Gwendolynn vs Gwenevere
American parents have registered 1,454 Gwendolynns since 1880, against 1,199 Gweneveres. But in 2025 it was Gwenevere that was commoner, 42 babies to 34.
Babies given each name, 1880–2025
Gwendolynn Gwenevere
Each line is every baby given the name that year, girls and boys added together — the only count that means the same thing for both names. A line breaks where the name fell below five babies in a year — the point at which the SSA stops publishing it — rather than being drawn through a figure nobody published. A single published year in a gap shows as a dot.
Who was ahead
Of the 92 years in which either name was published, Gwendolynn for 65 years and Gwenevere for 27 years. The lead changed hands 19 times.
- 1921–1953 Gwendolynn ahead
- 1959–1963 Gwenevere ahead
- 1971–2007 Gwendolynn ahead, apart from one short spell
- 2010–2022 Gwenevere ahead
15 shorter spells of a year or two are folded into the spans above rather than listed separately.
Side by side
| Gwendolynn | Gwenevere | |
|---|---|---|
| Total US births | 1,454 | 1,199 |
| Most in one year | 41 | 55 |
| Babies in 2025 | 34 | 42 |
| Estimated living today | 1,300 | 1,100 |
| Median age today | 24 | 13 |
| Peak year | 2023 | 2019 |
| Best rank | 3,709th girls | 2,962nd girls |
| Rank in 2025 | 4,172nd | 3,577th |
| First recorded | 1921 | 1921 |
| Girls / boys | 1,454 / 0 | 1,199 / 0 |
A rank is a position within one sex’s list for one year, so the two rank rows are not subtracted from one another and the winning column is not marked on them. The living figure is a life-table estimate, not a count.
Which name is older
Half of the Gwendolynns alive today are over 24; half the Gweneveres are over 13. That is 11 years between them: two names in use at the same time, worn by two different generations.
Where each one is strongest
- Gwendolynn California (5.1×)
- Gwenevere Texas (5.2×)
How much commoner the name is in that state than it is nationally, from births recorded since 1910.
Compare something else
Related comparisons
Social Security Administration birth records, 1880–2025, public domain. Full histories: Gwendolynn and Gwenevere.