Gloria
Gloria was the 655th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 437 babies. Its best year was 1925, when it ranked 20th; the most babies were born in 1947 (12,627). Over the last ten years it has moved down 129 places. More babies were named Gloria in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning glory (Latin) · Latin
Say it GLOR-ee-uh /ˈɡlɔriə/
- Rank in 2025
- #655 girls, down 77 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 437girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 194712,627 babies
- Total since 1880
- 417,018babies recorded
What does the name Gloria mean?
Gloria is Latin for glory, and Wiktionary says it was first used as a name in 19th-century literature. The American Heritage Dictionary traces English glory through Old French to the same Latin gloria. The word is also the opening of the Christian hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo, "Glory to God in the highest," which Wiktionary notes is sung in the liturgy of many churches. Wiktionary notes that Gloria was popular in the first half of the 20th century.
glōria (Latin, “glory, fame”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Glory, Gloriana, Glorianna.
See also: Latin names, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gloria' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'glory' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nicknames for Gloria
The usual nicknames for Gloria are Glory and Glo. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Gloria in the last five years, 20 were named Glory, against 8 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glory | Traditional | #1,859 | 477 |
| Glo | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Glorias go by each one.
Gloria popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,737 since 1921.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #655 | 437 |
| 2020 | #578 | 510 |
| 2010 | #509 | 589 |
| 2000 | #358 | 843 |
| 1990 | #240 | 1,180 |
| 1980 | #239 | 1,071 |
| 1970 | #163 | 2,044 |
| 1960 | #79 | 5,961 |
| 1950 | #30 | 11,037 |
| 1940 | #30 | 8,026 |
| 1930 | #30 | 7,605 |
| 1920 | #195 | 1,016 |
| 1910 | #366 | 115 |
| 1900 | #561 | 38 |
| 1890 | #1,266 | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gloria, counting every spelling?
Gloria has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #658 for girls in 2025, against #655 on the official list, because Kaylin/Kaylynn/Kailyn and Jayleen/Jaylene/Jaelynn and Romy/Romi/Romee move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Gloria?
437 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gloria (0.12 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gloria 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 19 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gloria.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gloria?
About 225,000 people born in the US named Gloria are alive today, with a median age of 72; half are between 60 and 79. That makes Gloria 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.
Gloria by state
How common Gloria was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (1.9×), Washington (1.8×), Maryland (1.7×), Indiana (1.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Louisiana, Nevada.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Gloria: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gloria, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Gloria · Sibling names for Gloria
Questions about the name Gloria
What does Gloria mean?
Gloria means “glory (Latin)” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gloria?
Gloria was the 655th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 437 babies. Its best year was 1925, when it ranked 20th; the most babies were born in 1947 (12,627). Over the last ten years it has moved down 129 places. More babies were named Gloria in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Gloria a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gloria in the US.
Where is Gloria most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gloria was most common in Minnesota (0.56 per 1,000 girls), followed by Washington and Maryland.