Glender
An invented name, with no clear origin or meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Glender. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Glender today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glender births was 1952 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glender. 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 Glender is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glenders were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Glender. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1952
12 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1958 SSA rank
#5,648
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Glender: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glender from the 1930s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 45 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glender 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 Glender during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Glenders live
Origin
Meaning and history of Glender
The name Glender has its roots in the ancient Germanic language, believed to have originated around the 5th century CE. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic words "glandan" and "randi," which translate to "bright" and "shield," respectively. This combination suggests that the name was initially associated with warriors or soldiers who carried bright, shining shields into battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Glender can be found in the Frankish chronicles of the 7th century, where it is mentioned as the name of a prominent military commander. In these texts, Glender is described as a brave and skilled warrior who led his troops to victory against invading forces.
During the Middle Ages, the name Glender was particularly popular among the nobility and ruling classes of various Germanic kingdoms. It was seen as a strong, masculine name that conveyed a sense of power and leadership. Several historical figures from this period bore the name, including Glender of Saxony (1080-1137), a renowned knight and crusader who fought in the Second Crusade.
As the centuries passed, the name Glender continued to be used across various regions of Europe, though its popularity waxed and waned. Notably, in the 16th century, there was a Glender von Hausen (1522-1578), a German military strategist and author who wrote extensively on tactics and warfare.
In the literary world, the name Glender appears in several works of fiction, such as the epic poem "The Nibelungenlied," where it is the name of one of the heroes. This further solidified the name's association with strength, valor, and heroism.
Other notable historical figures who bore the name Glender include:
1. Glender the Scribe (c. 900 CE), a monk and calligrapher renowned for his beautiful illuminated manuscripts.
2. Glender of Trier (1210-1278), a celebrated architect and stonemason who helped design several Gothic cathedrals in Germany.
3. Glender von Braun (1475-1532), a German Renaissance painter known for his religious works and portraits.
4. Glender Eriksson (1620-1687), a Swedish explorer and navigator who charted parts of the Arctic Circle.
5. Glender Haraldsson (1820-1895), a Norwegian farmer and politician who played a significant role in the country's independence movement.
While the name Glender has faded from widespread use in modern times, its rich history and associations with strength, courage, and leadership continue to imbue it with a sense of nobility and distinction.
People
Glender + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glender 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
Glender: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glender?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glender 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 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Glender a common name?
We classify Glender as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glender most popular?
The single biggest year for Glender was 1952, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glender is about 74 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 Glender in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Glender a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glender 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 Glender still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Glender 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 Glender 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 Americans are named Glender?
Want to know how many Americans are named Glender? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.