Gwen
Gwen was the 725th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 384 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 295th with 942 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 24 places. More babies were named Gwen in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning white, fair, blessed (Welsh) · Welsh, Celtic
Say it GWEN /ɡwɛn/
- Rank in 2025
- #725 girls, up 98 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 384girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1959942 babies
- Total since 1880
- 32,911babies recorded
What does the name Gwen mean?
Gwen is a Welsh name meaning white, fair or blessed, from Proto-Celtic windo-, white, as DMNES and Wiktionary agree; it is the feminine of the adjective gwyn. Wiktionary adds that in English Gwen is also a short form of Gwendolen and of Guinevere. DMNES notes the name was popular in Wales and spread into the English border counties. Gwen has been used in the US since 1890.
gwen (Welsh, “white, fair, blessed”)*windos (Proto-Celtic, “white”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Gwendolyn, Guinevere, Gwyneth, Wendy.
See also: Welsh names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Gwen', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gwen' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gwen' (Welsh section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Gwen popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 294 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #725 | 384 |
| 2020 | #823 | 331 |
| 2010 | #1,410 | 163 |
| 2000 | #2,292 | 68 |
| 1990 | #2,301 | 55 |
| 1980 | #875 | 175 |
| 1970 | #534 | 354 |
| 1960 | #317 | 893 |
| 1950 | #379 | 457 |
| 1940 | #338 | 357 |
| 1930 | #421 | 248 |
| 1920 | #754 | 93 |
| 1910 | #881 | 24 |
| 1900 | #1,195 | 11 |
| 1890 | #1,041 | 8 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gwen, counting every spelling?
Gwen is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #732 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #725 for Gwen on its own. Together these spellings went to 384 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gwen | 384 | #725 | 1,782 |
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 Gwen?
384 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gwen (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gwen 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 22 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gwen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gwen?
About 24,000 people born in the US named Gwen are alive today, with a median age of 61; half are between 23 and 70. That makes Gwen a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Gwen by state
How common Gwen was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (7.1×), Idaho (5.2×), Minnesota (2.0×), Indiana (1.9×), Massachusetts (1.7×). In 17 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 Gwen: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gwen, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Gwen · Sibling names for Gwen
Gwen is also a nickname for Gwendolyn and Guinevere.
Questions about the name Gwen
What does Gwen mean?
Gwen means “white, fair, blessed (Welsh)” (Welsh, Celtic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gwen?
Gwen was the 725th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 384 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 295th with 942 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 24 places. More babies were named Gwen in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Gwen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gwen in the US.
Where is Gwen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gwen was most common in Utah (1.56 per 1,000 girls), followed by Idaho and Montana.