Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1973

Gretchen

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #4,292 Trend ↓ Falling 35%

Gretchen is a female given name of German origin that is most prevalent in the United States.

Rank 2025
#4,292
among girls · ↓818 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
33
named Gretchen · -27% vs 2024
How common
1 in 48,705
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1973
1,351 babies
All-time total
53,837
#557 all-time among girls
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Gretchen popularity over time

53,837 babies have been named Gretchen since 1882, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 95 – 95 10 – #548
1890s 320 – 320 32 +237% #435
1900s 479 – 479 48 +50% #454
1910s 1,797 – 1,797 180 +275% #351
1920s 1,454 – 1,454 145 -19% #521
1930s 2,994 – 2,994 299 +106% #285
1940s 5,192 – 5,192 519 +73% #289
1950s 6,093 10 6,103 610 +18% #318
1960s 9,745 – 9,745 975 +60% #263
1970s 11,800 22 11,822 1,182 +21% #191
1980s 5,668 6 5,674 567 -52% #271
1990s 3,098 – 3,098 310 -45% #596
2000s 3,067 – 3,067 307 -1% #743
2010s 1,676 – 1,676 168 -45% #1,057
2020s (to 2025) 321 – 321 54 -68% #2,607

Where Gretchen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 30 0.02 outside top 500
2027 28 0.02 outside top 500
2028 26 0.02 outside top 500
2029 24 0.02 outside top 500
2030 23 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Gretchen

Gretchen is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,292 in 2025 with 33 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 53,837 American babies have been named Gretchen. Its peak came in 1973, when 1,351 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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 Gretchen stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Gretchen?

The median living Gretchen is about 53 years old; half are between 42 and 64. An estimated 43 thousand people named Gretchen are alive in the United States today.

median 53 020406080100

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

Gretchen 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 33 #4,292 – –
2024 45 #3,474 – –
2023 65 #2,681 – –
2022 52 #3,136 – –
2021 61 #2,797 – –
2020 65 #2,607 – –
2019 71 #2,490 – –
2018 96 #2,032 – –
2017 120 #1,758 – –
2016 170 #1,380 – –
2015 162 #1,429 – –
2014 191 #1,263 – –
2013 203 #1,187 – –
2012 203 #1,207 – –
2011 234 #1,057 – –
2010 226 #1,102 – –
2009 265 #1,002 – –
2008 283 #954 – –
2007 316 #883 – –
2006 355 #779 – –
2005 349 #762 – –
2004 275 #886 – –
2003 316 #782 – –
2002 285 #816 – –
2001 313 #764 – –
2000 310 #743 – –
1995 283 #724 – –
1990 356 #628 – –
1985 451 #470 – –
1980 917 #271 6 #5,793
1975 1,175 #209 9 #3,760
1970 1,244 #251 5 #5,001
1965 906 #295 – –
1960 937 #306 – –
1955 575 #366 – –
1950 545 #329 – –
1945 493 #308 – –
1940 471 #289 – –
1935 301 #364 – –
1930 178 #500 – –
1925 144 #606 – –
1920 131 #626 – –
1915 288 #351 – –
1910 95 #403 – –
1905 42 #533 – –
1900 55 #454 – –
1895 35 #494 – –
1890 29 #485 – –
1885 5 #1,109 – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Gretchen

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

  1. 1 Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Whitmer Governor of Michigan since 2019 b. 1971 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Gretchen Mol Gretchen Mol American actress (born 1972) Contemporary
  3. 3 Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Wilson American country singer b. 1973 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Gretchen Fraser Gretchen Fraser American alpine skier 1919–1994 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Gretchen?

The median living Gretchen is about 53 years old. Half of all living Gretchens are between 42 and 64 years old.

How many people named Gretchen are alive today?

An estimated 43 thousand people named Gretchen are alive in the United States, based on 53,837 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Gretchen mean?

Gretchen is a female given name of German origin that is most prevalent in the United States.

How popular is the name Gretchen in 2025?

Gretchen ranked #4,292 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 33 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Gretchen?

53,837 babies have been named Gretchen in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gretchen most popular?

Gretchen peaked in 1973, when 1,351 newborns received the name.

Is Gretchen a boy or girl name?

Gretchen is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Gretchen rising or falling?

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

Will Gretchen become more popular?

Gretchen is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 23 girls named Gretchen in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Gretchen?

Well-known people named Gretchen include Gretchen Whitmer (politician), Gretchen Mol (actor), Gretchen Wilson (singer).

Names like Gretchen

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

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