Gwenneth
A feminine Welsh name meaning "blessed" or "fair" or "radiant".
Name Census estimates that about 157 living Americans carry the first name Gwenneth. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gwenneth today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gwenneth births was 2006 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gwenneth. 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
157
~ 1 in 2,183,149 Americans
Peak year
2006
10 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,178
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Gwenneth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gwenneth from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 61 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
Gwenneth 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 Gwenneth 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 Gwenneth
The name Gwenneth originated from the Welsh language and culture. It is a feminine given name derived from the Welsh elements "gwen" meaning fair or blessed, and "neth" meaning niece or daughter. The name can be roughly translated to mean "fair daughter" or "blessed daughter".
Gwenneth has its roots in ancient Celtic traditions and beliefs. The name was particularly popular among the Welsh people during the Middle Ages, a time when Celtic culture and language were more widespread across parts of Britain. Similar spellings like Gweneth, Gwennan, and Gwendith were also used in various regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gwenneth can be found in a 12th-century Welsh manuscript, where it was used to refer to a noblewoman from Powys, a historic region in Wales. This suggests that the name was already in use among the Welsh aristocracy during that time period.
In the 13th century, a nun named Gwenneth ferch Griffith is mentioned in records from the Llanthony Priory in Monmouthshire, Wales. This provides evidence of the name being used in religious contexts as well.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gwenneth. One of the most famous was Gwenneth Paltrow (born 1972), an American actress known for her roles in films such as Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Iron Man (2008).
Another notable Gwenneth was Gwenneth Vaughan (1926-2019), a Welsh writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and writings in both Welsh and English.
In the 16th century, Gwenneth Siôn (c. 1530-1591) was a Welsh noblewoman and landowner who played a significant role in preserving the Welsh language and culture during a time of English influence.
Gwenneth Griffith (1841-1915) was a Welsh writer and educator who wrote extensively on Welsh history and culture, contributing to the preservation of Welsh language and literature.
Gwenneth Jones (1955-), a British science fiction author, has written numerous acclaimed novels and short stories, often exploring themes of gender, identity, and social issues.
While the name Gwenneth is of Welsh origin, it has been used across various cultures and regions over time, reflecting its rich history and cultural significance.
People
Gwenneth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gwenneth 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
Gwenneth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gwenneth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gwenneth 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 2,183,149 US residents.
Is Gwenneth a common name?
We classify Gwenneth as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 204 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gwenneth most popular?
The single biggest year for Gwenneth was 2006, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gwenneth is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gwenneth a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gwenneth 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.