Total births
53,799
Girls' name · since 1882
Gretchen
53,799 babies named Gretchen in U.S. Social Security records since 1882, with the highest year being 1973. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3463
- among girls today
- 53,799
- born since 1882
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
53,799 babies have been named Gretchen since 1882, making it today's #3463 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Gretchen recorded 53,799 times among girls since 1882, holding rank #3463 nationally today, ahead of 80% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #3463 among girls today
- 53,799 born since 1882
- 1970s peak decade
- 80% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Gretchen is currently the #3463 girls' name in America, more common than 80% of girls - 53,799 born since 1882, peaking in the 1970s.
- #3463
- among girls today
- 53,799
- born since 1882
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other girls
Gretchen vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3463
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 80% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Gretchen was born in this single decade.
1973
Single peak year
1,351 babies were named Gretchen in 1973 - its busiest year on record.
How Gretchen compares
53,799 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 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
Gretchen's all-time total is 141x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gretchen | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 53,799 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,351 | 48 | 19,840 |
Gretchen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Gretchen's full recorded timeline at 1954, 73% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 27% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1885, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1973 peak of 1,351 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Gretchen at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1973
Current rank
#3,463
Active since
1882
Gretchen popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1973)
- 1,351
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Gretchen popularity over time - boys
38 total births recorded since 1957 (Gretchen as boys' name)
Gretchen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Gretchen's strongest decade.
11,800 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Gretchen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 95
1880s
95 births
- 1890s 320
1890s
320 births
- 1900s 479
1900s
479 births
- 1910s 1,797
1910s
1,797 births
- 1920s 1,454
1920s
1,454 births
- 1930s 2,994
1930s
2,994 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,192 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,093 births
- 1960s
1960s
9,745 births
- 1970s
1970s
11,800 births
- 1980s
1980s
5,668 births
- 1990s 3,098
1990s
3,098 births
- 2000s 3,067
2000s
3,067 births
- 2010s 1,676
2010s
1,676 births
- 2020s 321
2020s
321 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 11,800 births (22% of all-time use).
How Gretchen 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 Gretchen's total volume
Gretchen vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Gretchen by state
Where Gretchen concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 4,227 | 7.9% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 3,986 | 7.4% |
| #3 | California | | 3,746 | 7.0% |
| #4 | New York | | 3,552 | 6.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 2,784 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 2,680 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 2,607 | 4.8% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 1,975 | 3.7% |
Pennsylvania share of Gretchen's total US births 7.9%
Even split
4,227 of 53,799 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Gretchen appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gretchen? ▼
Gretchen has been given to 53,799 babies in the U.S. since 1882, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #3463 as of the latest data. 1,351 babies were born in 1973, its single highest year.
When was Gretchen most popular? ▼
Gretchen was most popular in the 1970s decade with 11,800 total births. The single peak year was 1973.
Where is Gretchen most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gretchen are Pennsylvania (4,227 births), Ohio (3,986 births), California (3,746 births).
How long has the name Gretchen been used? ▼
Gretchen has been recorded in Social Security data since 1882, spanning 144 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Gretchen? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Greta, Grecia, Gretta, Greer, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Gretchen's data
- Gretchen's decade-level peak was the 1970s (11,800 total births); usage has since declined to 321 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Gretchens (4,227 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gretchen
Nearby Names Like Gretchen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gretchen
Greta Girl
#861 27,786 births
Grecia Girl
#1159 6,318 births
Gretta Girl
#4391 4,139 births
Greer Girl
#1987 3,085 births
Gregory Girl
2,860 births
Compare Gretchen side by side: Gretchen vs Greta Gretchen vs Grecia Gretchen vs Gretta
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gretchen
Delila #3462
3,574 births · Peak 2008
Christy #3464
98,576 births · Peak 1975
Alyce #3461
17,539 births · Peak 1921
Amada #3465
2,533 births · Peak 2019
Gladys #3460
266,718 births · Peak 1920
Keturah #3466
3,541 births · Peak 1992
Pauline #3459
226,404 births · Peak 1918
Romie #3467
671 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gretchen: #3463 Girls' Name - 53,799 Births, Peak 1973." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gretchen. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Gretchen 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 June 2026.