Glinda
Feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "pretty" or "fair".
Name Census estimates that about 1,685 living Americans carry the first name Glinda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Glinda today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glinda births was 1951 (142 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glinda. 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 Glinda is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glindas were born before 1967.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 203,415 Americans
Peak year
1951
142 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
2008 SSA rank
#18,483
Tracked since 1931
Popularity
Glinda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glinda from the 1930s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 1,092 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glinda 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 Glinda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Glindas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Texas, Alabama, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Glinda, while Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 80 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Glinda
The name Glinda is believed to have originated from the Old English word "glind," which means "material that burns slowly and gives off a bright glow." This suggests that the name may have been associated with light or radiance in its early usage.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Glinda can be traced back to the 9th century AD, when it was primarily used in Anglo-Saxon regions of England. During this period, the name was often spelled as "Glynde" or "Glynda."
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Glinda was a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman named Glinda of Mercia, who was born around 920 AD and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Kingdom of Mercia during her lifetime.
In the 12th century, the name Glinda appeared in several medieval English texts and manuscripts, often used as a character name in literary works or as a reference to historical figures.
During the Renaissance period, the name Glinda gained some popularity among aristocratic families in England and parts of continental Europe. One notable figure from this era was Glinda Fitzalan (1510-1580), an English noblewoman and courtier who served under Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 20th century, the name Glinda experienced a resurgence in popularity, largely due to its association with the character Glinda the Good Witch from L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," published in 1900. This literary connection helped to cement the name's association with magic and whimsy.
Other notable individuals named Glinda throughout history include Glinda Hawkesworth (1887-1972), a British actress and singer who performed in various musical theater productions in London's West End, and Glinda Portway (1914-2003), an American painter and sculptor known for her avant-garde works.
People
Glinda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glinda 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
Glinda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glinda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,685 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glinda 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 203,415 US residents.
Is Glinda a common name?
We classify Glinda as "Rare". It ranks above 93% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,547 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glinda most popular?
The single biggest year for Glinda was 1951, when 142 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glinda is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Glinda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glinda 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.