Gwladys

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Girl · Welsh

Gwladys

Say it: GLAD-is

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Uncertain; derived either from gwlad 'country, land' or as a Welsh form of Latin Claudia.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Its English form Gladys was very popular around 1900.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

5 babies given this name since 1895
At its height in 1895, about 1 in 46,700 girls
Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

The family of the name

Other spellings: Gwladus

English	Gladys

Famous bearers

Saint Gwladys, mother of Saint Cadog
Gwladys Ddu, daughter of Llywelyn the Great

Names worth a look

GwenfrewiGirlFrom gwen 'white, fair, blessed' and a second element of uncertain meaning.Early Medieval · forgotten

DwynwenGirlThe second element is gwen 'white, fair, blessed'; the first is uncertain.Early Medieval · forgotten

NonGirlUncertain; sometimes linked to Latin nonna 'nun'.Early Medieval · forgotten

MorwennaGirlUncertain; often linked to Welsh morwyn 'maiden', but the Cornish saint's name is not securely explained.Early Medieval · forgotten

MorganGirl or boyUncertain. From Old Welsh Morcant, perhaps mor 'great' or 'sea' plus cant 'circle' or 'bright'; 'sea-born' is a…Early Medieval · peak 1995

MaryGirlFrom Hebrew Miryam, through Greek and Latin Maria; the meaning is uncertain, with many proposals and none settled.Biblical · peak 1891

GladysGirlAnglicized Welsh Gwladus; often linked with gwlad 'country', but this is uncertain.Victorian · peak 1901 · forgotten

ClydeBoyFrom the River Clyde in Scotland, whose ancient name (Clota) is Celtic; often linked to a root meaning 'to wash' but…Victorian · peak 1883

Where this comes from

Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
Royal and noble genealogies
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.