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[Facts] Garyn
This is the name of one of my doctor's granddaughters. She claims it's Celtic in origin. Would anyone have any clues on what the etymology of this name might be?
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Hmmm. It's not a documented Welsh name. However, it is in use in Wales - on males only - but it seems to be a newly-invented name. There's one born in 1953, a big time gap, and then a few more recent ones including a couple of current rugby players.
Here are its popularity charts for the US: six boys in 1977, a big gap, and then a steady if tiny trickle of it on both sexes.
http://www.ourbabynamer.com/Garyn-name-popularity.html
Not saying it is definitely invented, but this is the sort of pattern I usually see with unusual invented names: someone comes up with it, and then a sort of morphic resonance occurs and others do too.:)I've got nothing really but here are some theories: choose the one you like best.
1) It's a take on Gavin or Caryn, either accidental or deliberate
2) It's a take on Gawyn (alternate version of Gawain / Gavin)
3) It's a Welshification of Gary (we do that sort of thing)
4) It's a take on Gareth
5) It's a take on a very rare but documented Welsh name, Garanwyn - supposedly a son of Cai / Kay, knight of the Round Table - meaning 'white heron'
6) It's a take on 'garan', heron
7) Something else entirely!

This message was edited 7/6/2014, 1:23 PM

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Perhaps from the Welsh Grwn?
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It's etymologically Old English despite the Welsh look and sound to it (Garyn - Warrior).I'd wrongly assumed that the name of one of my favourite ex-rugby players Garin Jenkins was of old Welsh heritage, but it's not.
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