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Home › Baby Names Directory › Glennis

Glennis

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Glennis

Pronounced GLEN-is /ˈɡlɛnɪs/Medium

Meaning: Glennis is a variant of the Welsh names Glenys or Glynis, from glan, 'pure, clean, holy'. It is more usually a girl's name, but the records show it here as a boy's, where it also echoes Glen, from the Gaelic gleann, 'valley'. The cross-gender use is worth noting honestly; its root sense of 'pure' comes from the Welsh Glenys line.Low

In 30 seconds: Glennis is a variant of the Welsh Glenys, 'pure', more often female but here a boy's name that also echoes Glen, 'valley' (said GLEN-is).
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Origin LowWelsh, English
MeaningGlennis is a variant of the Welsh names Glenys or Glynis, from glan, 'pure, clean, holy'. It is more usually a girl's name, but the records show it here as a boy's, where it also echoes Glen, from the Gaelic gleann, 'valley'. The cross-gender use is worth noting honestly; its root sense of 'pure' comes from the Welsh Glenys line.
U.S. rank (1986)#7109 ↘ Falling
1986 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1956
Total births (all-time)≈ 721

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 195619131986

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

Glennis descends from the Welsh Glenys or Glynis, coined from glan, 'pure or clean', and generally given to girls. In American records it also appears for boys, where the strong sound of Glen, the 'valley' name, likely eased the shift; such gentle cross-gender movement was not unusual for -is and -en names of the period.

As a boy's name in United States records Glennis was always rare, drawing only a couple dozen a year even at its high around 1956, well behind the more common Glenn. A boy named Glennis then belongs to a grandfather's generation now, his name a Welsh 'pure' word turned, unusually, to a masculine use.

Did you know? Glennis is usually a girl's name from Welsh Glenys, 'pure', so its use here for a boy is a genuine cross-over, helped along by the familiar boy's name Glen.
Overall data confidence 40%
References - Glennis — Variant of Welsh Glenys/Glynis (glan 'pure'); usually female, here male; echoes Glen 'valley'

Variations

GlenysGlynisGlennes

Nicknames

GlenGlenny

Famous Bearers

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If you like Glennis…

Glen— the 'valley' name Glennis echoes for boys
Glenn— a close masculine relative in sound
Dennis— a rhyming -is boy's name of the era
Ellis— another -is surname-style boy's name

Explore names like Glennis

By themerarevintagewelsh

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Glennis mean?

It is a variant of the Welsh Glenys or Glynis, from glan meaning 'pure' or 'clean', and it also echoes Glen, 'valley'.

How do you pronounce Glennis?

It's said GLEN-is /ˈɡlɛnɪs/, two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Glennis a boy or girl name?

Glennis is usually a girl's name but appears here as a boy's name.

Is Glennis a popular name?

No, it was always rare as a boy's name, seeing only faint use in the mid twentieth century, around the nineteen-fifties.

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