Glenn
Glenn was the 1443rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 124 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 55th with 7,356 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 301 places. More babies were named Glenn in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning valley (Gaelic) · Scottish Gaelic, Irish
Say it GLEN /ɡlɛn/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,443 boys, down 42 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 124boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19627,356 babies
- Total since 1880
- 250,778babies recorded
What does the name Glenn mean?
Glenn is a surname from Scottish Gaelic gleann (Irish gleann) 'mountain valley', the source of English glen. Wiktionary lists it as a boys' name transferred from the surname, fairly popular in the mid-20th century. Bandleader Glenn Miller and astronaut John Glenn are well-known bearers. The girls' form Glenda also exists.
gleann (Scottish Gaelic / Irish, “mountain valley”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Glen, Glyn, Glenda.
See also: Scottish names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Glenn', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'gleann' (Scottish Gaelic section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Glenn popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,136 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,443 | 124 |
| 2020 | #1,401 | 124 |
| 2010 | #1,026 | 189 |
| 2000 | #591 | 335 |
| 1990 | #297 | 852 |
| 1980 | #215 | 1,143 |
| 1970 | #109 | 3,008 |
| 1960 | #74 | 5,563 |
| 1950 | #59 | 5,465 |
| 1940 | #83 | 2,465 |
| 1930 | #71 | 2,758 |
| 1920 | #80 | 2,375 |
| 1910 | #97 | 349 |
| 1900 | #118 | 194 |
| 1890 | #123 | 117 |
| 1880 | #254 | 43 |
How popular is Glenn, counting every spelling?
Glenn is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,035 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,443 for Glenn on its own. Together these spellings went to 198 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn | 124 | #1,443 | 625 |
| Glen | 74 | #2,026 | 351 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Glenn?
124 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Glenn (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Glenn 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 68 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Glenn.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Glenn?
About 131,600 people born in the US named Glenn are alive today, with a median age of 65; half are between 56 and 73. That makes Glenn 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.
Glenn by state
How common Glenn was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 32 states fewer than five boys 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 Glenn: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Glenn, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Glenn · Sibling names for Glenn
Questions about the name Glenn
What does Glenn mean?
Glenn means “valley (Gaelic)” (Scottish Gaelic, Irish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Glenn?
Glenn was the 1443rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 124 babies. Its best year was 1962, when it ranked 55th with 7,356 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 301 places. More babies were named Glenn in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Glenn a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Glenn in the US.
Where is Glenn most popular?
In 2021–2025, Glenn was most common in North Carolina (0.11 per 1,000 boys), followed by Pennsylvania and Florida.