Cornish
names were used in southwest England in the region around Cornwall.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Adwen f Welsh, CornishWelsh name, in which the second element is
gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed". It was borne by a Cornish saint, considered to be "the Cornish Saint
Dwynwen" as a patron of sweethearts... [
more]
Anneth f Cornish (?)From the Cornish word
annedh "home". A fictional bearer is Anneth Sizemore in Silas House's 2001 novel 'Clay's Quilt'.
Arthek m CornishDerived from Cornish
arth "bear" (ultimately from Proto-Celtic
*arto- "bear").
Austol m CornishMeaning unknown. It is the name of a 6th century Cornish Saint.
Breok m CornishCornish form of
Brioc. This name was borne by a Welsh saint who is commemorated in St. Breock.
Bryher f English (British, Rare), CornishFrom the name of an island off the southwestern coast of Cornwall, one of the Isles of Scilly. This was adopted as a pen name by the English novelist Annie Winifred Ellerman (1894-1983).
Bryluen f Cornish (Modern)Derived from from Old Cornish
breilu "rose" (vocative) combined with the singulative suffix
en. This is a modern Cornish name.
Cadan m Cornish, WelshDerived from Welsh and Cornish
cad "battle" and possibly Welsh
man "place" or Welsh
nant "brook, stream". This is also the name of a river in Dyfed, Wales.
Cador m Arthurian Romance, CornishProbably a form of
Cadeyrn, perhaps derived from its Cornish cognate. In Arthurian romance this was the name of Guinevere's guardian. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, Cador was a ruler of Cornwall and the father of Constantine, King Arthur's successor.... [
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Carenza f CornishVariant of
Kerensa, which has been 'used since the early 1970s, but more often in its variant form
Karenza' (Dunkling, 1983). However, the name also occurs in medieval France; it belonged to a woman who composed the last two stanzas of an Occitan poem that begins
Na Carenza al bel cors avinen, meaning "Lady Carenza of the lovely, gracious body".
Casworon m CornishLikely derived from Celtic
cad "battle" and
kawaro "hero."
Derwa f Cornish, History (Ecclesiastical)Likely derived from Cornish
derow "oak trees" (ultimately from Proto-Celtic
*daru "tree"). Saint Derwa is the patron saint of
Menadarva (
Merther Derwa in Cornish, translating to
grave of St Derwa in English) in the parish of Camborne, Cornwall... [
more]
Elwen m Cornish, Welsh, History (Ecclesiastical)Saint Elwen was an early saint venerated in Cornwall and Brittany. A chapel at Porthleven in Sithney parish, Cornwall, dedicated to Elwen, existed from the 13th century until 1549, and in Brittany several sites and placenames are associated with possibly related figures.
Emblyn f Cornish, Medieval EnglishLate medieval English variant of
Emmeline. Common in the 16th and 17th centuries, this name eventually died out in England in the 19th century, though it survived in Cornwall.
Goron m CornishSaid to be derived from Proto-Celtic
*kawaro- "hero, champion" (compare Breton
kaour, Welsh
cawr "giant, champion"). Saint Goron or Goronus is the patron saint of
St Goran, a coastal parish in Cornwall.
Jyd f Cornish (Rare), LiteratureFirst appeared in children's book "The Doll Who Came Alive" by Cornish author Enys Tregarthen (AKA Nellie Sloggett, Nellie Cornwall.) Jyd Trewerry is a little orphan girl living with her stepmother in a small harbour town in the west of Cornwall.
Kerra f Cornish (Modern)Derived from Cornish
kerra "dearer" (the comparative form of
ker "dear, precious"). This is a modern Cornish name.
Lamorna f Cornish, English (British, Rare)From a Cornish place name of uncertain meaning, perhaps from
lann "area around a church" combined with a contracted form of
morlanow "high tide". It appears in the title of the folk song 'Way Down to Lamorna', as well as W. H. Davies' poem 'Lamorna Cove' (1929).
Locryn m CornishPossibly from
Lloegyr, the medieval Welsh name for a region of southeastern Britain, which is of unknown meaning. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the historical realm (which he Latinized as Loegria) was named after
Locrinus, the eldest son of Brutus of Troy and
Innogen.
