Feminine dossier · first seen 1882
Gretchen
Endangered
Down 97.6% from peak
Peak era
1973
Peak births
1,351
Current vitality
Rare
Peak generation
Gen X
Quick answers about Gretchen
How many people are named Gretchen?
An estimated 37,712 living Americans are named Gretchen.
How rare is Gretchen?
Gretchen is very rare among babies today, with 33 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 97.6% from its 1973 peak.
How old is the typical Gretchen?
The median age of a living American named Gretchen is approximately 52 years, with most bearers falling between 40 and 62 years old.
Is Gretchen still popular?
No. Gretchen is endangered as a baby name, down 97.6% from its 1973 peak with 33 births in 2025.
Where is Gretchen most common?
Gretchen has its strongest geographic signal in Iowa, where it appears 6.4× more often than the national baseline.
1882Peak 19732025
Peak year
1973
Decline from peak
97.6%
2025
33
All-time
53,799
Where it lives now
Gretchen is most concentrated in Iowa — about 6.4× the national rate in the 1920s.
States where Gretchen is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.