sorianna's Personal Name List
Voirrey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Rating: 60% based on 1 vote
Tavish
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of
a Thàmhais, vocative case of
Tàmhas. Alternatively it could be taken from the Scottish surname
McTavish, Anglicized form of
Mac Tàmhais, meaning "son of
Tàmhas".
Tamsin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: TAM-zin
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Contracted form of
Thomasina. It was traditionally used in Cornwall.
Tamsen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: TAM-zən
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Steren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Means "star" in Cornish.
Siân
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SHAN
Seren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SEH-rehn
Rating: 80% based on 5 votes
Means "star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.
Sadbh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Sadb
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Probably derived from the old Celtic root *
swādu- meaning
"sweet" [2]. This was a common name in medieval Ireland. In Irish
mythology Sadb was a woman transformed into a deer. She was the mother of
Oisín by
Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Roderick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Scottish, Welsh
Pronounced: RAHD-ə-rik(English) RAHD-rik(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"famous ruler" from the Old German elements
hruod "fame" and
rih "ruler, king". This name was in use among the Visigoths; it was borne by their last king (Gothic form *
Hroþireiks, also known by the Spanish form
Rodrigo), who died fighting the Muslim invaders of Spain in the 8th century. It also had cognates in Old Norse and West Germanic, and Scandinavian settlers and
Normans introduced it to England, though it died out after the Middle Ages. It was revived in the English-speaking world by Walter Scott's 1811 poem
The Vision of Don Roderick [1].
This name has also functioned as an Anglicized form of Scottish Ruaridh or Welsh Rhydderch.
Rhys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: REES
From Old Welsh
Ris, probably meaning
"ardour, enthusiasm". Several Welsh rulers have borne this name, including the 12th-century Rhys ap Gruffydd who fought against the invading
Normans.
Rhydderch
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: HRUDH-ehrkh
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Old Welsh name
Riderch, probably derived from
ri "king" combined with
derch "exalted". Rhydderch Hael was a 6th-century king of Strathclyde. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Roderick.
Rhosyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Means "rose" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Rhonwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Welsh form of
Rowena, appearing in medieval Welsh poems and stories as a personification of the English people.
Rhodri
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: RAW-dri
From the Old Welsh name
Rotri, derived from
rod "wheel" and
ri "king". This name was borne by several medieval Welsh rulers, including Rhodri the Great, a 9th-century king of Gwynedd.
Rhiannon
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ri-AN-awn(Welsh) ree-AN-ən(English)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *
Rīgantonā meaning
"great queen" (Celtic *
rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix
-on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish
Epona. As
Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the
Mabinogi [1] as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to
Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married
Pwyll instead. Their son was
Pryderi.
As an English name, it became popular due to the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon (1976), especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Rhian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: REE-an
Derived from Welsh rhiain meaning "maiden, young woman".
Rheinallt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pryderi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
From Welsh
pryder meaning
"care, worry" (or perhaps from a derivative word *
pryderi meaning
"loss" [1]). Appearing in Welsh legend in all four branches of the
Mabinogi, Pryderi was the son of
Pwyll and
Rhiannon, eventually succeeding his father as the king of Dyfed. He was one of only seven warriors to return from
Brân's tragic invasion of Ireland, and later had several adventures with
Manawydan. He was ultimately killed in single combat with
Gwydion during the war between Dyfed and Gwynedd.
Piran
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Possibly derived from
Ciarán. This was the name of a 5th-century Irish monk who founded a monastery in Cornwall. He is the patron
saint of Cornwall.
Pherick
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Manx
Paige
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAYJ
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
From an English surname meaning
"servant, page" in Middle English. It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek
παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
As a given name for girls, it received some public attention from a character in the 1958 novel Parrish and the 1961 movie adaptation [1]. It experienced a larger surge in popularity in the 1980s, probably due to the character Paige Matheson from the American soap opera Knots Landing.
Padrig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Breton
Paaie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Owain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: O-wien(Welsh)
From an Old Welsh name (
Ougein,
Eugein and other spellings), which was possibly from the Latin name
Eugenius. Other theories connect it to the Celtic roots *
owi- "sheep", *
wesu- "good" or *
awi- "desire" combined with the Old Welsh suffix
gen "born of". This is the name of several figures from British history, including Owain mab Urien, a 6th-century prince of Rheged who fought against the Angles. The 12th-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes adapted him into
Yvain for his Arthurian romance
Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Regarded as one of the Knights of the Round Table, Yvain or Owain has since appeared in many other Arthurian tales, typically being the son of King
Urien of Gore, and the errant husband of
Laudine, the Lady of the Fountain.
