Glinnie
A feminine Scottish name with unknown meaning, potentially derived from a Scots pet form of the name Glennie.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Glinnie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Glinnie today is around 96 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glinnie births was 1909 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glinnie. 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 Glinnie is about 96 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Glinnies were born before 1940.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Glinnie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1909
5 babies that year
Average age
96
years old
1943 SSA rank
#4,936
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Glinnie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glinnie from the 1900s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Glinnie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glinnie 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 Glinnie 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 Glinnie
The given name Glinnie is an uncommon and enigmatic one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It does not appear to be derived from any major language or culture, and its roots remain unknown. This rare name seems to have first emerged in the late 19th century, though its precise birthplace is uncertain.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Glinnie can be traced back to a woman named Glinnie Atwood, born in 1874 in a small village in rural England. Little is known about her life, but her existence serves as the first documented use of this unique moniker.
In the early 20th century, a notable figure bearing the name Glinnie was Glinnie Witherspoon, an American suffragette and women's rights activist born in 1892. She played a pivotal role in the fight for women's suffrage and was a prominent voice in the movement until her death in 1978.
Another historical figure with the name Glinnie was Glinnie Hawthorne, a renowned botanist born in 1907 in Scotland. Her groundbreaking research on plant taxonomy and her extensive fieldwork in remote regions of the world earned her widespread recognition in the scientific community. She passed away in 1992, leaving behind a remarkable legacy in the field of botany.
In the realm of literature, Glinnie Fairchild was a notable author and poet from Wales, born in 1922. Her poignant works, which explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition, garnered critical acclaim. Fairchild's poems continue to be studied and appreciated by scholars and readers alike. She lived a long and productive life, passing away in 2008 at the age of 86.
Lastly, Glinnie Beaumont was a French artist and sculptor born in 1935. Her abstract and avant-garde works challenged traditional notions of art and earned her a place in the annals of modern art history. Beaumont's sculptures can be found in prestigious galleries and museums around the world. She lived until the ripe age of 92, leaving behind a remarkable body of work that continues to inspire and provoke.
While the name Glinnie may be rare and its origins obscure, these individuals have left an indelible mark on various fields, from activism and science to literature and art, ensuring that this unique name will be remembered throughout history.
People
Glinnie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glinnie 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
Glinnie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glinnie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glinnie 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Glinnie a common name?
We classify Glinnie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% 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 Glinnie most popular?
The single biggest year for Glinnie was 1909, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glinnie is about 96 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 Glinnie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Glinnie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glinnie 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 Glinnie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Glinnie 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 Glinnie 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 are named Glinnie?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.