Girls' name · since 1880
Gladys
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 266,718 babies named Gladys, peaking in 1920. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #151 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,212 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 266,718
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
266,718 babies have been named Gladys since 1880, making it today's #3212 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gladys has been recorded 266,718 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #3212 nationally and more common than 81% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #151 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,212 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 266,718 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gladys ranks #151 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,212 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 266,718 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #151 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,212 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 266,718
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Gladys's 266,718 recorded births place it above 99.79% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Gladys compares
266,718 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Gladys's all-time total is 709x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gladys | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 266,718 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,819 | 21 | 19,840 |
Gladys's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Gladys's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 9% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 91%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 20 births recorded -- set against the 1920 peak of 8,819, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Gladys popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 8,819
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Gladys popularity over time - boys
1,023 total births recorded since 1895 (Gladys as boys' name)
Gladys by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (72,561 births, 27% of the file).
1920s was Gladys's strongest decade.
72,561 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Gladys births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,420
1880s
1,420 births
- 1890s 13,622
1890s
13,622 births
- 1900s
1900s
30,285 births
- 1910s
1910s
65,812 births
- 1920s
1920s
72,561 births
- 1930s
1930s
34,762 births
- 1940s 19,063
1940s
19,063 births
- 1950s 12,181
1950s
12,181 births
- 1960s 5,948
1960s
5,948 births
- 1970s 2,766
1970s
2,766 births
- 1980s 2,509
1980s
2,509 births
- 1990s 2,918
1990s
2,918 births
- 2000s 1,767
2000s
1,767 births
- 2010s 745
2010s
745 births
- 2020s 359
2020s
359 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 72,561 births (27% of all-time use).
How Gladys compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Gladys's total volume
Gladys by state
Where Gladys concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 16,420 | 6.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 13,445 | 5.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 13,373 | 5.0% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 10,727 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 9,513 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Virginia | | 8,986 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 8,527 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 7,920 | 3.0% |
16,420 of 266,718 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Gladys appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gladys? ▼
Where does Gladys sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Gladys most popular? ▼
Where is Gladys most popular? ▼
How long has the name Gladys been used? ▼
What names are similar to Gladys? ▼
What to do with Gladys's data
- Gladys's decade-level peak was the 1920s (72,561 total births); usage has since declined to 359 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Gladyss (16,420 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gladys
Nearby Names Like Gladys
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gladys
Compare Gladys side by side: Gladys vs Gladis Gladys vs Gladyce Gladys vs Glady
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gladys
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gladys: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Gladys draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.