Glenda
Glenda was the 5987th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 20 babies. Its best year was 1944, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 1950 (4,215). Over the last ten years it has moved down 958 places. More babies were named Glenda in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning holy + good (Welsh coinage) · Welsh
Say it GLEN-duh /ˈɡlɛndə/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,987 girls, down 772 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 20girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19504,215 babies
- Total since 1880
- 109,522babies recorded
What does the name Glenda mean?
Glenda was coined in the 20th century from Welsh glân 'clean, holy, fair' and da 'good', as Wiktionary notes; it also looks like a feminine of Glenn. Glenda the Good Witch in the 1939 film of The Wizard of Oz (Glinda in the book) and actress Glenda Jackson helped make it known. It was popular in the US in the 1940s and 1950s.
glân (Welsh, “clean, holy, fair”)da (Welsh, “good”)
How sure is this? Probable. A coined name; the Welsh analysis is the usual explanation.
Related names: Glenn, Glinda, Glynis.
See also: Welsh names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Glenda', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Glenda popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 295 since 1935.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,987 | 20 |
| 2020 | #5,215 | 24 |
| 2010 | #3,480 | 46 |
| 2000 | #1,805 | 96 |
| 1990 | #1,030 | 175 |
| 1980 | #567 | 327 |
| 1970 | #312 | 893 |
| 1960 | #158 | 2,689 |
| 1950 | #87 | 4,215 |
| 1940 | #107 | 2,353 |
| 1930 | #495 | 181 |
| 1920 | #697 | 110 |
| 1910 | #1,563 | 10 |
| 1900 | #2,046 | 5 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Glenda, counting every spelling?
Glenda has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Glenda?
20 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Glenda (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Glenda born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 423 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Glenda.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Glenda?
About 74,800 people born in the US named Glenda are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 64 and 78. That makes Glenda a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Glenda by state
How common Glenda was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Glenda: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Glenda, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Glenda · Sibling names for Glenda
Questions about the name Glenda
What does Glenda mean?
Glenda means “holy + good (Welsh coinage)” (Welsh origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Glenda?
Glenda was the 5987th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 20 babies. Its best year was 1944, when it ranked 79th; the most babies were born in 1950 (4,215). Over the last ten years it has moved down 958 places. More babies were named Glenda in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Glenda a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Glenda in the US.
Where is Glenda most popular?
In 2021–2025, Glenda was most common in Texas (0.02 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.