Gretchen
A feminine diminutive form of "Margaret" with German origins meaning "pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 39,254 living Americans carry the first name Gretchen. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gretchen today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gretchen births was 1973 (1,350 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gretchen. 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
- • Compared to the 1970s, recent registration numbers for Gretchen have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
39K
~ 1 in 8,732 Americans
Peak year
1973
1,350 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1980 SSA rank
#3,591
Tracked since 1882
Gender
Gender distribution for Gretchen
Out of the 53,806 babies given the name Gretchen since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Gretchen as a male name
- Ranked #5,793 in 1980
- 6 male births in 1980
- Peak: 1975 (9 births)
Gretchen as a female name
- Ranked #3,591 in 2024
- 43 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1973 (1,350 births)
Popularity
Gretchen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gretchen from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 11,824 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gretchen 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 Gretchen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gretchens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Ohio, California recorded the most babies named Gretchen, while Wyoming, Hawaii, Delaware recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 940 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gretchen
The name Gretchen is a German diminutive form of the name Greta, which ultimately derives from the Greek name Margaret. Margaret itself comes from the Greek word "margarites," meaning "pearl." The name Gretchen emerged as a pet form or nickname for Greta, with the addition of the diminutive suffix "-chen."
The earliest recorded use of the name Gretchen dates back to the late Middle Ages in Germany. It gained popularity during the Renaissance period and was particularly prevalent among German-speaking communities. One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Gretchen was Gretchen von Limburg, a 14th-century German noblewoman and benefactor.
In literature, the name Gretchen is closely associated with the character Gretchen in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's famous play "Faust," published in 1808. Gretchen, the tragic heroine, became a symbol of innocent love and sacrifice, further popularizing the name in German-speaking regions.
Another notable Gretchen in history was Gretchen Brandt (1853-1929), a German painter and printmaker known for her landscapes and portraits. She was a prominent figure in the Berlin Secession art movement of the late 19th century.
In the field of music, Gretchen Wilson (born 1973) is a contemporary American country music singer-songwriter who gained fame in the early 2000s with her debut album "Here for the Party." She has won several awards, including a Grammy, and is known for her blend of traditional country and Southern rock styles.
Gretchen Mol (born 1972) is an American actress known for her roles in films such as "Rounders," "3:10 to Yuma," and the television series "Boardwalk Empire." She has been praised for her versatility and ability to portray complex characters.
While the name Gretchen has its roots in German culture, it has been adopted and used in various other cultures and languages over time, albeit with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. The name continues to be popular, particularly in German-speaking countries and among those with German heritage or cultural connections.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Gretchen
People
Gretchen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gretchen 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
Gretchen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gretchen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39,254 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gretchen 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 8,732 US residents.
Is Gretchen a common name?
We classify Gretchen as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 53,806 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gretchen most popular?
The single biggest year for Gretchen was 1973, when 1,350 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gretchen is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gretchen a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Gretchen 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.