Gwendolen
Gwendolen is a feminine given name, in general use only since the 19th century.
- Welsh
Meaning & Origin of Gwendolen
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Gwendolen is a feminine given name, in general use only since the 19th century.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Welsh
The Story of Gwendolen
American parents first put Gwendolen on the record books as a baby girl name in 1903, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1971, when 34 Gwendolens were born — ranking #2,296 that year. About 23% of every Gwendolen on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Gwendolen ranks #8,084 for baby girls with 12 births, gradually falling (-9%). All told, over 901 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1900s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Gwendolen
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Gwendolen. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Gwendolen
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Gwendolen Margaret Carter (1906–1991), Canadian scholar of African affairs
- Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" John (1876–1939), Welsh painter
- Gwendolen Fer (born 1986), French Equestrian rider
- Gwendolen Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (1877–1945), British duchess
- Gwendolen Guinness, Countess of Iveagh (1881–1966), Conservative politician in the United Kingdom
- Gwendolen "Len" Howard (1894–1973), British naturalist and musician
- Gwendolen Overton , American writer
- Joyce Gwendolen Quin (born 1944), Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Gwendolen
Phonetically similar names — useful when Gwendolen is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Gwendolyn
- Gwendoline
- Gondola
- Wendelin
- Quintillion
- Quintilian
- Grendel
- Quinlan
- Gondolas
- Gwenda
- Mendelian
- Groundation
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gwendolen
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About the name Gwendolen
Gwendolen is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1903 and has accumulated 901 births in the dataset. Gwendolen's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #1,592. Use the chart and map above to compare Gwendolen's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1971 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- Names starting with "G" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.