Other notable bearers include Owain the Great, a 12th-century king of Gwynedd, and Owain Glyndwr, a 14th-century leader of the Welsh resistance to English rule.
Olwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: OL-wehn(English)
Means
"white footprint" from Welsh
ol "footprint, track" and
gwen "white, blessed". In the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen she was a beautiful maiden, the lover of
Culhwch and the daughter of the giant Yspaddaden. Her father insisted that Culhwch complete several seemingly impossible tasks before he would allow them to marry.
Non
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Possibly derived from Latin
nonna meaning
"nun". According to tradition, this was the name of the mother of
Saint David.
Nia 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: NEE-a
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Welsh form of
Niamh. The Welsh poet T. Gwynn Jones used it in his long poem
Tir na n-Óg (1916), referring to the lover of
Oisín.
Nerys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Probably a feminized form of Welsh nêr meaning "lord".
Neasa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NYA-sə(Irish)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Old Irish
Ness, meaning uncertain. In Irish legend she was the mother of
Conchobar. She installed her son as king of Ulster by convincing
Fergus mac Róich (her husband and Conchobar's stepfather) to give up his throne to the boy for a year and then helping him rule so astutely that the Ulstermen demanded that he remain as king. According to some versions of the legend she was originally named
Assa "gentle", but was renamed
Ní-assa "not gentle" after she sought to avenge the murders of her foster fathers.
Neas
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Myghal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Myfanwy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: mə-VA-nuwy
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Welsh prefix my- meaning "my, belonging to me" (an older form of fy) combined with either manwy meaning "fine, delicate" or banwy meaning "woman" (a variant of banw). This was the name of an 1875 Welsh song composed by Joseph Parry.
Myf
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Mostyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the name of a town in northern Wales, which is probably derived from Old English elements meaning "moss town".
Morwenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, Welsh
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Old Cornish
moroin meaning
"maiden, girl" (related to the Welsh word
morwyn [1]). This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish
saint, said to be one of the daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Morwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish, Welsh
Morgan 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, French
Pronounced: MAWR-gən(English) MAWR-GAN(French)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Old Welsh masculine name
Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh
mor "sea" and
cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America
Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of
Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).
Moirrey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Pronounced: MUW-rə
Mervyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MUR-vin(English)
Welsh variant of
Merfyn, as well as the usual Anglicized form.
Merryn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Meaning unknown. This was the name of an early Cornish (male)
saint.
Merrion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Meredith
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: MEHR-ə-dith(English)
Rating: 100% based on 2 votes
From the Welsh name
Maredudd or
Meredydd, from Old Welsh forms such as
Margetud, possibly from
mawredd "greatness, magnificence" combined with
iudd "lord". The Welsh forms of this name were well used through the Middle Ages. Since the mid-1920s it has been used more often for girls than for boys in English-speaking countries, though it is still a masculine name in Wales. A famous bearer of this name as surname was the English novelist and poet George Meredith (1828-1909).
Meraud
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Meaning unknown, perhaps based on Cornish mor "sea".
Meinwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"slender and beautiful maiden" from a Welsh compound of
main "slender" and
gwen "white, blessed".
Meinir
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Means
"tall and slender, beautiful maiden" in Welsh (a compound of
main "slender" and
hir "tall").
Meave
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Margh
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Margaid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Mallt
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: MASHT
Mairwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Combination of
Mair and Welsh
gwen meaning "white, blessed".
Mair
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: MIER
Welsh form of
Maria (see
Mary).
Madoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
From the Old Welsh name
Matauc, derived from
mad meaning
"good, fortunate" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This is the name of a warrior mentioned in the 7th-century Welsh poem
Y Gododdin. It was also borne by several medieval rulers, including the 12th-century Madoc ap Maredudd, the last prince of Powys. Another bearer, according to later folklore, was a son of the 12th-century
Owain the Great who sailed to the Americas.
Mabyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Possibly from Old Cornish
mab meaning
"son". This was the name of a 6th-century Cornish
saint, said to be one of the children of
Brychan Brycheiniog. She is now regarded as a woman, but some early sources describe her as a man.
