Gretel
Diminutive of Greta, derived from the Germanic root meaning "pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 1,291 living Americans carry the first name Gretel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gretel today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gretel births was 2022 (68 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gretel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gretel with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 265,495 Americans
Peak year
2022
68 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,290
Tracked since 1915
Census
Gretel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,903 people with the first name Gretel, which placed it at #7,826 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,826
National first-name rank
People counted
1.9K
1,903 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
56.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gretel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gretel is Hispanic at 56.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.2%) and Black (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gretel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gretel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino56.6% · 1,078
- White31.2% · 594
- Black or African American7.8% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 61
- Two or more races0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Popularity
Gretel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gretel from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 435 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Gretel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gretel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gretel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gretels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Gretel, while South Carolina, Georgia, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 65 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gretel
The name Gretel originates from the German language and culture. It is a diminutive form of the name Greta, which is derived from the Germanic root "gred" or "graid," meaning "pearl" or "grain." This suggests that the name may have been inspired by the value and beauty associated with pearls or grains.
Gretel gained widespread recognition through the famous fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel," first published in the 19th century by the Brothers Grimm. In the story, Gretel is the brave and resourceful young sister who helps her brother Hansel escape from the clutches of a wicked witch. This literary association has deeply ingrained the name in the cultural consciousness.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Gretel was Gretel Bergmann, a German high jumper and athlete who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics (1914-2017). Her participation in the Olympics, despite facing discrimination from the Nazi regime, made her a symbol of resilience and defiance against injustice.
Another notable figure was Gretel Ehrlich (born 1946), an American writer, poet, and filmmaker known for her works exploring the relationship between humans and nature, particularly in the Arctic regions. Her poetic and insightful writings have garnered critical acclaim.
In the realm of visual arts, Gretel Lueken (1905-1999) was a German-American painter and printmaker who gained recognition for her vibrant and expressive works, often depicting scenes from everyday life and nature.
Gretel Bergmann (1914-2017), mentioned earlier, was not only an athlete but also a lifelong advocate for civil rights and social justice. Her courageous stand against the Nazi regime's oppressive policies has inspired generations of activists.
Lastly, Gretel Killeen (born 1962) is an Australian television personality, comedian, and writer known for her quick wit and comedic talent. She has hosted various popular television shows and has also written several books, showcasing her versatility as an entertainer and author.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Gretel throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human endeavors.
People
Gretel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gretel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gretel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gretel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,291 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gretel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 265,495 US residents.
Is Gretel a common name?
We classify Gretel as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,465 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gretel most popular?
The single biggest year for Gretel was 2022, when 68 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gretel is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gretel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,903 people with the name Gretel, or 0.63 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,826 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gretel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gretel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gretel appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,906 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gretel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gretel is Hispanic at 56.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.2%) and Black (7.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gretel most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Gretel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.6% (1,078 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gretel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gretel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gretel in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gretel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gretel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gretel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Gretel as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Gretel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.