Gwendlyn
Feminine name of Welsh origin meaning "fair, blessed ring".
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Gwendlyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gwendlyn today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gwendlyn births was 1952 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gwendlyn. 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
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
1952
20 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
2002 SSA rank
#16,349
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Gwendlyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gwendlyn from the 1920s through to the 2000s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 143 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
Gwendlyn 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 Gwendlyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gwendlyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gwendlyn
The name Gwendlyn has its origins in the Welsh language and culture. It is a feminine form of the Welsh name Gwenddolau, which is derived from the elements "gwen" meaning fair, white, or blessed, and "ddolen" meaning ring or circle.
This name was borne by a 6th century Welsh warrior princess named Gwenddolau, who fought against the Anglo-Saxons. Her name was later anglicized to Gwendolen and variants like Gwendlyn emerged over time. The name gained popularity in medieval Britain and was associated with nobility and royalty.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Gwendlyn can be found in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. A landowner named Gwendlyn is listed among the tenants in the county of Devon.
In the 12th century, a French poet named Chrétien de Troyes wrote a romance featuring a character named Gwendoloena, which was likely a variation of Gwendlyn. This work helped to further popularize the name in Europe.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Gwendlyn or its variants. One such figure was Gwendolen Graham (1859-1948), a British writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and suffrage.
Another was Gwendolen Elizabeth Pritchett (1868-1956), an English artist and illustrator who is known for her detailed drawings of plants and flowers.
In the realm of literature, Gwendolen Harleth is a prominent character in George Eliot's novel "Daniel Deronda," published in 1876. This fictional character has been praised for her complex and multifaceted portrayal.
Additionally, Gwendoline Christie (born 1978) is a modern-day English actress, known for her role as Brienne of Tarth in the HBO series "Game of Thrones."
Finally, Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) was an African American poet and teacher who became the first Black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950 for her book "Annie Allen."
People
Gwendlyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gwendlyn 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
Gwendlyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gwendlyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gwendlyn 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 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Gwendlyn a common name?
We classify Gwendlyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 498 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gwendlyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Gwendlyn was 1952, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gwendlyn is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gwendlyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gwendlyn 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.