# Gwendolyn (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gwendolyn/  
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 | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 124,718 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 333 / 124,385 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 365, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

A variant of Gwendolen, Gwendoline with -lyn.

## 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 | 513 | 566 |
| 2012 | 592 | 514 |
| 2013 | 651 | 471 |
| 2014 | 764 | 422 |
| 2015 | 791 | 406 |
| 2016 | 826 | 402 |
| 2017 | 822 | 377 |
| 2018 | 845 | 371 |
| 2019 | 852 | 370 |
| 2020 | 820 | 378 |
| 2021 | 794 | 397 |
| 2022 | 802 | 389 |
| 2023 | 814 | 379 |
| 2024 | 804 | 393 |
| 2025 | 848 | 360 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 16 | 2,047 |
| 1958 | 6 | 3,691 |
| 1959 | 12 | 2,467 |
| 1960 | 9 | 2,948 |
| 1961 | 7 | 3,487 |
| 1962 | 6 | 3,791 |
| 1963 | 6 | 3,792 |
| 1964 | 7 | 3,407 |
| 1965 | 7 | 3,370 |
| 1967 | 5 | 4,196 |
| 1968 | 5 | 4,358 |
| 1969 | 5 | 4,642 |
| 1970 | 6 | 4,436 |
| 1971 | 6 | 4,606 |
| 1974 | 7 | 4,334 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 2,636 |
| 2012 | 16 | 1,809 |
| 2013 | 12 | 2,176 |
| 2014 | 12 | 2,203 |
| 2015 | 19 | 1,601 |
| 2016 | 27 | 1,241 |
| 2017 | 21 | 1,512 |
| 2018 | 19 | 1,586 |
| 2019 | 20 | 1,497 |
| 2020 | 10 | 2,449 |
| 2021 | 19 | 1,569 |
| 2022 | 25 | 1,282 |
| 2023 | 22 | 1,410 |
| 2024 | 33 | 1,036 |
| 2025 | 23 | 1,362 |

## People named Gwendolyn

- Gwendolyn Brooks, American writer (1917–2000)
- Gwendolyn B. Bennett, American writer (1902–1981)
- Gwendolyn Göbel, actress
- Gwendolyn MacEwen, Canadian poet and novelist (1941–1987)
- Gwendolyn Rutten, Flemish politician
- Gwendolyn Lizarraga, activist and politician from Belize
- Gwen Ifill, American journalist, television newscaster and author (1955–2016)
- Gwen Berry, American female hammer thrower
- Gwen Wakeling, American costume designer (1901–1982)

## 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.