Gwendelyn
A feminine given name derived from the Welsh name Gwendolen, meaning "fair lady".
Name Census estimates that about 357 living Americans carry the first name Gwendelyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gwendelyn today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gwendelyn births was 2002 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gwendelyn. 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
357
~ 1 in 960,096 Americans
Peak year
2002
13 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,012
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Gwendelyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gwendelyn from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 99 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gwendelyn 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 Gwendelyn 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 Gwendelyn
The name Gwendelyn finds its origins in the Welsh language and culture, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is a feminine form derived from the Welsh name Gwenddolen, which itself is a combination of the elements "gwen," meaning fair or blessed, and "dolen," meaning ring or loop.
This name gained popularity in Wales and surrounding regions during the medieval period, often associated with nobility and royalty. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Welsh epic poem "The Mabinogion," where a character named Gwenddoleu appears as a warrior and leader.
Throughout the centuries, variations of the name, such as Gwendolen and Gwendolyn, have been used across various cultures and regions. In literature, one of the most notable bearers of this name is Gwendolen Harleth, a character from George Eliot's novel "Daniel Deronda," published in 1876.
Among historical figures, Gwendolen Graham (1890-1977) was a British novelist and children's writer, known for her work "The Philadelphian." Gwendolen Raverat (1885-1957) was an English wood engraver and writer, celebrated for her memoirs "Period Piece: A Cambridge Childhood."
In the realm of royalty, Lady Gwendolen Bertie (1853-1906) was a British noblewoman and a member of the prestigious Cecil family. Gwendolen Churchill (1979-present), a direct descendant of Sir Winston Churchill, is a British artist and sculptor.
Another notable figure is Gwendolen Cradock (1889-1958), a British theatrical manager and actress who played a significant role in the development of regional theater in England during the early 20th century.
While the name Gwendelyn has undergone various spellings and adaptations, its Welsh origins and associations with nobility, literature, and the arts have contributed to its enduring presence throughout history.
People
Gwendelyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gwendelyn 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
Gwendelyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gwendelyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 357 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gwendelyn 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 960,096 US residents.
Is Gwendelyn a common name?
We classify Gwendelyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 394 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gwendelyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Gwendelyn was 2002, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gwendelyn is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gwendelyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gwendelyn 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.