# Gwen (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gwen/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Welsh |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ɡwɛn/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 32,911 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 294 / 32,617 (99% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,170, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A female given name from Welsh. * Borrowed from Welsh Gwen. * Clipping of Gwendolen. Doublet of Wendy. * Clipping of Guinevere. Doublet of Jen.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 196 | 1,225 |
| 2012 | 224 | 1,110 |
| 2013 | 266 | 954 |
| 2014 | 278 | 963 |
| 2015 | 377 | 749 |
| 2016 | 373 | 766 |
| 2017 | 317 | 864 |
| 2018 | 295 | 910 |
| 2019 | 328 | 828 |
| 2020 | 331 | 823 |
| 2021 | 325 | 849 |
| 2022 | 329 | 851 |
| 2023 | 341 | 817 |
| 2024 | 403 | 698 |
| 2025 | 384 | 725 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 6 | 3,509 |
| 1952 | 6 | 3,512 |
| 1953 | 9 | 2,786 |
| 1954 | 6 | 3,595 |
| 1955 | 6 | 3,661 |
| 1956 | 6 | 3,695 |
| 1957 | 11 | 2,542 |
| 1958 | 5 | 4,177 |
| 1959 | 9 | 2,913 |
| 1960 | 7 | 3,472 |
| 1961 | 6 | 3,793 |
| 1962 | 7 | 3,436 |
| 1964 | 9 | 2,937 |
| 1967 | 5 | 4,195 |
| 1970 | 6 | 4,435 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 53 | 721 |
| 2012 | 54 | 738 |
| 2013 | 57 | 699 |
| 2014 | 52 | 750 |
| 2015 | 61 | 666 |
| 2016 | 51 | 768 |
| 2017 | 64 | 648 |
| 2018 | 75 | 553 |
| 2019 | 59 | 664 |
| 2020 | 46 | 792 |
| 2021 | 51 | 734 |
| 2022 | 31 | 1,081 |
| 2023 | 45 | 794 |
| 2024 | 50 | 751 |
| 2025 | 34 | 997 |

## People named Gwen

- Gwen Stefani, American singer (born 1969)
- Gwen Torrence, American sprinter
- Gwen Verdon, American dancer and actress (1925-2000)
- Gwen Jorgensen, American triathlete
- Gwen Lee, actress, model (1904-1961)
- Gwen Ifill, American journalist, television newscaster and author (1955–2016)
- Gwen Moore, American politician (1951-)
- Gwen Guthrie, American singer-songwriter
- Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, British actress (1891-1992)
- Gwen Watford, British actress (1927–1994)
- Gwen Graham, American attorney, politician and member of the Democratic Party
- Gwen McCrae, American soul musician and singer (1943–2025)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.