Gretel: Name Popularity, History & Rankings (1880

Rank 2025

#3,269

among girls · ↓21 vs 2024

Babies in 2025

named Gretel · -2% vs 2024

How common

1 in 33,485

girls born in 2025

Peak year

2022

68 babies

All-time total

1,514

#5,664 all-time among girls

First recorded

1915

in Social Security records

Gretel popularity over time

1,514 babies have been named Gretel since 1915, 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

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	Per year	Change	Best rank
1880s	–	–	–	–
1890s	–	–	–	–
1900s	–	–	–	–
1910s	13	1	–	#3,583
1920s	31	3	+138%	#3,151
1930s	69	7	+123%	#2,917
1940s	25	3	-64%	#2,920
1950s	51	5	+104%	#3,449
1960s	87	9	+71%	#4,301
1970s	114	11	+31%	#3,810
1980s	99	10	-13%	#4,806
1990s	90	9	-9%	#6,818
2000s	193	19	+114%	#5,252
2010s	435	44	+125%	#2,755
2020s (to 2025)	307	51	+18%	#2,589

Where Gretel 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	49	0.03	outside top 500
2027	51	0.03	outside top 500
2028	52	0.03	outside top 500
2029	53	0.03	outside top 500
2030	53	0.03	outside top 500

Where Gretel is most popular

Girls named Gretel per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.033 per 1,000. Strongest in Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Vs national average

well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Gretel born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State	Girls 2021–2025	Per 1,000	vs national
Texas	69	0.086	+164%
South Carolina	5	0.056	+71%
Georgia	10	0.044	+35%
California	26	0.031	-5%
Alaska	–	–	–
Alabama	–	–	–
Arkansas	–	–	–
Arizona	–	–	–
Colorado	–	–	–
Connecticut	–	–	–
District of Columbia	–	–	–
Delaware	–	–	–
Florida	–	–	–
Hawaii	–	–	–
Iowa	–	–	–
Idaho	–	–	–
Illinois	–	–	–
Indiana	–	–	–
Kansas	–	–	–
Kentucky	–	–	–
Louisiana	–	–	–
Massachusetts	–	–	–
Maryland	–	–	–
Maine	–	–	–
Michigan	–	–	–
Minnesota	–	–	–
Missouri	–	–	–
Mississippi	–	–	–
Montana	–	–	–
North Carolina	–	–	–
North Dakota	–	–	–
Nebraska	–	–	–
New Hampshire	–	–	–
New Jersey	–	–	–
New Mexico	–	–	–
Nevada	–	–	–
New York	–	–	–
Ohio	–	–	–
Oklahoma	–	–	–
Oregon	–	–	–
Pennsylvania	–	–	–
Rhode Island	–	–	–
South Dakota	–	–	–
Tennessee	–	–	–
Utah	–	–	–
Virginia	–	–	–
Vermont	–	–	–
Washington	–	–	–
Wisconsin	–	–	–
West Virginia	–	–	–
Wyoming	–	–	–

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Gretel

Gretel is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,269 in 2025 with 48 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1915, 1,514 American babies have been named Gretel. Its peak came in 2022, when 68 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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

How old are people named Gretel?

The median living Gretel is about 14 years old; half are between 6 and 38. An estimated 1,400 people named Gretel are alive in the United States today.

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

Gretel year by year

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

Year	Girls	Girls rank
2025	48	#3,269
2024	49	#3,248
2023	50	#3,242
2022	68	#2,589
2021	49	#3,265
2020	43	#3,519
2019	40	#3,741
2018	45	#3,455
2017	41	#3,722
2016	57	#2,943
2015	36	#4,097
2014	63	#2,755
2013	46	#3,421
2012	37	#4,074
2011	37	#4,025
2010	33	#4,432
2009	25	#5,602
2008	19	#6,898
2007	15	#8,237
2006	20	#6,438
2005	20	#6,097
2004	20	#6,055
2003	21	#5,657
2002	14	#7,556
2001	22	#5,252
2000	17	#6,301
1995	9	#9,025
1990	8	#9,566
1985	12	#5,778
1980	15	#4,806
1975	11	#5,266
1970	6	#7,372
1965	8	#4,984
1960	6	#5,942
1955	12	#3,449
1950	5	#5,593
1945	–	–
1940	5	#4,619
1935	5	#4,484
1930	5	#4,826
1925	–	–
1920	6	#4,616
1915	7	#3,583
1910	–	–
1905	–	–
1900	–	–
1895	–	–
1890	–	–
1885	–	–
1880	–	–

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Gretel?

The median living Gretel is about 14 years old. Half of all living Gretels are between 6 and 38 years old.

How many people named Gretel are alive today?

An estimated 1,400 people named Gretel are alive in the United States, based on 1,514 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Gretel in 2025?

Gretel ranked #3,269 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 48 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Gretel?

1,514 babies have been named Gretel in the United States since 1915, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gretel most popular?

Gretel peaked in 2022, when 68 newborns received the name.

Is Gretel a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Gretel rising or falling?

Gretel has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Gretel become more popular?

Gretel is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 53 girls named Gretel in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Gretel

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

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