Gandalf
An Old Norse name meaning "elf that walks with a staff".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Gandalf. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gandalf today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gandalf births was 1970 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gandalf. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gandalf. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1970
5 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1970 SSA rank
#4,973
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Gandalf: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gandalf by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gandalf during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gandalf
The given name Gandalf is a fictional name created by J.R.R. Tolkien for the wizard character in his famous novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien derived the name from the Old Norse words "gandr" meaning "staff" or "wand," and "álfr" meaning "elf." The name can be interpreted to mean "elf of the staff" or "staff-elf."
While the name itself is not found in any ancient texts or historical records, Tolkien drew inspiration from various mythological and linguistic sources to create names for his fictional world of Middle-earth. The name Gandalf reflects Tolkien's interest in and knowledge of Old Norse and Germanic languages and mythology.
As a fictional character, there are no historical figures who bore the name Gandalf prior to Tolkien's works. However, the character of Gandalf the Grey, later known as Gandalf the White, is one of the most iconic and influential characters in modern fantasy literature. Portrayed as a wise and powerful wizard, Gandalf played a pivotal role in the events of The Lord of the Rings, guiding and assisting the hobbits and the Fellowship in their quest to defeat the Dark Lord Sauron.
Since the publication of The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in the 1950s, the name Gandalf has become closely associated with Tolkien's fictional universe and the archetype of the wise and benevolent wizard. While not a historically recorded name, Gandalf has become a cultural phenomenon and has inspired countless other works of fantasy literature, art, and popular culture.
In terms of notable individuals named Gandalf, there are a few contemporary references, but they are likely inspired by Tolkien's character rather than any historical significance. For example, Gandalf Cunningham (born 1942) is a Canadian writer and academic, and Gandalf Alphonce (born 1975) is a former professional basketball player from the Virgin Islands.
People
Gandalf + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gandalf as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gandalf: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gandalf?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gandalf going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Gandalf a common name?
We classify Gandalf as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gandalf most popular?
The single biggest year for Gandalf was 1970, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gandalf is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gandalf in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gandalf a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gandalf in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gandalf still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gandalf in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gandalf can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Gandalf?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Gandalf at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.