Loudey f Medieval English, CornishMedieval form of
Leofdæg. Although in most of England it died out after the Middle Ages, this name survived in Cornwall, especially in the form
Lowdie.
Meriasek m CornishConrish form of
Meriadeg. Saint Meriasek was a 4th-century Breton saint. The legends of his life are known through
Beunans Meriasek, a Cornish language play known from a single surviving manuscript copy dated 1504, and a few other sources... [
more]
Merrin f & m CornishAlthough the exact origin and meaning of this name are unknown, many modern-day academics believe this name to be the (possibly Anglicized) Cornish form of
Morien.... [
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Metheven f CornishMeans "June" in Cornish (literally "midsummer"). This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Miniver f Cornish, Welsh, Welsh MythologyAnglicized form of
Menfre, which is of unknown meaning. Saint Menfre, born c.471, was one of the many holy daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog. 'St. Menfre appears to have been active in Wales, around Minwear, near Haverfordwest, in Dyfed but, later, left her native land in order to evangelise the Cornish.' The early use of the name was in Cornwall where it appears to be a regional form of
Guinevere... [
more]
Morvoren f Cornish (Modern, Rare)Derived from Cornish
morvoren "mermaid" (ultimately from Cornish
mor "sea" and
moren "maiden"). This was the bardic name or pseudonym of a member of the Gorsedh Kernow (Katherine Lee Jenner, 1904)... [
more]
Nectan m CornishOf uncertain origin and meaning. One theory suggests, however, that this name might be derived from Proto-Celtic
*nixto- "clean".... [
more]
Noy m CornishCornish form of
Noah 1. The name coincides with Cornish
noy "nephew".
Ruan m CornishOf uncertain origin and meaning. Saint Ruan was probably a brother of Saint
Tudwal of Tréguier, but little else is known of him beyond that he was probably an Irish missionary and many churches in Devon and Cornwall in England were named after him... [
more]
Ryol m CornishPossibly derives from
rigalis and thusly mean "king". It is the name of the king in the Cornish drama Bewnans Meryasek.
Senara f CornishFrom the name of the patron saint of Zennor, a village in Cornwall, which is of obscure origin. Conceivably it may be derived from the Breton name
Azenor or the old Celtic
Senovara... [
more]
Sennen f CornishThe coastal civil parish and village in Cornwall, England.
Sowena f Cornish (Modern)Derived from Cornish
sowena "success, prosperity, welfare". This is a modern Cornish name.
Talek m CornishDerived from Cornish
talek "big-browed", ultimately from Old Cornish
talawg "high forehead" or "big brow".
Talwyn f Cornish (Modern)Derived from Cornish
tal "brow; forehead; temple" and
gwynn "fair; white; blessed". This is a modern Cornish name.
Tamara f Cornish, Celtic MythologyIn Cornish folklore, Tamara is a nymph who lived in the underworld and wanted to wander freely in the mortal world, against the advice of her parents. When she falls in love with the giant
Tawradge, she refuses to return to the underworld with her father... [
more]
Treeve m CornishDerived from Cornish
tre "farmstead, dwelling, town, village, home".
Tremaine m & f African American, CornishHistorically a Cornish surname meaning "stone settlement", derived from the Cornish 'tre', meaning a homestead or settlement, and 'men', meaning stone. ... [
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Trueth f CornishMeans "compassion" in Cornish. This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Vennor m CornishMiddle name of Captain Ross Poldark, the main character in the historical television series Poldark. Ross Vennor Poldark is his full name on the BBC show.
Veryan f & m CornishFrom the name of a Cornish town, which is taken from
Sen Veryan meaning "Saint Veryan", a Cornish corruption of
Severian, itself a corrupted form of
Symphorian (the saint to whom the village church is dedicated)... [
more]
Ysella f CornishDerived from Cornish
ysel "modest". This is a recently coined Cornish name.
Zennor m & f Cornish (Rare)Name of a Cornish village derived from the local saint, St Senara. In current use.