Mabon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Later Welsh form of
Maponos [1][2][3]. In the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen he is a prisoner freed by
Arthur's warriors in order to help hunt the great boar Trwyth. His mother is
Modron.
Luned
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: LIN-ehd(Welsh)
Form of
Lunete used in the Welsh tale
Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain (which was based on Chrétien's poem).
Llywelyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: shəw-EH-lin(Welsh) loo-EHL-in(English)
Probably a Welsh form of an unattested old Celtic name *
Lugubelinos, a combination of the names of the gods
Lugus and
Belenus, or a compound of
Lugus and a Celtic root meaning "strong". Alternatively it may be derived from Welsh
llyw "leader". This was the name of several Welsh rulers, notably the 13th-century Llywelyn the Great who fought against the English.
Llinos
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: SHEE-naws, SHI-naws
Means "linnet, finch" in Welsh. The linnet (species Linaria cannabina) is a small European bird in the finch family.
Llewelyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Variant of
Llywelyn influenced by the Welsh word
llew "lion".
Llew
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: SHEW(Welsh)
Variant of
Lleu. It can also be a short form of
Llewelyn. It coincides with the Welsh word
llew meaning "lion".
Kerensa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means "love" in Cornish.
Jowan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Jory
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Jago
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Ivor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English (British)
Pronounced: IE-və(British English) IE-vər(American English)
From the Old Norse name
Ívarr, which was probably derived from the elements
ýr "yew tree, bow" and
herr "army, warrior". During the Middle Ages it was brought to Britain by Scandinavian settlers and invaders, and it was adopted in Ireland (Irish
Íomhar), Scotland (Scottish Gaelic
Iomhar) and Wales (Welsh
Ifor).
Ithel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the Old Welsh name
Iudhail,
cognate of Old Breton
Iudicael (see
Judicaël).
Islwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
From the name of a mountain in Wales that means "below the forest" from Welsh is "below" and llwyn "forest, grove".
Iorwerth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Old Welsh
Means
"worthy lord" from Old Welsh
ior "lord" and
gwerth "value, worth". This name was used by medieval Welsh royalty, including the prince Iorwerth Goch of Powys, who is mentioned in the tale the
Dream of Rhonabwy. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Edward.
Illtyd
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
From Old Welsh
Eltut, derived from the intensive prefix
el- combined with
tut "people, country". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh
saint who founded the abbey of Llanilltud in Glamorgan.
Illiam
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Manx
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Ilar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Welsh form of
Hilarius. This is the name of a 6th-century Welsh
saint.
Idwal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the Old Welsh name
Iudgual derived from
iudd "lord" combined with
gual "ruler, leader".
Idris 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"ardent lord" from Old Welsh
iudd "lord" combined with
ris "ardent, enthusiastic". This name was borne by Idris the Giant, a 7th-century king of Meirionnydd.
Hywel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: HUW-ehl
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From Old Welsh Higuel meaning "eminent, prominent" (literally "well-seen"). This was the name of a few Welsh kings, including the 10th-century Hywel the Good who was known for establishing laws.
Heulwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: HAYL-wehn
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means
"sunshine" in Welsh (a compound of
haul "sun" and
gwen "white, blessed").
Heledd
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: HEH-ledh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Meaning unknown. This is the narrator of the medieval poem Canu Heledd, which laments the loss of her family, including her brother Prince Cynddylan, and the destruction of the kingdom of Powys in the 7th century.
Heilyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"winebearer, dispenser" in Welsh. According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1] he was one of only seven warriors to return from
Brân's invasion of Ireland.
Hefin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: HEH-vin
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means
"summer" in Welsh, a poetic form of
Haf.
Heddwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh
hedd "peace" and
gwyn "white, blessed". This name has been given in honour of the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans (1887-1917), who used Hedd Wyn as his bardic name
[1].
Haul
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: HIEL
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "sun" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Haf
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: HAV
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "summer" in Welsh.
Gwynfor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Welsh element
gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with
maur meaning "great, large". This name was created in the 19th century.
Gwyneth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: GWIN-eth(Welsh) GWIN-ith(English)
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Probably a variant of
Gwynedd. It has been common in Wales since the 19th century, perhaps after the Welsh novelist Gwyneth Vaughan (1852-1910), whose real name was Ann Harriet Hughes. A modern famous bearer is the American actress Gwyneth Paltrow (1972-).
