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Hi,
I was delighted to see a discussion of my first name, which I hold dear. I have not met any other female Tegwen's, but the occasional male Tegwyn/Tecwyn.
When people have not met or spoken with me they are often expecting me to be male as it is seemingly a much more common name for men than women...
I was delighted to see a discussion of my first name, which I hold dear. I have not met any other female Tegwen's, but the occasional male Tegwyn/Tecwyn.
When people have not met or spoken with me they are often expecting me to be male as it is seemingly a much more common name for men than women...
1
If you want...
Tegwen is feminine. The (g)wen element in Modern and Medieval Welsh names is always feminine, and (g)wyn is always masculine. So, not only is Bronwen (for example) feminine, but Heddwyn is definitely masculine. Gwenllian is feminine, Gwynfor is masculine.
Bronwyn is occasionally used erroneously for girls, as a mispelling of Bronwen; it could theoretically be used as a male name, but most Welsh speakers would laugh, because bron means breast (it also means hill on occasion, so you see we are not talking about a flat manly breast either).
However, older names don't stick to this rule, rarely for the second syllable (Bradwen 'fair treachery', Adguen, for the first syllable. Gwenwynwyn is a male name, possibly meaning 'thrice blessed'(?). Gwenabwy is definitely male, as are Gwenddoleu (the name that so confused Geoffrey of Monmouth he turned it into Gwendolen, and thus invented Gwendoline), Gwenfedon, Gwengad, Gwengal, Gwengarth, Gwennog (etc). However, all of these names are rare in Modern Welsh (or rather non-existent :) ), and you'll probably never run into them.
Gwen is occasionally male in medieval Breton names, and more often masculine than feminine in Old Cornish, but again, you'll never come across these names.
There is also another element to confuse the picture. The youngest son of Llywarch Hen is Gwên (in case that symbol hasn't worked, that's an e with a hat), from a word meaning 'smile'. It's pronounced gwehhhhhhn (not quite gwain).
I hope you've been paying attention - there'll be a pop quiz shortly...
;)
Tegwen is feminine. The (g)wen element in Modern and Medieval Welsh names is always feminine, and (g)wyn is always masculine. So, not only is Bronwen (for example) feminine, but Heddwyn is definitely masculine. Gwenllian is feminine, Gwynfor is masculine.
Bronwyn is occasionally used erroneously for girls, as a mispelling of Bronwen; it could theoretically be used as a male name, but most Welsh speakers would laugh, because bron means breast (it also means hill on occasion, so you see we are not talking about a flat manly breast either).
However, older names don't stick to this rule, rarely for the second syllable (Bradwen 'fair treachery', Adguen, for the first syllable. Gwenwynwyn is a male name, possibly meaning 'thrice blessed'(?). Gwenabwy is definitely male, as are Gwenddoleu (the name that so confused Geoffrey of Monmouth he turned it into Gwendolen, and thus invented Gwendoline), Gwenfedon, Gwengad, Gwengal, Gwengarth, Gwennog (etc). However, all of these names are rare in Modern Welsh (or rather non-existent :) ), and you'll probably never run into them.
Gwen is occasionally male in medieval Breton names, and more often masculine than feminine in Old Cornish, but again, you'll never come across these names.
There is also another element to confuse the picture. The youngest son of Llywarch Hen is Gwên (in case that symbol hasn't worked, that's an e with a hat), from a word meaning 'smile'. It's pronounced gwehhhhhhn (not quite gwain).
I hope you've been paying attention - there'll be a pop quiz shortly...
;)
1
And I've just noticed that the entry for this name in my "Enwau Cymraeg i Blant" is actually a dual-entry. A little cross (supposedly the masculine symbol) is to the left of "Tegwyn", followed by a black dot (the feminine symbol), followed by "Tegwen".
Thanks to you, Merriment, I've been able to sort out this little name book's odd way of identifying entries. :)
-- Nanaea
Thanks to you, Merriment, I've been able to sort out this little name book's odd way of identifying entries. :)
-- Nanaea
1
Perhaps this will clarify the myth of the letter Y?
Conventional wisdom has it that in Welsh Y is a masculine marker and E a feminine; Tegwen should therefore be a girl name and Tegwyn a boy one. But conventional wisdom has let me down more times than I can remember; Lady Merriment's wisdom seems much more reliable.
Awaiting the outcome with interest ...
Conventional wisdom has it that in Welsh Y is a masculine marker and E a feminine; Tegwen should therefore be a girl name and Tegwyn a boy one. But conventional wisdom has let me down more times than I can remember; Lady Merriment's wisdom seems much more reliable.
Awaiting the outcome with interest ...
1
Actually, my copy of *Enwau Cymaeg i Blant* ("Welsh Names for Children") by Heini Gruffudd (Y Lolfa, 1980), lists "Tegwen" as being a masculine name.
On the other hand, my copy of *Celtic Names for Children* by Loreto Todd (Dublin: The O'Brien Press, 1998), lists "Tegwen" as being a feminine name.
Perhaps Tegwen can be either masculine or feminine? What say you, Lady Merriment?
-- Nanaea
On the other hand, my copy of *Celtic Names for Children* by Loreto Todd (Dublin: The O'Brien Press, 1998), lists "Tegwen" as being a feminine name.
Perhaps Tegwen can be either masculine or feminine? What say you, Lady Merriment?
-- Nanaea
1