Glynda
Feminine
Glynda was in American records before the film and Glinda mostly after it. The book came first, the y spelling appears in the nineteen-twenties, and the i spelling — the one the book actually used — did not take off until the picture put the character in front of everybody.
How old is the name Glynda?
Glynda first appears in US birth records in 1925 — 100 years ago. The typical Glynda alive today was born around 1949, making them about 76 years old. About 1,700 people named Glynda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Glynda most popular?
Glynda peaked in 1944, reaching #732 nationally. See the whole 1944 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Glinda to Glynda
The story of Glynda
That sequence is worth noticing because it is the reverse of what usually happens. A name from a book normally enters the record in the author's spelling and stays there. Here the earlier arrivals used a y, which suggests families were hearing the name rather than reading it and reaching for the letter that looked right — and the y makes it look Welsh, sitting alongside Glenda, Glynis and Gwyneth. Once the film arrived the book's own spelling took over. The two versions therefore date differently, and a Glynda is likelier to be older than a Glinda.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name was invented for a story and its author left no explanation. The y in this spelling makes it look Welsh, which it is not; Welsh does use y as a vowel, but no Welsh name lies behind this one.
How the name formed
- Glinda
- Glynda
Pronouncing Glynda
GLIN-duh
Two syllables with the weight at the front. The y is said as a short i, so both spellings are identical in speech.
Nicknames for Glynda
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
- 1925
- Most girls named
- 1947121 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #732reached in 1944
- Change vs 1984
- +16.7%7 in 1985, from 6
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.
Glyndas among us
people named Glynda 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
Glynda 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.
- The y gives it a Welsh look that places it alongside Glenda and Glynis.
- Both short forms are usable and one is a real Welsh name.
- Glinda is the spelling the book used and the one most people know.
- The Welsh look is misleading; no Welsh name lies behind it.
- It reads clearly as a name of the first half of the twentieth century.
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Glynda
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Glyndas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Glynda are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Glynda in 2025?
- Glynda is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Glynda with classmates?
- Glynda 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 Glynda? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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