Glynnis
A feminine name of Welsh origin meaning "pure, blessed".
Name Census estimates that about 484 living Americans carry the first name Glynnis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Glynnis today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Glynnis births was 1964 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Glynnis. 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
484
~ 1 in 708,170 Americans
Peak year
1964
40 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2008 SSA rank
#18,488
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Glynnis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Glynnis from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 197 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Glynnis 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 Glynnis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Glynnis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Glynnis
The name Glynnis is a Welsh feminine name derived from the Welsh word "glyn," meaning "valley." It is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 6th or 7th century AD, when the Welsh language and culture were flourishing in the region that is now known as Wales.
While the name Glynnis does not appear to have been recorded in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is a variation of the more common Welsh name Glyn, which has been used for both men and women throughout history. The earliest recorded use of the name Glynnis is believed to be in the late 19th century, although it may have been in use informally before then.
One of the earliest notable people with the name Glynnis was Glynnis Johns (1923-2003), a British actress who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films "The Sundowners" (1960) and "Mary Poppins" (1964).
Another famous Glynnis is Glynnis O'Connor (born 1956), an American actress and director who has appeared in films and television shows such as "Erin Brockovich" (2000), "The Crucible" (1996), and "Law & Order" (1990-2010). She has also directed several episodes of popular TV shows like "ER" and "Judging Amy."
In the field of literature, Glynnis Hart (born 1953) is a Canadian author best known for her novel "Eccentric Entries: The Curious and Bizarre Adventures of the Real-Life Madame Tussaud" (2004), which explores the life of the famous wax sculptor Marie Tussaud.
Glynnis Whitwer (born 1958) is an American author and speaker known for her work in the Christian inspirational genre. She has written several books, including "I Used to Be So Organized" (2003) and "Doing Busy Better" (2017), which offer advice on time management and productivity.
Finally, Glynnis Breytenbach (born 1946) is a South African poet and writer whose works often explore themes of identity, language, and the struggles of apartheid. Her collections include "Woordwerk" (1983) and "Skreeu" (2004), and she has received numerous awards for her contributions to Afrikaans literature.
People
Glynnis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Glynnis 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
Glynnis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Glynnis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 484 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Glynnis 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 708,170 US residents.
Is Glynnis a common name?
We classify Glynnis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 559 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Glynnis most popular?
The single biggest year for Glynnis was 1964, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Glynnis is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Glynnis a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Glynnis 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.