Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1957

Glen

Meaning Glen is an English, masculine given name Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #2,026 Trend → Stable

Glen is an English, masculine given name.

Rank 2025
#2,026
among boys · ↑267 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
74
named Glen · +19% vs 2024
How common
1 in 23,082
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1957
2,947 babies
All-time total
127,054
#268 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Glen popularity over time

127,054 babies have been named Glen since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 20 437 457 46 – #196
1890s 38 959 997 100 +118% #143
1900s 55 1,337 1,392 139 +40% #145
1910s 156 8,544 8,700 870 +525% #116
1920s 274 14,965 15,239 1,524 +75% #115
1930s 223 14,486 14,709 1,471 -3% #112
1940s 170 16,553 16,723 1,672 +14% #127
1950s 208 25,395 25,603 2,560 +53% #121
1960s 126 21,877 22,003 2,200 -14% #129
1970s 50 9,834 9,884 988 -55% #155
1980s 28 5,331 5,359 536 -46% #312
1990s – 3,113 3,113 311 -42% #464
2000s – 1,525 1,525 153 -51% #765
2010s – 945 945 95 -38% #1,407
2020s (to 2025) – 405 405 68 -29% #1,817

Where Glen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 74 0.04 outside top 500
2027 73 0.04 outside top 500
2028 73 0.04 outside top 500
2029 73 0.04 outside top 500
2030 72 0.04 outside top 500

The story of Glen

Glen is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,026 in 2025 with 74 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 127,054 American babies have been named Glen. Its peak came in 1957, when 2,947 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Glen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Glen?

The median living Glen is about 63 years old; half are between 54 and 72. An estimated 68 thousand people named Glen are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Glen year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 74 #2,026
2024 – – 62 #2,293
2023 – – 57 #2,400
2022 – – 72 #2,088
2021 – – 86 #1,817
2020 – – 54 #2,424
2019 – – 74 #1,984
2018 – – 78 #1,904
2017 – – 99 #1,613
2016 – – 84 #1,803
2015 – – 94 #1,672
2014 – – 105 #1,527
2013 – – 102 #1,552
2012 – – 97 #1,606
2011 – – 118 #1,407
2010 – – 94 #1,659
2009 – – 119 #1,416
2008 – – 114 #1,448
2007 – – 131 #1,313
2006 – – 126 #1,310
2005 – – 129 #1,228
2004 – – 147 #1,083
2003 – – 166 #970
2002 – – 182 #891
2001 – – 194 #838
2000 – – 217 #765
1995 – – 301 #591
1990 – – 450 #464
1985 7 #8,646 510 #360
1980 5 #10,911 599 #319
1975 – – 808 #250
1970 14 #4,114 1,997 #155
1965 13 #3,621 2,068 #149
1960 7 #5,350 2,443 #143
1955 25 #2,180 2,490 #131
1950 16 #2,591 2,173 #125
1945 19 #1,953 1,395 #148
1940 24 #1,607 1,434 #130
1935 24 #1,525 1,396 #124
1930 30 #1,415 1,595 #114
1925 26 #1,662 1,537 #117
1920 23 #1,774 1,412 #122
1915 20 #1,701 1,112 #123
1910 – – 184 #165
1905 6 #1,784 128 #158
1900 6 #1,818 134 #155
1895 – – 102 #151
1890 6 #1,265 68 #195
1885 5 #1,108 45 #246
1880 – – 24 #350

Famous people named Glen

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Glen Powell Glen Powell American actor (born 1988) Contemporary
  2. 2 Glen Campbell Glen Campbell American musician (1936–2017) Contemporary
  3. 3 Glen Davis Glen Davis American basketball player (born 1986) Contemporary
  4. 4 Glen Rice Glen Rice American basketball player (born 1967) Contemporary
  5. 5 Glen Johnson Glen Johnson English footballer (born 1984) Contemporary
  6. 6 Glen Ballard American songwriter (born 1953) Contemporary
  7. 7 Glen A. Larson Glen A. Larson American television producer and writer (1937–2014) Contemporary
  8. 8 Glen Benton Glen Benton American bassist and vocalist b. 1967 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Glen Cook Glen Cook American fantasy and science fiction writer (born 1944) Contemporary
  10. 10 Glen Morgan Glen Morgan American television producer, writer, and director (born 1961) b. 1947 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Glen Drover Glen Drover Canadian guitarist b. 1969 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Glen De Boeck Glen De Boeck Belgian football player and manager (1971–2025) Contemporary
  13. 13 Gülşen Gülşen Turkish singer (born 1976) Contemporary
  14. 14 Glen Moss Glen Moss New Zealand footballer (born 1983) Contemporary
  15. 15 Glen Vella Glen Vella Maltese singer b. 1983 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Glen, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Glen?

The median living Glen is about 63 years old. Half of all living Glens are between 54 and 72 years old.

How many people named Glen are alive today?

An estimated 68 thousand people named Glen are alive in the United States, based on 127,054 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Glen mean?

Glen is an English, masculine given name.

How popular is the name Glen in 2025?

Glen ranked #2,026 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 74 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Glen?

127,054 babies have been named Glen in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Glen most popular?

Glen peaked in 1957, when 2,947 newborns received the name.

Is Glen a boy or girl name?

Glen is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Glen rising or falling?

Glen is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Glen become more popular?

Glen looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 72 boys named Glen in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Glen?

Well-known people named Glen include Glen Powell (actor), Glen Campbell (singer), Glen Davis (basketball player).

Names like Glen

Names that sound and feel close to Glen: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Glen with similar names → More names starting with G →