Comments (Meaning / History Only)

An alternative Germanic etymology is also possible, with WIDU "wood, forest" as the first element. In Western Frankish, the d gets elided, and the initial w is shifted to gw and finally to g (as in French Guy).
In my family, the eldest daughter in each generation has been named Guiomar. The story passed down over the years carries with it some jewelry from the 14th century when the name was first given to the daughter of the family. There were no sons born and the decision was made to save the name. Here's the story that goes with it. Sir Guiomar (from the same stories as listed in the original Arthurian legends) was injured in the Crusades and rather than returning to his homeland, settled in what is now Portugal. He married and for generations, his sons were named Guiomar - until the 14th century when there were no sons born. The decision was made to give it to the eldest daughter in order to preserve the name of this famous knight. Guiomar is the name passed on in my family supposedly from that first woman in the 14th century: to the eldest daughter of each generation. My great grandmother came to America in the late 1800s. Her name was Guiamar. She named her eldest daughter, my grandmother, Guiamar. When my mother was born, her Danish father didn't like Guiomar and changed it to Guiamar as he felt it was more feminine. So I was also named Guiamar and so is my niece. And someday she will inherit the jewelry from the 14th century that I received from my mother. There are many more people now with this name. I know of one whose mother named her Guiamar because she was best friends with my aunt. But for what it is worth, this is my family history, passed down through many centuries.
It looks more likely this name became from Breton Gwionwarc'h (Wiomarc'h), beared by a IX century king of Brittany. In modern Portuguese it's only a feminine name. [noted -ed]

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