Gayleen
A feminine name of uncertain origin possibly derived from "gay" meaning happy or joyful.
Name Census estimates that about 378 living Americans carry the first name Gayleen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gayleen today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gayleen births was 1955 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gayleen. 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
- • The typical person named Gayleen is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gayleens were born before 1969.
People living today
378
~ 1 in 906,758 Americans
Peak year
1955
26 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1981 SSA rank
#10,932
Tracked since 1933
Popularity
Gayleen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gayleen from the 1930s through to the 1980s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 206 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gayleen 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 Gayleen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gayleens live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gayleen
The name Gayleen finds its origins in the English language, emerging in the late 19th century as a feminine form of the masculine name Galen. Galen itself is derived from the Greek word "galene," which means "calm" or "tranquil." This suggests that the name Gayleen carries connotations of serenity and peace.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Gayleen appears to be in the late 1800s, though its precise origin and the reason for its coinage remain unclear. It is possible that the name was created by combining the masculine name Galen with the common feminine suffix "-een," which was popular at the time for creating new feminine names.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Gayleen was Gayleen Woodward, an American actress born in 1923. She had a brief career in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in a handful of films before retiring from acting.
Another notable Gayleen was Gayleen Aiken, an American writer and educator born in 1934. She authored several books on education and child development, and her work focused on promoting literacy and early childhood education.
In the realm of sports, Gayleen Wilkinson, an Australian athlete born in 1944, made her mark as a track and field competitor. She represented Australia in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games, specializing in the pentathlon and long jump events.
Moving into the music world, Gayleen Aiken, an American singer-songwriter born in 1946, rose to prominence in the 1970s with her folk-rock style. She released several albums during that decade and gained a dedicated following, particularly in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
Finally, Gayleen Froese, a Canadian artist and painter born in 1948, has achieved recognition for her vibrant and expressive works. Her paintings, often featuring bold colors and abstract forms, have been exhibited in galleries across Canada and internationally.
While the name Gayleen has not been among the most popular given names throughout history, these individuals and others have contributed to its legacy and helped to shape its cultural significance over time.
People
Gayleen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gayleen 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
Gayleen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gayleen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 378 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gayleen 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 906,758 US residents.
Is Gayleen a common name?
We classify Gayleen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 565 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gayleen most popular?
The single biggest year for Gayleen was 1955, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gayleen is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gayleen a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gayleen in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.