Given name & surname
Gloria
“a renowned and highly praised woman”
Gloria is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “a renowned and highly praised woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “a renowned and highly praised woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gloria through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 417,018
- 1,737 boys · 415,281 girls
- Most popular year
- 1947
- 12,662 babies
- 2025
- 437
- #655 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 437 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 655 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 13.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 12,627 in 1947. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (66). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 331,522 as a first name in 2020; 4,688 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.
Gloria’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Gloria has a diminutive in GLO. In English usage, Gloria has a related form in Glory. Gloria has an English adaptation in Glory.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Gloria has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
6 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 26
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Gloria
- Gloria SwansonAmerican actress (1899–1983)
- Gloria Macapagal ArroyoFilipino politician, president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010born 1947
- Gloria SteinemAmerican activist and journalist (born 1934)
- Gloria EstefanCuban-American singer (born 1957)
- Gloria StuartAmerican actress (1910–2010)
- Gloria GaynorAmerican singerborn 1943
- Bell hooksAmerican author and activist (1952–2021)
- Gloria GrahameAmerican actress (1923–1981)
- Gloria VanderbiltAmerican businesswoman, fashion designer, socialite and writer (1924-2019)
Characters named Gloria: Glory Grant (Marvel Comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gloria, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Claudia
“one who is lame”
>99% girls
Barbara
“foreign woman” · “a traveler from a foreign land; a stranger”
>99% girls
Priscilla
“from an ancient family” · “ancient”
>99% girls
Marcia
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war”
>99% girls
Sylvia
“a woodland dweller”
>99% girls
Oralia
“golden-haired woman”
>99% girls
Delia
“a good-hearted woman; a woman of honesty” · “born of the nobility”
>99% girls
Rosemary
“the dew of the sea” · “resembling a bitter rose”
>99% girls