Gwen is a girl name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Gwen means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Gwen across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Gwen has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Gwen is a girl name of Welsh origin meaning “white, fair, blessed”. A short form of Gwendolyn, from Welsh gwen.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 32,911 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,119 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 212 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 258 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Gwen per year, United States (1890 to 2025). United States peaked in 1959 (951/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (75/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1975 (22/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1976 (12/yr).
Gwen has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1959, when it ranked #550 nationally (given to 951 babies that year).
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