Glinda
Feminine
Glinda was invented for a children's book and is one letter away from a name that was already there. Baum needed a good witch for Oz, made the name up, and it arrived in American records within a generation — sitting beside Linda, which had been in use for centuries and meant something entirely different.
How old is the name Glinda?
Glinda first appears in US birth records in 1931 — 94 years ago. The typical Glinda alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 2,000 people named Glinda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Glinda most popular?
Glinda peaked in 1951, reaching #733 nationally. See the whole 1951 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Glinda
Baum wrote fourteen Oz books and invented dozens of names, most of which stayed in the books; this one did not. It appears in American birth records from the nineteen-thirties, which is a generation after the first book and roughly when the children who had it read to them were having children of their own — the usual lag for a name taken from a story. The record shows it rising through the middle of the century and then fading, and it has never been common, but it has been continuously there, which invented names usually are not.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name was invented and its author left no explanation. Readings assembled from Welsh or Germanic elements are later attempts to supply one, and none has any support.
Pronouncing Glinda
GLIN-duh
Two syllables with the weight at the front. There is no second reading to correct.
Nicknames for Glinda
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1931
- Most girls named
- 1955128 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #733reached in 1951
- Change vs 1993
- −28.6%5 in 2008, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Glindas among us
people named Glinda are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Glinda sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Every sound in it is easy in English and the spelling follows the sound.
- Its origin is documented down to the book and the author, which few names manage.
- It is genuinely uncommon while being entirely readable.
- It is inescapably attached to one character, and a stage musical has made her more famous still.
- Linda is one letter away and will be written instead.
- There is no meaning to pass on, because the name was made rather than inherited.
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Glinda
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Glindas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,000 people named Glinda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Glinda in 2025?
- Glinda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Glinda with classmates?
- Glinda will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More G names
The most-given names starting with G, all years combined.
Grace#38 · Gloria#654 · Gladys#3211 · Geraldine#2438 · Gail#8362 · Gertrude#6546 · Georgia#99 · Gina#2076
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Glinda? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Glinda and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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