Gwilym
A Welsh masculine name derived from the Germanic elements "guil" and "helm", meaning "helmet of resolution".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Gwilym. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gwilym today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gwilym births was 2005 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gwilym. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gwilym with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gwilym. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2005
5 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2005 SSA rank
#12,063
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Gwilym: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gwilym 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 Gwilym during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gwilym
Gwilym is a Welsh masculine given name derived from the Old Welsh form Gwiliaun, which in turn is derived from the Latin name Gulielmus or Willelmus, the Medieval Latin form of William. The name Gwilym emerged in the 13th century as a Welsh form of the more common William.
The name Gwilym is believed to be derived from the Frankish name Willahelm, which is composed of the Germanic elements "wil" meaning "will or desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet or protection." This name was borne by several early medieval saints and later gained popularity across Europe.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gwilym can be found in the works of the 14th-century Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315-1370), considered one of the greatest poets of Wales. His poems often featured references to his own name, which helped popularize the name in Wales.
Another notable bearer of the name Gwilym was Gwilym Ddu o Arfon (c. 1270-1350), a Welsh poet and nobleman who served as a court poet to several Welsh princes. His works, written in the intricate cywydd poetic form, are considered among the finest examples of medieval Welsh literature.
In the 15th century, Gwilym ap Rhys (c. 1420-1490) was a prominent Welsh nobleman and landowner who played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, supporting the House of Lancaster. He is mentioned in several historical accounts of the time.
During the 16th century, Gwilym Pugh (c. 1540-1590) was a Welsh scholar and translator who is credited with producing the first printed translation of the Bible into Welsh, published in 1588. His translation work helped establish Welsh as a literary language and had a lasting impact on the language's development.
In the 18th century, Gwilym Hiraethog (1700-1768), whose real name was William Vaughan, was a Welsh poet and writer known for his intricate and highly stylized verse. His works were widely popular and influential in the development of Welsh literature during the period.
People
Gwilym + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gwilym 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
Gwilym: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gwilym?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gwilym 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Gwilym a common name?
We classify Gwilym as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gwilym most popular?
The single biggest year for Gwilym was 2005, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gwilym is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gwilym in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gwilym a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gwilym in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Gwilym still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gwilym in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gwilym can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Gwilym?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Gwilym on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.