Gwenyth
A feminine name of Welsh origin meaning "smooth, blessed".
Name Census estimates that about 3,053 living Americans carry the first name Gwenyth. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gwenyth today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gwenyth births was 2013 (176 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gwenyth. 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
- • Gwenyth is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
3.1K
~ 1 in 112,268 Americans
Peak year
2013
176 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,125
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Gwenyth: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gwenyth from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,348 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
Gwenyth 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 Gwenyth during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gwenyths live
The SSA's state-level files cover 23 states and territories. California, New York, Ohio recorded the most babies named Gwenyth, while Kansas, Georgia, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 69 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gwenyth
The name Gwenyth is a Welsh feminine given name derived from the Welsh elements "gwen" meaning fair, white, or blessed, and "yth" meaning aspect or being. It is believed to have originated in the 6th century during the medieval period in Wales.
The earliest known use of the name Gwenyth can be traced back to a 6th-century Welsh princess named Gwenyth ferch Culvynawyd, who was the daughter of a powerful king in what is now northern Wales. This suggests that the name was in use among the Welsh nobility and royalty during this time.
In the 9th century, the name Gwenyth is mentioned in the Welsh legal text "Cyfnerth Laws" as one of the names given to daughters of the Welsh aristocracy. This further solidifies the name's long-standing association with Welsh culture and tradition.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Gwenyth was Gwenyth Goch, a 14th-century Welsh warrior and rebel leader who fought against English rule in Wales. Her nickname "Goch" means "the Red" in Welsh, likely referring to her fiery hair or her fierce determination in battle.
In the 16th century, Gwenyth verch Ieuan ap Rhydderch, a Welsh noblewoman, was recorded as one of the last speakers of the Cumbric language, an ancient Celtic language once spoken in northern England and southern Scotland.
During the 17th century, Gwenyth Pugh, a Welsh Quaker and religious leader, was known for her efforts in promoting education and religious tolerance in Wales.
Another notable figure was Gwenyth Llewelyn, a 19th-century Welsh author and poet who wrote extensively about Welsh culture and the preservation of the Welsh language.
Throughout its long history, the name Gwenyth has maintained its strong connection to Welsh heritage and has been borne by various notable individuals in various fields, from warriors and rebel leaders to religious figures and writers.
People
Gwenyth + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gwenyth 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
Gwenyth: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gwenyth?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,053 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gwenyth 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 112,268 US residents.
Is Gwenyth a common name?
We classify Gwenyth as "Rare". It ranks above 95.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,212 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gwenyth most popular?
The single biggest year for Gwenyth was 2013, when 176 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gwenyth is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gwenyth a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gwenyth 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.