Girls' name · since 1890
Gwen
Since 1890, U.S. Social Security records show 32,617 babies named Gwen, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #794 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #726 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 32,617
- born since 1890
- 1950s
- peak decade
Gwen currently ranks #726 among girls' names in America, with 32,617 babies recorded since 1890.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gwen has been recorded 32,617 times among girls since 1890, currently ranked #726 nationally and more common than 96% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1890 to 2025.
- #794 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #726 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 32,617 born since 1890
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gwen ranks #794 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #726 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 32,617 born since 1890, peaking in the 1950s.
- #794 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #726 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 32,617
- born since 1890
- 1950s
- peak decade
Gwen's 32,617 recorded births place it above 98.9% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Gwen compares
32,617 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Gwen's all-time total is 87x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gwen | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 32,617 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 942 | 21 | 19,840 |
Gwen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Gwen's SSA record in two at 1959 and the more recent half accounts for 54% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 46%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1892, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1959 peak of 942, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Gwen popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1890–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 942
- Annual births at peak, across 136 years of records
Gwen popularity over time - boys
294 total births recorded since 1916 (Gwen as boys' name)
Gwen by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (6,780 births, 21% of the file).
1950s was Gwen's strongest decade.
6,780 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Gwen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 60
1890s
60 births
- 1900s 186
1900s
186 births
- 1910s 716
1910s
716 births
- 1920s 1,337
1920s
1,337 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,808 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,050 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,780 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,961 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,753 births
- 1980s 1,071
1980s
1,071 births
- 1990s 512
1990s
512 births
- 2000s 1,453
2000s
1,453 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,817 births
- 2020s 2,113
2020s
2,113 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 6,780 births (21% of all-time use).
How Gwen 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 Gwen's total volume
Gwen by state
Where Gwen concentrates geographically, total births since 1890
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,812 | 8.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,944 | 6.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 1,797 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 1,684 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Texas | | 1,636 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 1,437 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,390 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 1,224 | 3.8% |
2,812 of 32,617 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Gwen appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gwen? ▼
Where does Gwen sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Gwen most popular? ▼
Where is Gwen most popular? ▼
How long has the name Gwen been used? ▼
What names are similar to Gwen? ▼
What to do with Gwen's data
- Gwen's decade-level peak was the 1950s (6,780 total births); usage has since declined to 2,113 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Gwens (2,812 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gwen
Nearby Names Like Gwen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gwen
Compare Gwen side by side: Gwen vs Gwendolyn Gwen vs Gwenyth Gwen vs Gwenda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gwen
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gwen: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~135 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, 1890–2025 (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 Gwen 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.