Glena

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Glena

Pronounced GLEN-uh /ˈɡlɛn.ə/High

Meaning: Glena is a spelling of Glenna, the feminine of Glenn, from the Gaelic gleann, 'valley' or 'narrow glen'. It carries the same fresh, outdoorsy meaning as the men's name, softened with a single-n ending.Medium

In 30 seconds: Glena is a feminine of Glenn, from the Gaelic word for a 'valley'. A breezy mid-century girls' name, it stayed modest and faded by the century's end.

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Origin MediumScottish, Gaelic

MeaningGlena is a spelling of Glenna, the feminine of Glenn, from the Gaelic gleann, 'valley' or 'narrow glen'. It carries the same fresh, outdoorsy meaning as the men's name, softened with a single-n ending.

U.S. rank (1992)#14032 ↘ Falling

1992 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1950

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,078

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Glena is a variant of Glenna, the feminine counterpart of Glenn, from Gaelic gleann, 'valley'. Glenn and its feminizations were popular in mid-twentieth-century America, part of a wave of crisp, one- and two-syllable nature names.

This single-n spelling was the quieter option, running at a few dozen girls a year and peaking softly around 1950 before slipping away by the 1990s. It reads as a wholesome mid-century name and has not yet been swept up in the current taste for vintage revivals.

Did you know? Glenn and its feminine forms rode the mid-century fashion for short, nature-tinged names drawn from the Scottish landscape, where a 'glen' is a wooded valley.

Overall data confidence 70%

References - Glena / Glenna — Gaelic gleann 'valley'; feminine of Glenn

Variations

GlennaGlennieGlynaGlenda

Nicknames

GlennieLena

Famous Bearers

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If you like Glena…

Glenna— the standard spelling, same 'valley' meaning

Glenda— a related mid-century Glen- name

Lena— shares the soft two-syllable ending

Gwenda— a comparable vintage Celtic-flavoured girls' name

Explore names like Glena

By themevintage scottish gaelic feminine-form

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Glena mean?

Glena is a feminine form of Glenn, from the Gaelic word gleann meaning 'valley' or 'glen'.

How do you pronounce Glena?

It's said GLEN-uh /ˈɡlɛn.ə/ - two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Glena a boy or girl name?

Glena is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Glena?

Glena has always been rare, a modest mid-century feminine of Glenn that never became widely used.