Glynn
A masculine name of Welsh origin meaning "valley" or "glen".
Name Census estimates that about 2,930 living Americans carry the first name Glynn. It is a predominantly male name (92.2% of registrations). The average person named Glynn today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glynn births was 1950 (141 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glynn. 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.
People living today
2.9K
~ 1 in 116,981 Americans
Peak year
1950
141 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2019 SSA rank
#10,958
Tracked since 1902
Gender
Gender distribution for Glynn
Glynn leans heavily male at 92.2% of total registrations, but 417 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Glynn as a male name
- Ranked #12,797 in 2019
- 5 male births in 2019
- Peak: 1950 (131 births)
Glynn as a female name
- Ranked #10,958 in 1994
- 7 female births in 1994
- Peak: 1954 (16 births)
Popularity
Glynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glynn from the 1900s through to the 2010s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 1,117 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
Glynn 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 Glynn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Glynns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Texas, Louisiana, Georgia recorded the most babies named Glynn, while Ohio, New York, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 153 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Glynn
The name Glynn originates from the Welsh language and culture, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Welsh word "glyn," which means a deep valley or a glen. The name was initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near or in a valley.
During the Middle Ages, the name Glynn gained popularity among the Welsh people, particularly in the regions of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. It was not uncommon for families to adopt surnames based on their geographic locations or notable features of the landscape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Glynn can be found in the "Welsh Genealogies," a collection of pedigrees and lineages dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in association with several prominent Welsh families, indicating its use and acceptance within the culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Glynn. One such figure was Glynn Vivian (1842-1932), a Welsh industrialist and philanthropist who established the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea, Wales. Another prominent bearer of the name was Glynn Jones (1927-2005), a Welsh rugby union player who represented Wales and the British Lions in the 1950s.
In the literary realm, Glynn Hughes (1920-1994) was a Welsh poet and author known for his works exploring the Welsh experience and identity. His poetry collections, such as "Scenes from a Provincial Life" and "Collected Poems," garnered critical acclaim.
In the field of science, Glynn Lunney (1936-2021) was an American aerospace engineer and NASA flight director who played a crucial role in the Apollo program, overseeing numerous manned space missions, including the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing.
Glynn Turman (born 1946) is an American actor best known for his roles in films like "Cooley High," "A Soldier's Story," and the TV series "The Wire." He has had a prolific career spanning over five decades and has been recognized with several awards and nominations for his performances.
The name Glynn has maintained a distinctive Welsh heritage and has been carried by individuals across various fields, from industry and sports to literature and science. While its usage may have been more prevalent in certain regions of Wales, the name has also found its way into other cultures and languages, serving as a reminder of its rich historical roots.
People
Glynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glynn 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
Glynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,930 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glynn 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 116,981 US residents.
Is Glynn a common name?
We classify Glynn as "Rare". It ranks above 95.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,361 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Glynn was 1950, when 141 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glynn is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Glynn a male name?
Yes, 92.2% of people registered as Glynn 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.
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.