Given name & surname · also Welsh
Gaynor
“one with smooth and fair skin”·“the son of a fair-haired man”
Gaynor is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one with smooth and fair skin” (Welsh) and “the son of a fair-haired man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one with smooth and fair skin” (Welsh) and “the son of a fair-haired man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Welsh.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1919. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Gaynor has a related form in Guinevere. The history of Guinevere gives this family its wider story. In mythological stories, Guinevere is associated with King Arthur's queen. Guinevere’s literary history includes the stories of King Arthur and his knights.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Gaynor through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 200
- 95 boys · 105 girls
- Most popular year
- 1939
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1968. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 490 as a first name in 2020; 6,033 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gaynor’s family of names
In English usage, Gaynor has a short form in Gay. In English usage, Gaynor has a related form in Guinevere. Gaynor has a conventional equivalent in the English form Gay.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 23
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Gaynor
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gaynor, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gwennor
—
Gueniver
—
Guennola
“one who is fair; of the white ring”
—
Mel
“a dark-skinned beauty” · “from the mill town”
42% boys · 58% girls
Guanhumora
—
Gwennore
—
Gwenore
—
Wynn
“one who is fairskinned” · “a beloved friend”
49% boys · 51% girls