Gaulish Origin Names

This is a list of names in which the origin is Gaulish.
gender
usage
origin
Belenus m Gaulish Mythology
Latinized form of Gaulish Belenos or Belinos, possibly from Celtic roots meaning either "bright, brilliant" (from Indo-European *bhel-) or "strong" (from Indo-European *bel-). This was the name of a Gaulish god who was often equated with Apollo. He is mostly known from Gallo-Roman inscriptions and was especially venerated in Aquileia in northern Italy.
Beli m Welsh Mythology
Probably a Welsh derivative of Belenus. Beli Mawr was a Welsh ancestor deity who established several royal lines in Wales.
Bile m Irish Mythology
Possibly an Irish form of Belenus, though it may derive from an Irish word meaning "sacred tree, scion, hero". In Irish mythology this was the name of one of the Milesians who was drowned while invading Ireland.
Brennus m Gaulish (Latinized)
Latinized form of a Celtic name (or title) that possibly meant either "king, prince" or "raven". Brennus was a Gallic leader of the 4th century BC who attacked and sacked Rome.
Breno m Portuguese
Portuguese form of Brennus.
Brice m French, English
From the name Bricius, which was probably a Latinized form of a Gaulish name meaning "speckled". This was the name of a 5th-century saint, a disciple of Saint Martin of Tours.
Bricius m Gaulish (Latinized)
Latin form of Brice, probably ultimately of Gaulish origin.
Bryce m English
Variant of Brice.
Bryson m English
From an English surname meaning "son of Brice". Starting in the 1970s this name began steadily growing in popularity, likely because it features the same popular sounds found in other names such as Brice and Tyson.
Carlisle m & f English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.
Carlyle m English
Variant of Carlisle.
Cernunnos m Gaulish Mythology (Latinized)
Means "great horned one", from Celtic *karnos "horn" and the divine or augmentative suffix -on. This was the name of the Celtic god of fertility, animals, wealth, and the underworld. He was usually depicted having antlers, and was identified with the Roman god Mercury.
Cunobelinos m Brythonic (Hypothetical)
Possible Brythonic form of Cunobelinus.
Cunobelinus m Brythonic (Latinized)
Latinized form of a Brythonic name, possibly from old Celtic * "dog, hound" (genitive *kunos) combined with either the name of the god Belenus or another Celtic root meaning "strong". This was the name of a 1st-century king of southeastern Britain. He is known from Roman historians such as Suetonius and medieval Welsh histories, as well as from coins bearing his name.
Cymbeline m Literature
Form of Cunobelinus used by Shakespeare in his play Cymbeline (1609).
Epona f Gaulish Mythology
Derived from Gaulish epos meaning "horse" with the divine or augmentative suffix -on. This was the name of a Gaulish goddess of horses and fertility. She was worshipped not only in Gaul, but elsewhere in the Roman Empire.
Éponine f Literature
French form of Epponina. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel Les Misérables (1862) for a daughter of the Thénardiers. Her mother got her name from a romance novel.
Eponine f Literature
English form of Éponine.
Epponina f Gaulish (Latinized)
Probably related to the name of the goddess Epona. Epponina was the virtuous wife of the 1st-century Gallo-Roman rebel Julius Sabinus.
Gobannos m Gaulish Mythology
From old Celtic *goban meaning "smith". This was the name of a scantily attested Gaulish smith god.
Laoise f Irish
Possibly a newer form of Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of Lucy or Louise.
Leolin m Welsh
Anglicized form of Llywelyn influenced by Latin leo "lion".
Lleu m Welsh Mythology
Probably a Welsh form of Lugus. In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Lleu Llaw Gyffes is the son of Arianrhod. He was raised by his uncle Gwydion, who helped him overcome the curses that his mother placed upon him. His wife Blodeuwedd and her lover Gronw conspired to overcome his near invincibility and murder him, but they were not successful. Eventually he became the king of Gwynedd.
Lleucu f Welsh
Meaning unknown, possibly derived from Lleu. This name appears in the 14th-century poem Marwnad Lleucu Llwyd, written by Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen for his deceased lover Lleucu Llwyd.
Llew m Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Variant of Lleu. It can also be a short form of Llewelyn. It coincides with the Welsh word llew meaning "lion".
Llewela f Welsh
Variant of Llewella.
Llewella f Welsh
Feminine form of Llywelyn.
Llewellyn m Welsh
Variant of Llewelyn.
Llewelyn m Welsh
Variant of Llywelyn influenced by the Welsh word llew "lion".
Llywelyn m Welsh
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.
m Irish Mythology
Modern Irish form of Lugh.
Lug m Irish Mythology
Old Irish form of Lugh.
Lugh m Irish Mythology
Probably an Irish form of Lugus. In Irish mythology Lugh Lámfada was a divine hero who led the Tuatha Dé Danann against his grandfather Balor and the Fomorians. Lugh killed Balor by shooting a stone into his giant eye.
Lughaidh m Irish Mythology
From Old Irish Lugaid, a combination of the name of the mythological figure Lugh and Old Irish dech "honour, better". This was the name of several characters in Irish legend, including the king Lugaid mac Con.
Lugus m Gaulish Mythology (Hypothetical)
Possibly from one of the Indo-European roots *lewk- "light, brightness", *lewg- "dark" or *lewgh- "oath". This was the name of a Celtic (Gaulish) god of commerce and craftsmanship, who was equated by the Romans with Mercury. He probably forms the basis for the characters and names of Lugh (Irish) and Lleu (Welsh).
Luigsech f Old Irish
Probably derived from the name of the mythological figure Lugh. This was the name of an obscure early Irish saint, mentioned in the martyrologies of Tallaght and Gorman.
Pellam m Arthurian Cycle
Form of Pellehan used by Thomas Malory in his 15th-century compilation Le Morte d'Arthur.
Pellehan m Arthurian Cycle
Possibly from Welsh Beli Hen meaning "Beli the Old". This was the name of a keeper of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend, the father of Pelles and Pellinore.
Pelles m Arthurian Cycle
Possibly from the Welsh name Beli. In the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail Cycle of Arthurian romance this was the name of the Fisher King, the son of Pellehan. He was also the father of Elaine and grandfather of Galahad.
Pellinore m Arthurian Cycle
Possibly from Welsh Beli Mawr meaning "Beli the Great". In Arthurian romance this was the name of a king of Listenois, a son of Pellehan who pursued the elusive Questing Beast and later joined Arthur's court. He first appears in the 13th-century Lancelot-Grail Cycle.
Taranis m Gaulish Mythology
Derived from the old Celtic root *toranos meaning "thunder", cognate with Þórr (see Thor). This was the name of the Gaulish thunder god, who was often identified with the Roman god Jupiter.
Toutatis m Gaulish Mythology
Probably derived from the old Celtic root *toutā meaning "people, tribe". This was the name of a Gaulish god who may have been regarded as the protector of the people or tribe.
Vercingetorix m Gaulish
Means "king over warriors" from Gaulish wer "on, over" combined with kingeto "marching men, warriors" and rix "king". This name was borne by a 1st-century BC chieftain of the Gaulish tribe the Arverni. He led the resistance against Julius Caesar's attempts to conquer Gaul, but he was eventually defeated, brought to Rome, and executed.