Gwyneira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: gwi-NAY-ra
Rating: 70% based on 3 votes
Means
"white snow" from the Welsh element
gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with
eira meaning "snow". This is a recently created Welsh name.
Gwynedd
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the name of the kingdom of Gwynedd, which was located in northern Wales from the 5th century. It is now the name of a Welsh county. The name may be related to Old Irish
Féni meaning "Irish people", itself possibly related to the Celtic root *
wēnā meaning "band of warriors"
[1].
Gwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: GWIN(Welsh)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"white, blessed" in Welsh. In Welsh legend Gwyn was a king of the Otherworld and the leader of the Wild Hunt. He appears in the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen, where he is one of the many who help
Culhwch hunt the monstrous boar Trwyth. The story also tells of his rivalry with
Gwythyr for the beautiful
Creiddylad.
Gwilim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Gwenllian
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: gwehn-SHEE-an
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Welsh elements
gwen meaning "white, blessed" and possibly
lliain meaning "flaxen, made of linen" or
lliant meaning "flow, flood". This name was used by medieval Welsh royalty, notably by a 12th-century princess of Deheubarth who died in battle with the
Normans. It was also borne by the 13th-century daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last prince of Gwynedd.
Gwenith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-ith
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Variant of
Gwyneth, influenced by the Welsh word
gwenith meaning "wheat".
Gwenfrewi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh
gwen meaning "white, blessed" combined with another element of uncertain meaning. It could possibly be Welsh
ffreu meaning "stream, flow"
[1] or the obscure word
ffrewi meaning "pacify, quell, reconcile"
[2]. This may be the original form of
Winifred. In any case, it is the Welsh name for the
saint.
Gwendolen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin(English)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Possibly means
"white ring", derived from Welsh
gwen meaning "white, blessed" and
dolen meaning "ring, loop". This name appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century chronicles, written in the Latin form
Guendoloena, where it belongs to an ancient queen of the Britons who defeats her ex-husband in battle
[1]. Geoffrey later used it in
Vita Merlini for the wife of the prophet
Merlin [2]. An alternate theory claims that the name arose from a misreading of the masculine name
Guendoleu by Geoffrey
[3].
This name was not regularly given to people until the 19th century [4][3]. It was used by George Eliot for a character in her novel Daniel Deronda (1876).
Gwawr
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means "dawn" in Welsh.
Goronwy
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Variant of
Gronw. This form appears in the
Book of Taliesin [1]. It was borne by the Welsh poet Goronwy Owen (1723-1769).
Glynis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Glyndwr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Given in honour of Owain Glyndwr (or
Glyn Dŵr, Anglicized as
Glendower), a 14th-century Welsh patriot who led a revolt against England. His byname means
"valley water", and was probably inspired by the name of his estate at Glyndyfrdwy (meaning "valley of the River
Dee").
Glyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means "valley" in Welsh.
Glenys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Probably an elaboration of the Welsh word glân "pure, clean, holy" or glyn "valley". This name was created in the late 19th century.
Gladys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, French, Spanish
Pronounced: GLAD-is(English) GLA-DEES(French) GLA-dhees(Spanish)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From the Old Welsh name
Gwladus, probably derived from
gwlad meaning
"country". Alternatively, it may have been adopted as a Welsh form of
Claudia.
Saint Gwladus or Gwladys was the mother of Saint
Cadoc. She was one of the daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog. This name became popular outside of Wales after it was used in Ouida's novel
Puck (1870).
Gethin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means "dark-skinned, swarthy" in Welsh.
Gerallt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: GEH-rasht
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Gawain
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: gə-WAYN(English) GAH-win(English)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain, from the Latin form
Gualguainus used in the 12th-century chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth (appearing also as
Walganus,
Gwalguanus and other spellings in different copies of the text), where he is one of the knights who serve his uncle King
Arthur. He can be identified with the earlier Welsh hero Gwalchmai, and it is possible that the name derives from
Gwalchmai or a misreading of it.
Gawain was a popular hero in medieval tales such as those by Chrétien de Troyes, where his name appears in the French form Gauvain or Gauvains. He is the main character of the 14th-century anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which he accepts a potentially fatal challenge from the mysterious Green Knight.
