Total births
124,385
Girls' name · since 1880
Gwendolyn
Gwendolyn has 124,385 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1953 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #393
- among girls today
- 124,385
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
124,385 babies have been named Gwendolyn since 1880, making it today's #393 girls' name.
Gwendolyn has 124,385 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #393 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of girls, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #393 among girls today
- 124,385 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Gwendolyn is currently the #393 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 124,385 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #393
- among girls today
- 124,385
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Gwendolyn vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#393
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1950s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Gwendolyn was born in this single decade.
1953
Single peak year
3,519 babies were named Gwendolyn in 1953 - its busiest year on record.
How Gwendolyn compares
124,385 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Gwendolyn's all-time total is 326x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gwendolyn | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 124,385 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,519 | 48 | 19,840 |
Gwendolyn's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Gwendolyn's full recorded timeline at 1955, 53% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 47% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1953 peak of 3,519 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Gwendolyn at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1953
Current rank
#393
Active since
1880
Gwendolyn popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1953)
- 3,519
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Gwendolyn popularity over time - boys
333 total births recorded since 1924 (Gwendolyn as boys' name)
Gwendolyn by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Gwendolyn's strongest decade.
31,945 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Gwendolyn births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 45
1880s
45 births
- 1890s 205
1890s
205 births
- 1900s 775
1900s
775 births
- 1910s 4,331
1910s
4,331 births
- 1920s 8,658
1920s
8,658 births
- 1930s 10,108
1930s
10,108 births
- 1940s
1940s
18,344 births
- 1950s
1950s
31,945 births
- 1960s
1960s
18,635 births
- 1970s 7,914
1970s
7,914 births
- 1980s 3,838
1980s
3,838 births
- 1990s 2,983
1990s
2,983 births
- 2000s 4,548
2000s
4,548 births
- 2010s 7,174
2010s
7,174 births
- 2020s 4,882
2020s
4,882 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 31,945 births (26% of all-time use).
How Gwendolyn 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 Gwendolyn's total volume
Gwendolyn vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Gwendolyn by state
Where Gwendolyn concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 8,559 | 6.9% |
| #2 | California | | 6,810 | 5.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 6,664 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 6,468 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 6,281 | 5.0% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 6,054 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 5,614 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 5,500 | 4.4% |
Texas share of Gwendolyn's total US births 6.9%
Even split
8,559 of 124,385 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Gwendolyn appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gwendolyn? ▼
Gwendolyn has been given to 124,385 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #393 as of the latest data. 3,519 babies were born in 1953, its single highest year.
When was Gwendolyn most popular? ▼
Gwendolyn was most popular in the 1950s decade with 31,945 total births. The single peak year was 1953.
Where is Gwendolyn most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gwendolyn are Texas (8,559 births), California (6,810 births), New York (6,664 births).
How long has the name Gwendolyn been used? ▼
Records for Gwendolyn go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Gwendolyn? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gwen, Gwenyth, Gwenda, Gwenn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Gwendolyn's data
- Gwendolyn's decade-level peak was the 1950s (31,945 total births); usage has since declined to 4,882 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Gwendolyns (8,559 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Gwendolyn
Nearby Names Like Gwendolyn
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gwendolyn
Gwen Girl
#698 32,617 births
Gwenyth Girl
#3136 3,268 births
Gwenda Girl
2,264 births
Gwenn Girl
1,502 births
Gwendolynn Girl
#5465 1,454 births
Compare Gwendolyn side by side: Gwendolyn vs Gwen Gwendolyn vs Gwenyth Gwendolyn vs Gwenda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gwendolyn
Veronica #392
223,775 births · Peak 1980
Anya #394
20,561 births · Peak 2007
Maryam #391
13,845 births · Peak 2025
Alivia #395
34,786 births · Peak 2008
Logan #390
31,838 births · Peak 2017
Harley #396
31,167 births · Peak 2017
Jocelyn #389
113,061 births · Peak 2007
Leighton #397
12,412 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gwendolyn: #393 Girls' Name - 124,385 Births, Peak 1953." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gwendolyn. 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 Gwendolyn 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.