Given name
Glenda
“one who is good and fair”
Glenda is used as a given name. One Welsh interpretation is “one who is good and fair.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Welsh interpretation is “one who is good and fair.”
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 1900. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Glenda through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 109,522
- 295 boys · 109,227 girls
- Most popular year
- 1950
- 4,224 babies
- 2025
- 20
- #5,987 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 20 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,987 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 4,215 in 1950. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 89,345 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Glenda’s family of names
Glenda has a related form in Glynda. Glenda has a related form in Glinda. Glenda has a related form in Glennda.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
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 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Glenda
- Glenda JacksonBritish actress and politician (1936–2023)
- Glenda FarrellAmerican actress (1904–1971)
- Glenda MorejónEcuadorian racewalkerborn 2000
- Glenda GraySouth African researcherborn 1962
- Glenda AdamsAustralian novelist and short story writer (1939–2007)
- Glenda SchroederAmerican software engineerborn 1950
- Glenda BaileyBritish magazine editorborn 1958
- Glenda HatchettAmerican judgeborn 1951
- Glenda LeónCuban artistborn 1976
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Glenda, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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