Gannyn
A masculine name of Welsh origin meaning "born of fire" or "spark".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Gannyn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gannyn today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gannyn births was 2014 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gannyn. 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 Gannyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2014
7 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2014 SSA rank
#9,984
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Gannyn: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gannyn 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 Gannyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gannyn
The name Gannyn has its origins in the ancient Celtic language of the Britons. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century AD during the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. The name is derived from the Old Welsh word "gann" or "gan," meaning "fair" or "bright," and the suffix "-yn," which was a diminutive form commonly used in Welsh names.
Gannyn was a popular name among the Celtic tribes of Wales and Cornwall during the early medieval period. It was often given to children with fair or light-colored features, reflecting the name's meaning of "bright one." Some historians have also suggested that the name may have been associated with the pagan sun god worshipped by the ancient Britons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gannyn can be found in the Welsh Triads, a collection of medieval Welsh literature dating back to the 9th century. The name appears in the triad "Three Fair Guests," which refers to three legendary figures known for their exceptional beauty.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gannyn. One of the earliest was Gannyn ap Gwynedd (c. 550 - 610 AD), a Welsh prince and warrior who led the forces of the Kingdom of Gwynedd against the Anglo-Saxon invaders. Another notable figure was Gannyn the Bard (c. 1100 - 1175 AD), a renowned Welsh poet and storyteller whose works helped preserve the rich cultural heritage of Wales.
During the Middle Ages, the name Gannyn was also found among the nobility of Cornwall. Gannyn of Tintagel (c. 1210 - 1280 AD) was a Cornish knight who fought alongside King Edward I in the conquest of Wales. Later, Gannyn ap Rhys (c. 1350 - 1415 AD) was a Welsh warrior and commander who played a crucial role in the Glyndŵr Rising, a major Welsh revolt against English rule.
In more recent times, the name Gannyn has been revived and used in various literary works and popular culture. Gannyn Cortlandt was a character in the long-running American soap opera "All My Children," portrayed by actor David Hayward from 1989 to 1990. Additionally, Gannyn is the name of a fictional character in the fantasy novel series "The Riftwar Saga" by Raymond E. Feist.
People
Gannyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gannyn 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
Gannyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gannyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gannyn 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Gannyn a common name?
We classify Gannyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gannyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Gannyn was 2014, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gannyn is about 12 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 Gannyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gannyn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gannyn 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 Gannyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gannyn 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 Gannyn 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 have Gannyn as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Gannyn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.