Gladys
A feminine name derived from the Welsh name Gwladys, meaning "princess" or "leader".
Name Census estimates that about 39,645 living Americans carry the first name Gladys. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gladys today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gladys births was 1921 (8,837 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gladys. 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
- • Although Gladys is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 1,023 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Gladys is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gladys' were born before 1968.
- • Compared to the 1920s, recent registration numbers for Gladys have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
40K
~ 1 in 8,646 Americans
Peak year
1921
8,837 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1991 SSA rank
#3,453
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Gladys
Out of the 267,689 babies given the name Gladys since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Gladys as a male name
- Ranked #8,665 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1927 (38 births)
Gladys as a female name
- Ranked #3,453 in 2024
- 45 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1920 (8,819 births)
Popularity
Gladys: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gladys from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 72,812 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
Gladys 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 Gladys during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gladys' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. New York, Pennsylvania, Texas recorded the most babies named Gladys, while Nevada, Alaska, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 4,271 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gladys
The name Gladys has its origins in the Welsh language and culture, deriving from the Welsh word "gwlad," meaning "country" or "land." It is believed to have first emerged as a given name during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century.
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Gwladus" or "Gwladys," reflecting its Welsh roots. As it spread to other parts of Britain and Europe, the spelling evolved to the more familiar "Gladys" form that we recognize today.
While there are no definitive historical records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is thought to have been used primarily among Welsh families and communities during its early years.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gladys can be found in the 13th-century Welsh chronicle known as the "Brut y Tywysogion" (Chronicle of the Princes), where a woman named Gwladus ferch Llewelyn is mentioned.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gladys. One of the most famous was Gladys Cooper (1888-1971), an English actress and singer who had a prolific career in theater, film, and television.
Another well-known Gladys was Gladys Aylward (1902-1970), a British missionary who spent much of her life in China and was known for her work in rescuing children during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
In the world of literature, Gladys Bronwyn Stern (1890-1973) was a British novelist and playwright, best known for her popular novels set in the English countryside.
The name Gladys also has a connection to the world of fashion, with Gladys Peto (1900-1976), a British fashion designer and entrepreneur who founded the successful clothing brand "Peto Fashions."
Another notable figure was Gladys Radcliffe (1905-1991), an Australian athlete who competed in the 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the 4x100-meter relay in 1932.
While the name Gladys experienced its peak popularity in the early 20th century, particularly in the United Kingdom and United States, it has since declined in usage but still maintains a certain nostalgic charm and historical significance.
People
Gladys + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gladys 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
Gladys: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gladys?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39,645 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gladys 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 8,646 US residents.
Is Gladys a common name?
We classify Gladys as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 267,689 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gladys most popular?
The single biggest year for Gladys was 1921, when 8,837 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gladys is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gladys a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Gladys 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.