Gladys

alternative Gwladys

1. A female given name from Welsh.

   Anthony continued the prophecy: "Of course Gladys and Eleanor, having graced the last generation of heroines and being at present in their social prime, will be passed on to the next generation of shopgirls -"

   1922, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, (please specify |book=1, 2, or 3)

   2 more examples

   Gladys was the eldest daughter of the house, and when her parents had chosen her name – a name which they considered emblematic of happiness, in spite of certain questionings that had arisen among the name fanciers on the subject – it would seem that some unseen fairy godmother had really bestowed that best of all gifts on their child, for Gladys was the happiest, most contented, sunshiny little person imaginable.

   1882, Edna Lyall, Donovan

   R. Jeeves: In my experience, ladies who spell Gladys with a W are seldom noted for their reliability, sir. It gives them romantic notions. B.W. Wooster: With a W, Jeeves? No, no, no, no. You spell it with a G. R. Jeeves: If I might draw your attention to the signature on the portrait, sir. B.W. Wooster: Good Lord! G-W? R. Jeeves: I blame Alfred Lord Tennyson and his Idylls of the King. It also accounts for Kathryn, Ysabel, and Ethyl, all spelt with a Y, but Gwladys is a particularly virulent form, sir.

   1993 May 16, “Return to New York”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 6