Gareth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English (British), Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: GAR-əth(British English)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain. It appears in this form in Thomas Malory's 15th-century compilation of Arthurian legends
Le Morte d'Arthur, in which the knight Gareth (also named
Beaumains) is a brother of
Gawain. He goes with
Lynet to rescue her sister
Lyonesse from the Red Knight. Malory based the name on
Gaheriet or
Guerrehet, which was the name of a similar character in French sources. It may ultimately have a Welsh origin, possibly from the name
Gwrhyd meaning
"valour" (found in the tale
Culhwch and Olwen) or
Gwairydd meaning
"hay lord" (found in the chronicle
Brut y Brenhinedd).
Folant
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Ffion
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: FEE-awn, FI-awn
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Means "foxglove" in Welsh (species Digitalis purpurea). This is a recently created Welsh name.
Eurwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh
aur "gold" and
gwen "white, blessed".
Eurig
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh
aur meaning
"gold" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Ethna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Esyllt
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EH-sisht
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Eseld
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Enid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: EH-nid(Welsh) EE-nid(English)
Rating: 65% based on 2 votes
Probably derived from Welsh
enaid meaning
"soul, spirit, life". In Arthurian tales she first appears in the 12th-century French poem
Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes, where she is the wife of Erec. In later adaptations she is typically the wife of
Geraint. The name became more commonly used after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian poem
Enid in 1859, and it was fairly popular in Britain in the first half of the 20th century.
Enfys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHN-vis
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means "rainbow" in Welsh. This name was first used in the 19th century.
Emyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EH-mir
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Means "king, lord" in Welsh.
Emrys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHM-ris
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Welsh form of
Ambrose. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to help shape the early character of
Merlin, whom he called Merlinus Ambrosius in Latin.
Emlyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHM-lin
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the name of an ancient region of southwestern Wales, its name meaning
"around the valley" from Welsh
am "around" and
glyn "valley". It has also been suggested that this name is a Welsh form of Latin
Aemilianus (see
Emiliano), though this appears to be unfounded.
Eluned
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: ehl-IN-ehd, ehl-EEN-ehd
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh
eilun meaning
"image, likeness, idol". This was the name of a legendary 5th-century Welsh
saint, also known as Eiliwedd, one of the supposed daughters of
Brychan Brycheiniog.
Elowen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Means "elm tree" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Eleri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: eh-LEH-ri
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the name of a Welsh river, also called the Leri, of unknown meaning. This was also the name of a 7th-century Welsh
saint (masculine).
Elain
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EH-lien
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"fawn" in Welsh. This name was created in the 19th century
[1].
Eirwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"white snow" from the Welsh elements
eira "snow" and
gwen "white, blessed". This name was created in the early 20th century.
Eirlys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AYR-lis
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means
"snowdrop (flower)" in Welsh, a compound of
eira "snow" and
llys "plant".
Eirian
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"bright, beautiful" in Welsh
[1].
Eira 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AY-ra
Rating: 67% based on 3 votes
Means "snow" in Welsh. This is a recently created name.
Einion
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From the Old Welsh name
Enniaun, probably from the Latin name
Ennianus, a derivative of
Ennius (see
Ennio). It is also a modern Welsh word meaning "anvil". This was the name of a few early Welsh rulers including Einion Frenin (5th century), who is considered a
saint in some Christian traditions.
Eimear
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Eilwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Perhaps means
"white brow", derived from Welsh
ael "brow" and
gwen "white, blessed". This is a recently created Welsh name.
Eiluned
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Eglantine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: EHG-lən-tien, EHG-lən-teen
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the English word for the flower also known as sweetbrier. It is derived via Old French from Vulgar Latin *aquilentum meaning "prickly". It was early used as a given name (in the form Eglentyne) in Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century story The Prioress's Tale (one of The Canterbury Tales).
Ean
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Manx
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Ealisaid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Dylan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: DUL-an(Welsh) DIL-ən(English)
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
From the Welsh prefix
dy meaning "to, toward" and
llanw meaning "tide, flow". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Dylan was a son of
Arianrhod and the twin brother of
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Immediately after he was baptized he took to the sea, where he could swim as well as a fish. He was slain accidentally by his uncle
Gofannon. According to some theories the character might be rooted in an earlier and otherwise unattested Celtic god of the sea.
Famous bearers include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) and the American musician Bob Dylan (1941-), real name Robert Zimmerman, who took his stage surname from the poet's given name. Due to those two bearers, use of the name has spread outside of Wales in the last half of the 20th century. It received a further boost in popularity in the 1990s due to a character on the television series Beverly Hills 90210.
