Gladys

Possibly a form or Claudia or Welsh
"land, nation"

Gladys Origin and Meaning

The name Gladys is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "land, nation".

Hard as it might be to believe, Gladys was the Harper of 1900, emerging almost out of nowhere to take the naming world by storm. It became a favorite among parents — and writers of romantic Edwardian novels, seen as alluring and unusual. One impetus was the 1870 Ouida novel Puck, whose heroine was the idealized beauty, Gladys Gerant.

Gladys reached as high as Number 11 at the turn of the last century, popular along with other s-ending names such as Doris. Though Gladys hasn't shown any signs of revival yet, some parents might respond to the 'glad'ness of it, and its gladiola-flower feel.

It's been associated in the U.S. with singer Gladys Knight.

# 967 in the US

Gladys Rank in US Top 1000

# 1343 on Nameberry

Gladys Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Gladys Popularity

Famous People Named Gladys

  • Saint Gladys
    Welsh queen of saint,king Gwynllyw Milwr, mother of Cadoc the Wise
  • Gladys Maria Knight
    American singer of The Pips
  • Gladys Constance Cooper
    English actress
  • Gladys Moncreiff
    Australian singer
  • Gladys Blossom Noon Spellman
    U.S. Congresswoman from Maryland
  • Gladys Hulette
    American silent film actress
  • Gladys May Aylward
    English missionary to China
  • Gladys Gillem
    American pro wrestler
  • Gladys Medalie Heldman
    American tennis promoter
  • Gladys Louise Smith
    birth name of Mary Pickford, Canadian,American actress
  • Gladys Love Presley
    mother of singer Elvis Presley
  • Gladys Pearl Baker Mortensen
    mother of actress Marilyn Monroe

Gladys in Pop Culture

  • Gladys Eysenarch
    character in "Jezebel" by Irene Nemirovsky (1936)
  • Gladys Herdman
    character in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson
  • Gladys Biggs
    character in "Meet Mr Mulliner" (1927) by P. G. Wodehouse
  • Gladys Worsley
    character in "Sylvia Scarlett" (1918) by Compton Mackenzie, twin sister Enid
  • Gladys Kravitz
    neighbor on TV's "Bewitched"
  • Gladys Hilman
    character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton
  • Gladys Witham
    a well,to,do young woman working in a munitions factory in WWII,era Canada, on TV's "Bomb Girls" (2012,2014)
  • Gladys
    Flavia's bike in the Flavia de Luce saga
  • GLADoS
    antagonist from the video game Portal
  • Gladys Hannah
    a character in "Fran Bow"
  • Gladys Gatsby
    protagonist in the book "All Four Stars"