Gladys
Girl name · #3212 in 2025 · Uniqueness 85/100
In 2025, 49 baby girls were named Gladys, placing it at #3212 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #2259, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 36,735 girls born in 2025 was named Gladys.
The 145-year story
Gladys first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 20 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1920, when 8,819 girls were named Gladys — good for #22 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Gladys per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Gladys against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Gladys in class?
Gladys scores 85 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Gladys will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Gladys is most common
State-level data for Gladys is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Gladys
Statistically, parents drawn to Gladys tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Dorcas, Fannie, Hilda, Clarice, and Geneva.
DorcasFannieHildaClariceGenevaFrancisHeleneIrma
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Gladys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49 | #3211 |
| 2024 | 45 | #3459 |
| 2023 | 61 | #2789 |
| 2022 | 64 | #2689 |
| 2021 | 62 | #2751 |
| 2020 | 78 | #2277 |
| 2019 | 64 | #2681 |
| 2018 | 45 | #3438 |
| 2017 | 73 | #2464 |
| 2016 | 72 | #2502 |
| 2015 | 83 | #2259 |
| 2014 | 74 | #2442 |
| 2013 | 69 | #2568 |
| 2012 | 81 | #2315 |
| 2011 | 81 | #2298 |
| 2010 | 103 | #1942 |
| 2009 | 120 | #1792 |
| 2008 | 135 | #1657 |
| 2007 | 160 | #1459 |
| 2006 | 207 | #1173 |
| 2005 | 203 | #1145 |
| 2004 | 186 | #1201 |
| 2003 | 190 | #1140 |
| 2002 | 198 | #1073 |
| 2001 | 184 | #1136 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Gladys a popular girl name?
Gladys ranked #3212 among girls in 2025 with 49 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2259.
When was the name Gladys most popular?
Gladys peaked in 1920, when 8,819 American girls received the name (ranked #22 that year). Since 1920 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Gladys?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 36,735 newborn American girls was named Gladys. It scores 85/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.