Drystan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Dilys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "genuine" in Welsh. It has been used since the late 19th century.
Deryn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Possibly from the Welsh word deryn, a variant of aderyn meaning "bird".
Delyth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From an elaboration of Welsh
del "pretty". This is a recently created name.
Daveth
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Cornish
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Dai
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Colwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the name of a bay and seaside town in Conwy, Wales.
Cledwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Possibly derived from Welsh
caled "rough, hard" and
gwyn "white, blessed". This is the name of a small river (Cledwen) in Conwy, Wales.
Cerys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Ceridwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: keh-RID-wehn
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Possibly from
cyrrid "bent, crooked" (a derivative of Old Welsh
cwrr "corner") combined with
ben "woman" or
gwen "white, blessed". According to the medieval Welsh legend the
Tale of Taliesin (recorded by Elis Gruffyd in the 16th century) this was the name of a sorceress who created a potion that would grant wisdom to her son Morfan. The potion was instead consumed by her servant Gwion Bach, who was subsequently reborn as the renowned bard
Taliesin.
This name appears briefly in a poem in the Black Book of Carmarthen in the form Kyrridven [1] and in a poem in the Book of Taliesin in the form Kerrituen [2]. Some theories connect her to an otherwise unattested Celtic goddess of inspiration, and suppose her name is related to Welsh cerdd "poetry".
Ceri
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: KEH-ri
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain. It could come from the name of the Ceri River in Ceredigion, Wales; it could be a short form of
Ceridwen; it could be derived from Welsh
caru meaning "to love".
Celyn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means
"holly" in Welsh. It appears briefly in the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen [1], belonging to a son of Caw, but was not typically used as a given name until the 20th century.
Ceinwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh
cain "good, lovely" and
gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh
saint also known as
Cain or
Keyne.
Carys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: KA-ris
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
Carwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh
caru "to love" and
gwyn "white, blessed". This name was created in the 20th century
[1].
Caron
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the name of places near the town of Tregaron in Ceredigion, Wales.
Caratācos
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Brythonic (Hypothetical)
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Caradog
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: ka-RA-dawg(Welsh)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the Old Welsh name
Caratauc, a Welsh form of
Caratācos. This is the name of several figures in Welsh history and legend, including an 8th-century king of Gwynedd, a 12th-century
saint, and a son of
Brân the Blessed. In Arthurian romance Caradog is a Knight of the Round Table. He first appears in Welsh poems, with his story expanded by French authors such as Chrétien de Troyes.
Caradoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: ka-RA-dawk(Welsh)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Caerwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Derived from the Welsh elements
caer "fortress" and
gwyn "white, blessed".
Cadwgan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: ka-DOO-gan
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From Old Welsh
Catguocaun (and many other spellings) meaning
"glory in battle", from
cat "battle" and
guocaun "glory, honour". It appears briefly in the medieval Welsh tale
The Dream of Rhonabwy [1].
Cadwalader
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Cadogan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Cadoc
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh [1]
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From an Old Welsh name, recorded in Latinized forms such as
Catocus, derived from
cat meaning
"battle". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh
saint who was martyred by the Saxons.
Cadi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Cadfan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Old Welsh [1]
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From an Old Welsh name, recorded in Latinized forms such as
Catamanus, meaning
"battle peak" from
cat "battle" and
bann "peak".
Saint Cadfan, from Brittany, was a 6th-century missionary to Wales.
Cadfael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From Old Welsh
Catmail meaning
"battle prince", from
cat "battle" and
mael "prince". This was apparently the birth name of
Saint Cadoc. It was used by the British author Ellis Peters for the main character in her books
The Cadfael Chronicles, first released in 1977.
Cadell
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare) [1]
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From Old Welsh
Catell, derived from
cat "battle" and a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of two early kings of Powys in Wales.
Brynmor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the Welsh place name Brynmawr meaning "great hill".
Bryn
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIN(English)
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
Means
"hill, mound" in Welsh. In Wales it is almost always a masculine name, though elsewhere in the English-speaking world it can be unisex (see
Brynn).
Bronwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BRAWN-wehn
Rating: 30% based on 2 votes
Seemingly derived from Welsh
bron "breast" and
gwen "white, blessed", though it has sometimes occurred as a variant spelling of the legendary name
Branwen [1]. It has been used as a given name in Wales since the 19th century. It is borne by a character in Richard Llewellyn's 1939 novel
How Green Was My Valley, as well as the 1941 movie adaptation.
