Gloria
Gloria comes directly from the Latin "gloria," meaning glory, fame, or honor. In Christian liturgy, the "Gloria in excelsis Deo" ("Glory to God in the highest") is one of the oldest hymns of the church. The name was essentially invented by the English writer George Bernard Shaw for his 1905 play "Major Barbara," though it had been used occasionally before. Gloria was a top-100 American name from 1925 to 1965, peaking at #20 in 1934. The most famous bearer is Gloria Steinem (born 1934), the feminist journalist and activist who co-founded Ms. magazine in 1972 — one of the most influential figures of second-wave feminism. Gloria Swanson (1899-1983), the silent film actress who played Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), gave the name a Hollywood dimension. I find Gloria has a strong, slightly dramatic quality — the "Gl" opening is unusual, and the "ia" ending gives it length. The name has been outside the US top 500 since 2018 but has too much cultural weight to disappear entirely. Gloria Estefan (born 1957), the Cuban-American singer, gave the name a Latin-pop dimension. Gloria is a female name of Latin origin that means "Glory". Dramatic, strong, and a little vintage. The name sounds bold. Glorias tend to be confident. US peaked #20 in 1934. Outside top 500 since 2018. Well-known people named Gloria include Gloria Steinem (feminist), Gloria Swanson (actress), Gloria Estefan (singer), Gloria (Shaw character). Common variations and related forms of Gloria include Gloriana (Latin elaboration), Gloriane (variant), Glory (English word), Gloria (used across languages).