Gladie
A feminine name derived from "glad", meaning joyful and happy.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Gladie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gladie today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gladie births was 1924 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gladie. 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 Gladie is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gladies were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gladie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1924
12 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1953 SSA rank
#5,988
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Gladie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gladie from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 73 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gladie 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 Gladie 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 Gladie
The given name Gladie has its roots in the Latin word "gladius," meaning "sword." This name was initially popular in ancient Rome, where it was associated with strength, courage, and military prowess. It was often given to children born into families with a strong military tradition or to those who were expected to pursue a career in the armed forces.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Gladie gained religious significance, as it was believed to symbolize the "sword of the spirit," a reference to the Word of God as described in the Bible's Epistle to the Ephesians. Some early Christian martyrs were said to have borne this name, although historical records are scarce.
The name's popularity spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions with strong Roman influence, such as Italy, Spain, and parts of France. During this period, it was commonly spelled as "Gladius" or "Gladio," reflecting its Latin origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gladie dates back to the 5th century, when a Roman soldier named Gladius Marcellus was mentioned in a historical account of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Another notable figure was Gladio Santoro, an Italian knight who lived in the 12th century and was renowned for his valor in the Crusades.
In the 16th century, a Spanish nobleman named Gladio de Castilla gained fame for his exploits during the Spanish conquest of the Americas. He was known for his unwavering loyalty to the Spanish crown and his fierce determination in battle.
The name Gladie also found its way into literature, appearing in works such as "The Gladie Chronicles," a series of fictional tales written by the English author William Makepeace Thackeray in the 19th century. The protagonist, a knight named Gladie, embodied the virtues associated with the name.
Other notable individuals bearing the name Gladie include Gladie Stevenson (1885-1971), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights, and Gladie Burnham (1901-1988), an American philanthropist and patron of the arts.
While the name Gladie has become less common in recent times, it still retains its historical significance, reminding us of the enduring values of courage, strength, and unwavering spirit.
People
Gladie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gladie 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
Gladie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gladie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gladie 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Gladie a common name?
We classify Gladie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 162 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gladie most popular?
The single biggest year for Gladie was 1924, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gladie is about 90 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 Gladie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gladie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gladie 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 Gladie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gladie 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 Gladie 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 Gladie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.