Glennwood
A combination of the name Glen and the word wood, suggesting a woodsy valley.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Glennwood. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Glennwood today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glennwood births was 1919 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glennwood. 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 Glennwood is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glennwoods were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Glennwood. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1919
5 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1957 SSA rank
#4,204
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Glennwood: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glennwood from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 10 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
Glennwood 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 Glennwood during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Glennwood
The name Glennwood is an English place name that has been used as a given name. It is a combination of two Old English words: "glenn", which means a narrow valley or dell, and "wudu", which means a wood or forest. Thus, the name Glennwood literally means "a wooded valley" or "a valley with a forest".
This name likely originated in the medieval period when many English place names were formed by combining descriptive words from Old English. These place names often described the geographical features or characteristics of a particular location. As people began to use these place names as surnames and eventually given names, Glennwood emerged as a name with a distinctive meaning tied to the English landscape.
One of the earliest known references to the name Glennwood can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several places with names containing the elements "glenn" and "wudu", suggesting that the name Glennwood or similar variations were already in use as place names at that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Glennwood. One of the earliest recorded was Glennwood of Exeter (c. 1150-1220), a prominent English monk and scholar who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics.
Another notable figure was Sir Glennwood Hastings (1460-1523), an English soldier and courtier who served under King Henry VIII. He played a significant role in the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513, where the English defeated the Scottish army.
In the 18th century, Glennwood Faulkner (1707-1784) was a renowned English landscape painter whose works captured the beauty of the English countryside, including wooded valleys and forests.
During the Victorian era, Glennwood Dickens (1812-1870) was a well-known English novelist and social critic, best known for his works such as "Oliver Twist" and "A Tale of Two Cities". He often incorporated elements of English culture and geography into his writing, reflecting the influence of names like Glennwood.
More recently, Glennwood Archer (1920-2005) was a celebrated English actor and director who had a long and distinguished career in theater and film, appearing in numerous productions throughout the 20th century.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Glennwood throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and connection to the English language and culture.
People
Glennwood + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glennwood 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
Glennwood: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glennwood?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glennwood 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Glennwood a common name?
We classify Glennwood as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glennwood most popular?
The single biggest year for Glennwood was 1919, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glennwood is about 72 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 Glennwood in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Glennwood a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glennwood in the SSA data are male. 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 Glennwood still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Glennwood 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 Glennwood 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 people share the name Glennwood?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Glennwood on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.