Gretchen
Girl name · #4269 in 2025 · Uniqueness 92/100
Gretchen is currently the #4269 girl name in the United States — 33 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1425, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 54,545 girls born in 2025 was named Gretchen.
The 143-year story
Gretchen first appears in the Social Security records in 1882, when 10 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1973, when 1,351 girls were named Gretchen — good for #191 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 Gretchen per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Gretchen against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Gretchen in class?
Gretchen scores 92 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 Gretchen will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Gretchen is most common
State-level data for Gretchen 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 Gretchen
Statistically, parents drawn to Gretchen tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Colleen, Ginger, Rochelle, Maureen, and Christy.
ColleenGingerRochelleMaureenChristyKimberleeShannonCorinna
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Gretchen | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33 | #4265 |
| 2024 | 45 | #3459 |
| 2023 | 65 | #2674 |
| 2022 | 52 | #3123 |
| 2021 | 61 | #2784 |
| 2020 | 65 | #2597 |
| 2019 | 71 | #2482 |
| 2018 | 96 | #2026 |
| 2017 | 120 | #1752 |
| 2016 | 170 | #1380 |
| 2015 | 162 | #1425 |
| 2014 | 191 | #1261 |
| 2013 | 203 | #1184 |
| 2012 | 203 | #1206 |
| 2011 | 234 | #1054 |
| 2010 | 226 | #1101 |
| 2009 | 265 | #998 |
| 2008 | 283 | #953 |
| 2007 | 316 | #883 |
| 2006 | 355 | #777 |
| 2005 | 349 | #762 |
| 2004 | 275 | #886 |
| 2003 | 316 | #782 |
| 2002 | 285 | #812 |
| 2001 | 313 | #763 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Gretchen a popular girl name?
Gretchen ranked #4269 among girls in 2025 with 33 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1425.
When was the name Gretchen most popular?
Gretchen peaked in 1973, when 1,351 American girls received the name (ranked #191 that year). Since 1973 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Gretchen?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 54,545 newborn American girls was named Gretchen. It scores 92/100 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.