Where it comes from
possibly pene (thread) + ops (face), or from a word for a type of duck
Also known as
Penelope (used largely unchanged across most European languages)
Fun Fact
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope famously wove and secretly unraveled a burial shroud each night for years to delay having to choose a new husband while awaiting Odysseus's return, cementing weaving as central to her identity.