Gaynor
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "fair" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 80 living Americans carry the first name Gaynor. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 52.5% of registrations being female. The average person named Gaynor today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gaynor births was 1939 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gaynor. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gaynor with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Gaynor is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gaynors were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gaynor. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
80
~ 1 in 4,284,429 Americans
Peak year
1939
14 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,156
Tracked since 1919
Census
Gaynor in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 495 people with the first name Gaynor, which placed it at #20,757 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#20,757
National first-name rank
People counted
495
495 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
77.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaynor
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gaynor is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gaynor described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gaynor at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.0% · 381
- Black or African American15.4% · 76
- Two or more races3.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 9
Gender
Gender distribution for Gaynor
Gaynor is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 200 total registrations, 95 (47.5%) were male and 105 (52.5%) were female.
Gaynor as a male name
- Ranked #4,156 in 1958
- 5 male births in 1958
- Peak: 1933 (11 births)
Gaynor as a female name
- Ranked #7,371 in 1968
- 5 female births in 1968
- Peak: 1939 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Gaynor on both sides of the split. Of the 490 people counted with this name, 99 were male (20.2%) and 391 were female (79.8%).
Popularity
Gaynor: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gaynor from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 68 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gaynor 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 Gaynor during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gaynor
The name Gaynor is a feminine given name of Welsh origin. It is derived from the Welsh word "gwynor," which means "fair" or "white." The name likely originated in the medieval period, during the time when Welsh culture and language thrived in parts of Britain.
The name Gaynor was initially used as a descriptive name, referring to a person with fair or pale complexion. It may have been influenced by the similar-sounding Old English name "Gwynor," which also meant "fair" or "white."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaynor can be found in the writings of the Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, who lived in the 14th century. In his poetry, he mentions a woman named Gaynor, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gaynor. One of the earliest examples is Gaynor Cridde, a Welsh noblewoman who lived in the 15th century and was known for her philanthropy and support of education.
In the 17th century, Gaynor Lloyd (1624-1690) was a Welsh heiress and landowner, known for her significant influence and power in the region.
A more contemporary figure is Gaynor Minden (1923-2008), a British ballerina and dance teacher who co-founded the Sadler's Wells Ballet (now known as the Birmingham Royal Ballet) and made significant contributions to the world of dance.
Another notable Gaynor is Gaynor Jones (born 1950), a Welsh actress known for her roles in television series such as "Little Britain" and "Gavin & Stacey."
Gaynor Bodur (born 1965) is a Welsh singer and songwriter who has released several albums and is known for her work in promoting Welsh language and culture through her music.
While the name Gaynor has Welsh origins, it has been used across various cultures and regions, particularly in the British Isles and parts of North America. The name's association with fairness and beauty has likely contributed to its enduring appeal over the centuries.
People
Gaynor + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gaynor 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
Gaynor: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gaynor?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 80 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gaynor 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 4,284,429 US residents.
Is Gaynor a common name?
We classify Gaynor as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 200 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gaynor most popular?
The single biggest year for Gaynor was 1939, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gaynor is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gaynor in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 495 people with the name Gaynor, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,757 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gaynor in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gaynor?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Gaynor on both sides of the split. Of the 490 people counted with this name, 99 were male (20.2%) and 391 were female (79.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gaynor?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gaynor is White at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gaynor most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gaynor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (381 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Gaynor in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gaynor a female name?
Yes, 52.5% of people registered as Gaynor 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.
Is Gaynor still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gaynor 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 Gaynor 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.
How many people are called Gaynor?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.