How Many People Are Named Gladys?
people named Gladys are alive in the United States today (estimate)
About 1 in 7,433 people in the US has this name
Based on 267,741 babies named Gladys in Social Security records from 1880 to 2025, and the share of each birth year still alive in 2025.
Popularity Rank
💎 Rare
Peak Year
8,837 births
Trend
Stable (last 10 years)
📖 Name Origin & Meaning
Meaning:
From the old Welsh name Gwladus, possibly derived from gwlad "country". It has historically been used as a Welsh form of CLAUDIA. This name became popular outside of Wales after it was used in Ouida's novel 'Puck' (1870).
Source of the meaning, origin, pronunciation and related names: Behind the Name.
⚧ Gender Distribution
Almost all of the babies given the name Gladys (99.7%) were girls.
👥 Age Distribution
The average person named Gladys alive today is about 68 years old, and 73% are 60 or older. Half of them were between 58 and 83 in 2025.
📈 Popularity Over Time
Gladys first appears in the records in 1880 and was given most often in 1921, to 8,837 babies. In 2025, 49 babies got the name.
Babies given the name each year, 1880 to 2025
🏆 Rank History
Gladys never made the top 10 girls' names. Its best rank was #11, in 1901, and it was in the top 100 for 49 years, 1889 to 1937. In 2025 it ranked #3,224.
| Girls | |
|---|---|
| Rank in 2025 | #3,224 |
| Best rank | #11 (1901) |
| Years in the top 100 | 49 (1889 to 1937) |
| Rank in its biggest decade | #31 in the 1920s |
📍 State-Wise Distribution
People named Gladys alive today, by the state where they were born (estimate; state records start in 1910).
More people named Gladys were born in New York than in any other state: about 4,750 of those alive today. Compared with the national rate in the same years, Gladys was given 1.7 times as often in Hawaii, 1.7 times in Virginia and 1.5 times in North Carolina.
Look up another name
⊙ We don't save the names you search.