Gwyneth
Gwyneth is a Welsh feminine given name which derives from the kingdom of Gwynedd. It gained popularity, first in Wales and then across the English speaking world, in the 19th century. This may have been the result of author Ann Harriet Hughes, who adopted Gwyneth Vaughan as her pen name.
- Welsh
- English
Meaning & Origin of Gwyneth
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Gwyneth is a Welsh feminine given name which derives from the kingdom of Gwynedd. It gained popularity, first in Wales and then across the English speaking world, in the 19th century. This may have been the result of author Ann Harriet Hughes, who adopted Gwyneth Vaughan as her pen name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Welsh
- English
The Story of Gwyneth
Gwyneth first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1915, with 11 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2013: 288 births, good for #891 nationwide. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 32% of all recorded Gwyneths. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #1,974 among baby girl names with 100 births, falling sharply (-30%). In total, more than 7K Gwyneths have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Gwyneth
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Gwyneth. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Gwyneth
Phonetically similar names — useful when Gwyneth is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gwyneth
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About the name Gwyneth
Gwyneth is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Gwyneth's peak popularity came in 2013 when it ranked #891. Use the chart and map above to compare Gwyneth's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2013 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- 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.