Glee
A joyous feeling of lively delight or exhilaration.
Name Census estimates that about 241 living Americans carry the first name Glee. It is a predominantly female name (97.5% of registrations). The average person named Glee today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glee births was 1918 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glee. 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 Glee is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glees were born before 1962.
People living today
241
~ 1 in 1,422,217 Americans
Peak year
1918
26 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1922 SSA rank
#4,562
Tracked since 1893
Gender
Gender distribution for Glee
Glee leans heavily female at 97.5% of total registrations, but 20 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Glee as a male name
- Ranked #4,562 in 1922
- 5 male births in 1922
- Peak: 1913 (5 births)
Glee as a female name
- Ranked #8,755 in 1971
- 5 female births in 1971
- Peak: 1947 (23 births)
Popularity
Glee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glee from the 1890s through to the 1970s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 156 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glee 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 Glee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Glees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Glee
The name Glee originates from the Old English word "gligu," which means "joy" or "merriment." It first appeared in written records during the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th century AD. The name was commonly used in England and other parts of the British Isles during this time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Glee was Glee of Malmesbury, a Benedictine monk and historian who lived in the late 11th century. He is best known for his work "Gesta Regum Anglorum" (Deeds of the English Kings), which chronicled the history of England from the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons until the reign of King William II.
In the 12th century, there was a notable figure named Glee the Jester, who served as a court entertainer for King Henry II of England. He was renowned for his wit and ability to bring joy and laughter to the royal court.
During the Middle Ages, the name Glee was also associated with the annual celebrations and festivities that took place in medieval England. These events, known as "gleemen," involved music, dance, and various forms of entertainment, reflecting the joyous spirit of the name.
In the 16th century, Glee Merryweather, a renowned English comedian and actor, gained popularity for his performances in Shakespearean plays and other theatrical productions. He was praised for his ability to bring joy and laughter to audiences through his comedic performances.
Another notable individual with the name Glee was Glee Brightwell, a 17th-century English poet and author. She was known for her collection of joyful and uplifting poems that celebrated the simple pleasures of life and the beauty of nature.
While the name Glee has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a unique and charming name that evokes feelings of happiness, joy, and merriment, reflecting its rich historical roots.
People
Glee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glee 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
Glee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 241 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glee 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 1,422,217 US residents.
Is Glee a common name?
We classify Glee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 801 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glee most popular?
The single biggest year for Glee was 1918, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glee is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Glee a female name?
Yes, 97.5% of people registered as Glee 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.