Glenna
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "valley".
Name Census estimates that about 10,045 living Americans carry the first name Glenna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Glenna today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glenna births was 1951 (645 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glenna. 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 Glenna is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glennas were born before 1968.
People living today
10K
~ 1 in 34,122 Americans
Peak year
1951
645 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1940 SSA rank
#3,652
Tracked since 1880
Census
Glenna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 13,609 people with the first name Glenna, which placed it at #2,016 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
#2,016
National first-name rank
People counted
14K
13,609 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
4.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
90.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Glenna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Glenna is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Glenna 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 Glenna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 12,343
- Black or African American2.9% · 392
- Two or more races2.5% · 343
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 209
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 164
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 158
Gender
Gender distribution for Glenna
Out of the 25,622 babies given the name Glenna since 1880, 100.0% 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.
Glenna as a male name
- Ranked #3,652 in 1940
- 5 male births in 1940
- Peak: 1940 (5 births)
Glenna as a female name
- Ranked #12,576 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1951 (645 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Glenna appears almost entirely female. Of the 13,608 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Glenna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glenna from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 5,182 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
Glenna 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 Glenna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Glennas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Glenna, while South Dakota, District of Columbia, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 456 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Glenna
The name Glenna is an English feminine given name derived from the Gaelic word "glinn," meaning "valley." It first emerged as a name in the 18th century, likely as a variation of the more common name Glenn or Glennie.
In its earliest usage, the name Glenna was often associated with rural or pastoral settings, reflecting its connection to the natural landscape and valleys. It was a popular choice among families living in the countryside or those who valued a connection with nature.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Glenna can be found in the writings of Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). In his novel "The Antiquary," published in 1816, there is a character named Glenna Glenallan, which may have contributed to the name's wider recognition and popularity.
Throughout the 19th century, the name Glenna gained traction, particularly in parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Notable individuals with this name during this period include Glenna Collett Vare (1892-1978), an American golfer and one of the pioneers of women's professional golf.
In the early 20th century, Glenna McAvoy (1900-1962) was an American stage and film actress who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood movies. Her career spanned from the 1920s to the 1950s, and she is remembered for her roles in films like "The Front Page" and "Dinner at Eight."
Another notable Glenna from this time was Glenna Goodacre (1939-2020), an American sculptor best known for her works depicting Native American subjects and for creating the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In more recent history, Glenna Whitley (1943-2012) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed with various country music groups and recorded several albums throughout her career.
Glenna Bell (1952-2009) was an Australian author and journalist who wrote several books and articles on topics related to health, fitness, and relationships.
While the name Glenna has never been among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has maintained a consistent presence throughout the centuries, often chosen for its unique sound and connection to the natural world.
People
Glenna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glenna 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
Glenna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glenna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10,045 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glenna 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 34,122 US residents.
Is Glenna a common name?
We classify Glenna as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25,622 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glenna most popular?
The single biggest year for Glenna was 1951, when 645 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glenna is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Glenna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 13,609 people with the name Glenna, or 4.51 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,016 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 Glenna 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 Glenna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Glenna appears almost entirely female. Of the 13,608 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Glenna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Glenna is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Glenna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Glenna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (12,343 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 Glenna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Glenna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glenna 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 Glenna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Glenna 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 Glenna 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 have the name Glenna?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Glenna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.