Gwen

Where Gwen comes from

A female given name from Welsh. * Borrowed from Welsh Gwen. * Clipping of Gwendolen. Doublet of Wendy. * Clipping of Guinevere. Doublet of Jen.
— Wiktionary's entry for Gwen
  • Welsh
  • 1 syllable
Along the way
  1. 1876
    Gwen John born
    Welsh painter
  2. 1890
    First appearance
    #1,006 among girls, 8 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  3. 1959
    Peak, #295
    942 babies named Gwen — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1966
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #438.
  5. 1969
    Gwen Stefani born
    American singer
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Welsh.
  • A diminutive of the female given names Gwendolen and Guinevere
Namesakes
  • Gwen Stefani · American singer, born 1969
  • Gwen John · Welsh painter, 1876–1939
  • Gwen Torrence · American sprinter, born 1965
  • Gwen Verdon · American dancer and actress, 1925–2000
  • Gwen Jorgensen · American triathlete, born 1986

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.