UK girl's name
Gwyneth
A feminine Welsh name derived from "gwen" meaning blessed or fair.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Gwyneth is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Gwyneth popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1894, with 15 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 15 births.
This profile covers 238 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 240 living people in the UK are called Gwyneth. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Gwyneth ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 15 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 15 girls were registered as Gwyneth.
- • Gwyneth ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #535 in 1979.
- • About 240 living people in the UK are estimated to have Gwyneth as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1894
2024
Births in 2024
15
Latest year
Peak year
2006
15 births
Estimated living
240
2026
Meaning
What does Gwyneth mean?
The name Gwyneth has its origins in the Welsh language and culture. It is believed to derive from the Welsh words "gwen" meaning fair or blessed, and "gwyneth" meaning happiness or joy. This combination suggests the name Gwyneth conveys a meaning of blessed happiness or fair joy.
The name dates back to at least the Middle Ages in Wales, with records showing variations like Gwenhwyvar and Gwenhwyfar used as early as the 6th century AD. These earlier forms are thought to have eventually evolved into the modern spelling of Gwyneth over time.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gwyneth appears in the medieval Welsh tales known as the Mabinogion, a collection of prose stories from the 12th-13th centuries. In these legends, the character Gwenhwyfar is depicted as a beautiful and noble woman who becomes the wife of King Arthur.
Historically, the name Gwyneth has been borne by several notable figures. One of the earliest was Gwyneth ferch Gruffydd (c. 1188–c. 1237), a Welsh princess who was the daughter of Gruffydd ap Rhys, prince of Deheubarth. Another early bearer was Gwyneth Boudler (c. 1390–c. 1430), an English woman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Valois.
In more recent times, the name Gwyneth has been carried by several famous individuals, including the acclaimed Welsh actress Gwyneth Tyson (1858–1920), known for her roles in productions of Shakespeare's plays. There is also Gwyneth King (1914–2003), a British writer and academic who authored numerous books on history and philosophy.
Perhaps the most well-known bearer of the name today is Gwyneth Paltrow (born 1972), the American actress, businesswoman, and lifestyle guru. Paltrow has won numerous awards for her film roles, including an Academy Award for Best Actress for Shakespeare in Love in 1998.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Gwyneth over time
The chart below shows babies named Gwyneth registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Gwyneth, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 15 births in 2024, compared with 15 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gwyneth by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Gwyneth was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3165 | 42 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3284 | 76 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2269 | 94 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2325 | 26 | 4 |
Geography
Where Gwyneth is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Gwyneth. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Gwyneth ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #535 in 1979.
Across the UK
Gwyneth in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#535 in 1979
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Gwyneth
-
Gwyneth Glyn
writer; poet; singer; songwriter
Welsh poet and musician
2007-
-
Gwyneth Keyworth
actor
actress
1990-
-
Gwyneth Ho
criminal; journalist
Hong Kong journalist, democracy activist. Political prisoner in Hong Kong.
1990-
-
Gwyneth Herbert
singer; composer; record producer; singer-songwriter; jazz musician
Jazz musician, singer-songwriter and composer
1981-
-
Gwyneth Rees
children's writer; psychiatrist; writer
British writer
1968-
-
Gwyneth Lewis
poet; journalist; writer
British poet (1959-)
1959-
-
Gwyneth Strong
actor; film actor
British actress
1959-
-
Gwyneth Williams
sound editor
BBC radio 4 controller
1953-
Related
Names similar to Gwyneth
- Grace 79,208
- Georgia 48,838
- Gracie 18,387
- Georgina 15,599
- Gabriella 10,902
- Gemma 8,350
- Gabrielle 7,154
- Georgie 4,883
- Gabriela 3,300
- Genevieve 2,393
- Gracie-Mae 1,727
- Greta 1,283
FAQ
Gwyneth: questions and answers
How popular is the name Gwyneth in the UK right now?
In 2024, Gwyneth was ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales, with 15 births registered.
When was Gwyneth most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 15 babies registered as Gwyneth in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Gwyneth?
A feminine Welsh name derived from "gwen" meaning blessed or fair.
How many people are called Gwyneth in the UK?
A total of 238 babies have been registered as Gwyneth across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Gwyneth most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Gwyneth ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #535 in 1979. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.