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Gwendolen

#9,069 in 2025Girls' name

White, fair, blessed + ring, bow, hair, brow

Gwendolen has been given to 889 babies in the U.S. since 1903. In 2025 it ranked #9,069 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 1971, with 34 recorded.

Babies named Gwendolen, 2025

1 in 301,000

Gwendolen over time, 1880–2025

Girls
01020304018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Gwendolen: meaning, origin, and history

White, fair, blessed + ring, bow, hair, brow

Welsh

What Gwendolen means

Gwendolen means “white, fair, blessed + ring, bow, hair, brow”, associated with gwen and dolen.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Welsh gwen (“white, fair, blessed”) + dolen (“ring, bow, hair, brow”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Gwendolen (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Gwendolen is used in English and Welsh. Its origins include Welsh.

Gwendolen comes through Welsh gwen.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 889 girls were recorded with the name Gwendolen between 1903 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 34 in 1971; its best national rank was #1,680 in 1903.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #6,431 in 2020 to #9,069 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank fell, from #5,028 in 2015 to #9,069 in 2025.

How common is Gwendolen?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 301,000
11 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 146,000
<0.01% of girls
Rank, 2025
#9,069
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
208,901 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Gwendolen sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 208,901 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Gwendolen. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Gwendolens were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Gwendolen was born before 1974 — so the typical Gwendolen is around 51 today.

Median birth year
1974
About 51 years old
Biggest decade
1970s
23.5% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
31.2%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
776
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1970s — 23.5% of all recorded uses (209).

Is Gwendolen rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−952
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
−2,638
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
−4,041
Places dropped
Births vs 10 years ago
0.41×
Fewer babies than then
Share of its own peak
32.4%
Peak was 1971 (34)
Years since peak
54
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
29.5% average annual change
Best rank ever
#1,680
1903

Spellings of Gwendolen

Gwendolen is not the most common spelling — Gwendolyn is, with 96.0% against Gwendolen's 0.69%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Gwendolen around the world

Where Gwendolen ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1998–2025
    #4,867
    in 2025
  • Ireland
    1970–1974
    #490
    in 1974
  • France
    1997–2000
    #4,289
    in 2000
  • South Australia
    1955–1977
    #637
    in 1977

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.

Gwendolen by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#9,069
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 2,638
Best rank ever
#1,680
1903
Peak year
1971
34 that year
First recorded
1903
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
889
Count in 2025
11

Names similar to Gwendolen

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

GwenivereGwenevereGwendalynGwendolynnGwendolineGwendalynnGwenethGwendelynGwendlynMaryhelenMariellenGwenythBraylenGwendolyneGweneviereGwenetteGwennaMagdalenRosellenGwenettaGwendolaJerusalenGwennethMaylen

Sibling names for Gwendolen

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Gwendolen

Top names of 1971, Gwendolen's peak yearThe 1970s in fullOther names that peaked in 1903Girls' names starting with GUncommon Welsh Girl Names