Given name & surname
Glen
“from the secluded narrow valley”
Glen is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “from the secluded narrow valley.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “from the secluded narrow valley.”
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
Glen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 127,054
- 125,706 boys · 1,348 girls
- Most popular year
- 1957
- 2,947 babies
- 2025
- 74
- #2,026 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 74 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,026 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 9.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,924 in 1957. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 72,858 as a first name in 2020; 2,382 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.
Glen’s family of names
Glen has a feminine form in Glenna. In English usage, Glen has a related form in Glenn. Glen has a related form in Glenn.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 20
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Glen
- Glen JohnsonEnglish association football player (born 1984)
- Glen CampbellAmerican musician (1936–2017)
- David BrinAmerican scientist and science fiction author (born 1950)
- Glen PowellAmerican actorborn 1988
- Glen HansardIrish musician and songwriter (1970–2026)
- Glen KamaraFinnish association football playerborn 1995
- Glen DavisAmerican basketball player (born 1986)
- Glen De BoeckBelgian footballer (1971-2025)
- Glen RiceAmerican basketball player (born 1967)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Glen, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Avon
“of the river”
>99% boys
Mervyn
“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys
Heremon
“a friend of the sea” · “a triend of the sea”
>99% boys
Oren
“from the pine tree” · “a pale-skinned man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Somerley
“of the summer sailors; from the summer meadow”
>99% boys
Murdo
“from the sea”
>99% boys
Carberry
“tree”
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