Gladys
Welsh Gwladys, of uncertain origin though often connected to gwlad, meaning country. Welsh tradition has long treated it as the local equivalent of Claudia.
Gladys in 2025
Gladys was given to 49 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 5,696th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 67,660 babies born.
The history of Gladys
Gladys reached its highest point in 1921, when 8,837 babies were given the name, ranking 49th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 17th, in 1901.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 267,741 babies have been named Gladys. Half of them were born before 1922, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Gladys by decade
| Decade | Babies named Gladys | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,420 | 144 |
| 1890s | 13,659 | 28 |
| 1900s | 30,417 | 17 |
| 1910s | 66,058 | 23 |
| 1920s | 72,812 | 44 |
| 1930s | 34,978 | 91 |
| 1940s | 19,125 | 213 |
| 1950s | 12,222 | 351 |
| 1960s | 5,954 | 589 |
| 1970s | 2,776 | 934 |
| 1980s | 2,526 | 1,101 |
| 1990s | 2,923 | 996 |
| 2000s | 1,767 | 1,886 |
| 2010s | 745 | 3,449 |
| 2020s | 359 | 4,083 |
Where Gladys is heading
Gladys has fallen 41% over the past decade, from 83 babies in 2015 to 49 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1921 peak — Gladys is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Gladys
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Gladys.