heyotag

Name meaning & stats

Gwendoline

Gwendoline means “white ring (debated)” (Welsh origin). 215 US babies since 1940, peak 2016. Notable Gwendolines are 1.5× over-represented as politicians.

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What it means

“white ring (debated)”

WelshSpelling of Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn around the world

  • Гвендолин · Russian
  • グウェンドリン · Japanese
  • 关多琳 · Chinese
  • Gwendoline · English
  • Gwendolen · Welsh

Famous Gwendolyns

  • Gwendolyn Brooks · American writer (1917–2000)

In US birth records

Peak year: 2016

40s50s60s70s80s90s00s10s20s

215 US babies were named Gwendoline between 1940 and 2025.

Gwendoline around the world

  • France: 20,365 babies since 1900, peak 1990, No. 2,218 in 2025
  • England & Wales: 177 babies since 1996, peak 2014, No. 2,787 in 2025
  • New Zealand: 2,044 babies since 1900, peak 1916
  • Belgium: 533 babies since 1995, peak 1996
  • Ireland: 262 babies since 1964, peak 1972

From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.

Where Gwendolines end up

Careervs expectedConfidence
Politician1.5×Low · 8 people
Actor1.1×Low · 5 people
Footballer1.3×Low · 4 people
Model1.2×Low · 2 people

Among notable women who are politicians, Gwendolines show up 1.5× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.

Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.

Other spellings

1 in 491 Gwendolyns spell it Gwendoline

  • Gwendolyn 95%
  • Gwendolynn 1%
  • Gwendalyn 1%
  • Gwendolen 1%
  • Gwendlyn <1%
  • Gwendelyn <1%
  • Gwendalynn <1%
  • Gwendoline <1%
  • Gwendolyne <1%

Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.

Name twins (peaked around 2016)