille is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What are other forms of the name Pernille?

In the etymology graph, Peter, Nela and Petronella are forms of the same name in other languages.

How common is the name Pernille?

In Denmark, the national register counted 18,081 people named Pernille, about 1 in 325 residents.

How common is Pernille compared with other names?

In Denmark, Pernille is the 56th most common given name of 23,174 given names recorded there.