Nameling

Gwen

Gender
Girl
Say it
GWEN
Origin
Welsh
UK rank, 2025
#1,051 for girls
US rank, 2025
#725 for girls

Gwen is a girls' name of Welsh origin, meaning “white, fair, blessed”. In 2025 it ranked 1,051st for girls in the UK (34 babies) and 725th for girls in the US (384 babies).

What does Gwen mean?

Welsh

“white, fair, blessed”

Welsh word for white, fair or blessed, and a short form of names such as Gwendolen and Gwenllian.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Gwen a girl's or a boy's name?

Gwen is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 34 girls in the UK and 384 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Gwen in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#1,051among girls
Babies in 2025
34about 1 in 8,200 girls
Five-year trend
Fallingdown 29% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 34 girls in the UK were named Gwen, making it the 1,051st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 804th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 75 girls.

Half of all the girls named Gwen in the UK since 1996 were born between 2008 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among girls in 2025, it was 997th in England and Wales.

1996Busiest: 75 in 20182025
Gwen in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202534#1,051
202450#810
202346#843
202231#1,150
202151#792
202050#804
201959#718
201875#601
201769#660
201651#826
201562#702
201453#792
201361#718
201257#757
201153#764
201052#761
200954#736
200847#798
200734#963
200629#1,035
200533#900
200413#1,722
200319#1,263
200219#1,186
200113#1,542
200018#1,182
199915#1,347
199819#1,158
199726#918
199618#1,122

How popular is Gwen in the US?

Rank in 2025
#725among girls
Babies in 2025
384about 1 in 4,200 girls
Five-year trend
Steadyup 18% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 384 girls in the US were named Gwen, making it the 725th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 822nd. Its busiest year was 1959, with 942 girls. It first appears in the records in 1890.

Half of all the girls named Gwen in the US since 1880 were born between 1947 and 1979, the years shaded on the chart below.

1890Busiest: 942 in 19592025
Gwen in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025384#725
2024403#698
2023341#817
2022329#851
2021325#847
2020331#822
2019328#828
2018295#909
2017317#864
2016373#765
2015377#748
2014278#962
2013266#953
2012224#1,108
2011196#1,224
2010163#1,402
2009185#1,307
2008201#1,250
2007186#1,308
2006160#1,415
2005156#1,378
2004123#1,592
2003149#1,357
2002134#1,424
200191#1,897
200068#2,273
199955#2,564
199862#2,276
199760#2,256
199647#2,626
199537#3,082
199451#2,460
199341#2,877
199247#2,607
199157#2,264
199055#2,284
198964#1,976
198850#2,246
198780#1,569
198669#1,690
1985104#1,287
1984108#1,205
1983132#1,049
1982136#1,058
1981153#955
1980175#875
1979210#765
1978206#750
1977218#710
1976275#590
1975323#535
1974284#566
1973214#695
1972301#552
1971368#510
1970354#534
1969362#514
1968363#510
1967373#494
1966463#438
1965484#426
1964612#391
1963670#374
1962859#320
1961882#310
1960893#316
1959942#295
1958893#299
1957830#317
1956762#317
1955740#316
1954682#324
1953573#354
1952472#380
1951429#394
1950457#377
1949446#372
1948448#374
1947509#356
1946483#338
1945365#366
1944329#389
1943384#367
1942388#354
1941341#361
1940357#338
1939358#334
1938378#322
1937280#389
1936303#362
1935302#362
1934252#413
1933260#400
1932239#424
1931188#470
1930248#420
1929207#460
1928188#502
1927148#581
1926159#565
1925109#707
1924117#685
1923110#699
1922105#709
1921101#732
192093#750
191993#724
191881#791
1917110#649
191684#737
191593#685
191476#666
191364#645
191250#709
191141#676
191024#877
190942#594
190821#849
190719#871
190615#965
190516#926
190417#880
190316#862
190213#972
190116#829
190011#1,170
189915#835
18980–
18975#1,554
18966#1,416
18955#1,592
18940–
18939#1,023
18925#1,450
18917#1,093
18908#1,006

Names like Gwen

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Iris Bonnie Evelyn Gracie Betsy Hope Daphne Penny Margot Rose Frankie Grace

Names related to Gwen

Gwenno Gwenan Gwenna Gwyn Gwenn

More Welsh names

Dylan Owen Winnie Maddox Morgan Idris Reese Bowen Griffin Rhys Gavin Reece Nia Seren Gwendolyn Winifred

Every Welsh name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Gwen: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/gwen, updated 20 October 2026.