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.

Gladys Rank in US Top 1000

# 967 in the US

Gladys Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 711 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Gladys

• 711 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Gladys

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Gladys.

• Edna
• Alberta
• Francine
• Shirley
• Dora
• Geraldine
• Mildred
• Doris
• Roberta
• Bernice
• Wilma
• Thelma
• Paulette
• Hilda
• Pauline
• Edwina
• Phyllis
• Joan
• Bessie
• Gertrude

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

The name 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"