Glen

Did you know?

A few things about Glen you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Glen

Glen Johnson

English association football player (born 1984)

Choose Glen and your child shares a first name with Glen Johnson, an English association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Glen, like who?” Glen Johnson's Wikipedia article is available in 56 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Glen Johnson on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Badudoy, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 23,095 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Glen, 74 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Glen would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryGlen has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Glens, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1931, when it ranked #112. Today it's #2,020, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowGlen was 2.6× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 9,050 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 23,095.
• 🚀TrendGlen has climbed 399 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #2,020. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedGlen is most popular in Indiana, where it ranks #949. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• 💬MeaningIn Scottish, Glen means “valley”. Our records link it to Celtic, English and Gaelic roots.

About the name Glen

Glen is a boy name of Celtic, English and Gaelic origin meaning “valley”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with G and ending in “-len”. US birth records list Glen for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1931, when it ranked #112 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #2,020, with 74 babies.

Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesGaelic namesIrish namesScottish names