Gladies
A feminine name derived from gladiolus, the flower symbolizing strength.
Name Census estimates that about 25 living Americans carry the first name Gladies. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gladies today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gladies births was 1925 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gladies. 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 Gladies is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gladies' were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gladies. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
25
~ 1 in 13,710,174 Americans
Peak year
1925
27 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1952 SSA rank
#4,636
Tracked since 1908
Census
Gladies in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 106 people with the first name Gladies, which placed it at #52,574 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
#52,574
National first-name rank
People counted
106
106 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
33.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gladies
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gladies is Black at 33.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (17.0%). 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 Gladies 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 Gladies at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American33.0% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino31.1% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.0% · 18
- White16.0% · 17
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
Popularity
Gladies: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gladies from the 1900s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 178 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
Gladies 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 Gladies during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gladies' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Gladies, while Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gladies
The name Gladies is a diminutive or pet form derived from the feminine Latin name Gladys. It is believed to have originated from the Welsh word "gwlad," meaning "country" or "native land." This suggests that the name likely emerged in regions with strong Celtic influences, such as Wales or other parts of Britain.
While the exact origins of the name are uncertain, it is thought to have first appeared during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century. Some historical records indicate that variations of the name, such as Gladusa and Claudia, were used in medieval times, though their direct connection to Gladies is unclear.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Gladies was Gladies de Warenne, a noblewoman who lived in England during the 13th century. She was the daughter of William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, and held significant landholdings in her own right.
In the 16th century, a woman named Gladies Raleigh, born around 1540, gained prominence as the wife of the renowned English explorer and writer, Sir Walter Raleigh. She played an important role in managing her husband's estates and affairs during his extended periods away on voyages and expeditions.
During the 17th century, Gladies Fairfax, born in 1630, was a notable figure in English history. She was the daughter of Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, and was known for her strong religious convictions and support for the Puritan cause.
In the 18th century, Gladies Montagu, born in 1720, was a prominent English author and essayist. She was a member of the Bluestocking Circle, a prestigious literary group, and was celebrated for her witty and insightful writings on a variety of topics.
Another notable figure was Gladies Wollstonecraft, born in 1759, who was a pioneering advocate for women's rights and education. She is best known for her influential work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," which argued for the equal treatment and education of women.
While the name Gladies was more common in historical times, it has become relatively rare in modern usage. However, its enduring legacy can be traced through the numerous individuals who have borne this name throughout history, each contributing to its rich and diverse cultural heritage.
People
Gladies + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gladies 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
Gladies: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gladies?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gladies 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 13,710,174 US residents.
Is Gladies a common name?
We classify Gladies as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 408 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gladies most popular?
The single biggest year for Gladies was 1925, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gladies is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gladies in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 106 people with the name Gladies, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,574 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 Gladies 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 Gladies?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gladies leans strongly female. 98 people counted with this name were female (96.1%), compared with 4 male bearers (3.9%). 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 Gladies?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gladies is Black at 33.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (17.0%). 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 Gladies most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Gladies in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.0% (35 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 Gladies in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gladies a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gladies 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 Gladies still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gladies 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 Gladies 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 share the name Gladies?
You can see how many people share the name Gladies on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.