Given name & surname
Gladys
“one who is lame”
Gladys is a form of Claudia. In Latin use, Claudia carries the interpretation “one who is lame.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Gladys is a form of Claudia. In Latin use, Claudia carries the interpretation “one who is lame.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Welsh, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
Gladys is used as a form of Claudia.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gladys through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 267,741
- 1,023 boys · 266,718 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 8,837 babies
- 2025
- 49
- #3,224 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −15%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 49 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,224 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 15.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 8,819 in 1920. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 81,883 as a first name in 2020; 344 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.
Gladys’s family of names
In English usage, Gladys has a diminutive in Glad. Gladys is a form of Claudia. In Welsh usage, Gladys has a conventional equivalent in the German form Claudia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Gladys has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Welsh roots to each of them.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 16
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Gladys
- Mary PickfordCanadian actress and producer (1892–1979)
- Jean ArthurAmerican actress1900–1991
- Gladys WestAmerican mathematician (1930–2026)
- Gladys CooperBritish actress (1888-1971)
- Gladys KnightAmerican singer (born 1944)
- Gladys GeorgeAmerican actress (1904–1954)1900–1954
- Gladys Kalema-ZikusokaUgandan scientistborn 1970
- Gladys BentleyAmerican blues singer1907–1960
- Gladys ZenderPeruvian modelborn 1939
Characters named Gladys: Gladys Gurney (The Simpsons character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gladys, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rowena
“one who is fair and slender” · “having much fame and happiness”
>99% girls
Aline
“one who pays homage to Ireland”
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Una
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Alva
“one who has a fair complexion” · “a bright man”
24% boys · 76% girls
Dilys
“a perfect woman; one who is reliable”
>99% girls
Fay
“from the fairy kingdom; a fairy or an elf” · “resembling a raven”
>99% girls
Enid
“one who gives life”
>99% girls
Euna
Euna is a feminine given name.
>99% girls