girls' name ★ peaked 1959

Gwen

Meaning A female given name from Welsh Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #725 Trend ↑ Rising 22%

A female given name from Welsh.

Rank 2025
#725
among girls · ↓27 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
384
named Gwen · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,186
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1959
951 babies
All-time total
32,911
#794 all-time among girls
First recorded
1890
in Social Security records

Gwen popularity over time

32,911 babies have been named Gwen since 1890, 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
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – – – – – –
1890s 60 – 60 6 – #855
1900s 186 – 186 19 +210% #599
1910s 716 18 734 73 +295% #648
1920s 1,337 30 1,367 137 +86% #461
1930s 2,808 68 2,876 288 +110% #322
1940s 4,050 69 4,119 412 +43% #338
1950s 6,780 69 6,849 685 +66% #295
1960s 5,961 34 5,995 600 -12% #310
1970s 2,753 6 2,759 276 -54% #511
1980s 1,071 – 1,071 107 -61% #875
1990s 512 – 512 51 -52% #2,270
2000s 1,453 – 1,453 145 +184% #1,252
2010s 2,817 – 2,817 282 +94% #749
2020s (to 2025) 2,113 – 2,113 352 +25% #698

Where Gwen 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 398 0.25 outside top 500
2027 411 0.26 outside top 500
2028 421 0.26 outside top 500
2029 431 0.27 outside top 500
2030 439 0.27 outside top 500

Where Gwen is most popular

Girls named Gwen per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.220 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Idaho, and Montana.

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 Gwen 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
Utah 130 1.56 +611%
Idaho 38 1.14 +417%
Montana 6 0.443 +102%
Minnesota 47 0.436 +98%
Indiana 59 0.420 +91%
Massachusetts 46 0.380 +73%
Washington 52 0.360 +64%
Colorado 39 0.349 +59%
Wisconsin 35 0.340 +55%
Michigan 61 0.335 +52%
New Hampshire 6 0.325 +48%
Missouri 39 0.324 +47%
Illinois 74 0.323 +47%
Oregon 21 0.323 +47%
Arizona 44 0.314 +43%
Ohio 71 0.299 +36%
California 251 0.299 +36%
Pennsylvania 61 0.258 +17%
Kentucky 21 0.246 +12%
Nevada 11 0.237 +8%
Virginia 36 0.211 ≈ national
North Carolina 44 0.193 -12%
Oklahoma 14 0.190 -13%
New Jersey 34 0.188 -14%
Nebraska 6 0.167 -24%
Texas 130 0.162 -26%
Maryland 17 0.160 -27%
Tennessee 25 0.158 -28%
Florida 61 0.143 -35%
New York 53 0.134 -39%
Georgia 30 0.132 -40%
Kansas 7 0.121 -45%
Iowa 6 0.103 -53%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -57%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Gwen

Gwen is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #725 in 2025 with 384 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1890, 32,911 American babies have been named Gwen. Its peak came in 1959, when 951 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 Gwen stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Gwen?

The median living Gwen is about 61 years old; half are between 25 and 69. An estimated 25 thousand people named Gwen are alive in the United States today.

median 61 020406080100

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

Gwen 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 384 #725 – –
2024 403 #698 – –
2023 341 #817 – –
2022 329 #851 – –
2021 325 #849 – –
2020 331 #823 – –
2019 328 #828 – –
2018 295 #910 – –
2017 317 #864 – –
2016 373 #766 – –
2015 377 #749 – –
2014 278 #963 – –
2013 266 #954 – –
2012 224 #1,110 – –
2011 196 #1,225 – –
2010 163 #1,410 – –
2009 185 #1,308 – –
2008 201 #1,252 – –
2007 186 #1,311 – –
2006 160 #1,418 – –
2005 156 #1,383 – –
2004 123 #1,595 – –
2003 149 #1,358 – –
2002 134 #1,429 – –
2001 91 #1,911 – –
2000 68 #2,292 – –
1995 37 #3,114 – –
1990 55 #2,301 – –
1985 104 #1,290 – –
1980 175 #875 – –
1975 323 #535 – –
1970 354 #534 6 #4,435
1965 484 #426 – –
1960 893 #317 7 #3,472
1955 740 #316 6 #3,661
1950 457 #379 5 #3,892
1945 365 #367 – –
1940 357 #338 8 #2,749
1935 302 #362 5 #3,870
1930 248 #421 6 #3,762
1925 109 #708 – –
1920 93 #754 – –
1915 93 #686 – –
1910 24 #881 – –
1905 16 #943 – –
1900 11 #1,195 – –
1895 5 #1,696 – –
1890 8 #1,041 – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Gwen

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

  1. 1 Gwen Stefani Gwen Stefani American singer (born 1969) Contemporary
  2. 2 Gwen Verdon Gwen Verdon American actress and dancer (1925–2000) Contemporary
  3. 3 Gwen John Gwen John Welsh artist (1876–1939) 19th century
  4. 4 Gwen Torrence American sprinter (born 1965) Contemporary
  5. 5 Gwen Jorgensen Gwen Jorgensen American triathlete (born 1986) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Gwen?

The median living Gwen is about 61 years old. Half of all living Gwens are between 25 and 69 years old.

How many people named Gwen are alive today?

An estimated 25 thousand people named Gwen are alive in the United States, based on 32,911 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Gwen mean?

A female given name from Welsh.

How popular is the name Gwen in 2025?

Gwen ranked #725 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 384 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Gwen?

32,911 babies have been named Gwen in the United States since 1890, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gwen most popular?

Gwen peaked in 1959, when 951 newborns received the name.

Is Gwen a boy or girl name?

Gwen is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Gwen rising or falling?

Gwen is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Gwen become more popular?

Gwen is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 439 girls named Gwen 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 Gwen?

Well-known people named Gwen include Gwen Stefani (singer), Gwen Verdon (actor), Gwen John (painter).

Names like Gwen

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

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