Brin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Slovene
Pronounced: BREEN
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Means "juniper" in Slovene.
Briallen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Pronounced: bri-A-shehn
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Derived from Welsh briallu meaning "primrose". This is a modern Welsh name.
Breeshey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Pronounced: BREE-shə
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Branwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: BRAN-wehn(Welsh)
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means
"white raven" from Old Welsh
bran "raven" and
gwen "white, blessed". According to the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi [1] she was the daughter of
Llŷr. After she was mistreated by her husband Matholwch, the king of Ireland, she managed to get a message to her brother
Brân, the king of Britain. Brân launched a costly invasion to rescue her, but she died of grief shortly after her return.
Bran 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Unaccented variant of
Brân. This is also the Middle Welsh form.
Braith
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Australian, Rare)
Pronounced: BRAYTH
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Meaning uncertain, perhaps from Welsh brith, braith meaning "speckled".
Blodwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BLOD-wehn
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means "white flowers" from Welsh blodau "flowers" combined with gwen "white, blessed". This is the name of an 1878 Welsh opera by Joseph Parry.
Blodeuyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Means "flower" in Welsh.
Blodeuwedd
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: blaw-DAY-wedh(Welsh)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means
"face of flowers" in Welsh. According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], she was created out of flowers by
Gwydion to be the wife of his nephew
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Originally she was named
Blodeuedd meaning simply "flowers". She was eventually transformed into an owl by Gwydion after she and her lover
Gronw attempted to murder Lleu, at which point he renamed her
Blodeuwedd.
Blejan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Pronounced: BLEH-jən
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "flower" in Cornish.
Bleddyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BLEDH-in
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From Welsh
blaidd "wolf" combined with a
diminutive suffix. This was the name of an 11th-century king of Gwynedd and Powys.
Blaanid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Manx
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Bevan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From a Welsh surname that was derived from
ap Evan meaning
"son of Evan". As a given name, it is particularly common in New Zealand and Australia.
Bethan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BETH-an
Rating: 50% based on 2 votes
Berwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
Means
"white top" from the Welsh elements
barr "top, head" and
gwyn "white, blessed". This is the name of a mountain range in Wales.
Arwel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AR-wehl
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Old Welsh name of unknown meaning.
Arianrhod
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: ar-YAN-rawd(Welsh)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Probably means
"silver wheel" from Welsh
arian "silver" and
rhod "wheel". According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], Arianrhod was the mother of the twins
Dylan and
Lleu Llaw Gyffes, whom she spontaneously birthed when she stepped over a magical wand. It is speculated that in earlier myths she may have been a goddess of the moon.
Anwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 55% based on 2 votes
Means
"very beautiful" in Welsh, from the intensive prefix
an- combined with
gwen "white, blessed".
Angharad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, Old Welsh (Modernized) [1], Welsh Mythology
Rating: 40% based on 2 votes
From an Old Welsh name recorded in various forms such as
Acgarat and
Ancarat. It means
"much loved", from the intensive prefix
an- combined with a mutated form of
caru "to love". In the medieval Welsh romance
Peredur son of Efrawg, Angharad Golden-Hand is the lover of the knight
Peredur.
Aneurin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: a-NAY-rin
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
Andras
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Faroese
Rating: 30% based on 1 vote
Faroese form of
Andreas (see
Andrew).
Alwyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 10% based on 1 vote
From the name of the River Alwen in northern Wales (a tributary of the River Dee).
Aled
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: A-lehd
Rating: 20% based on 1 vote
From the name of a Welsh river, of uncertain meaning.
Áine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: A-nyə(Irish)
Rating: 45% based on 2 votes
Means
"radiance, brilliance" in Irish. This was the name of a goddess of love and fertility in Irish legend, thought to dwell at the hill of Cnoc Áine in Limerick. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Anne.
Aileen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, Irish, English
Pronounced: ie-LEEN(English) IE-leen(English)
Rating: 85% based on 4 votes
Afon
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 70% based on 2 votes
Means "river" in Welsh. This is a Welsh name of recent origin.
Aeronwy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 63% based on 3 votes
Aeron
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 33% based on 3 votes
From the name of the Welsh river Aeron, itself probably derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess
Agrona. Alternatively, the name could be taken from Welsh
aeron meaning
"berries".
Aderyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Rating: 46% based on 5 votes
Means "bird" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
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