Browse Names - Behind the Name

Alwyn m Welsh
From the name of the River Alwen in northern Wales (a tributary of the River Dee).

Arwyn m Welsh
From the Welsh intensifying prefix ar- and gwyn meaning "white, blessed".

Berwyn m Welsh
Means "white top" from the Welsh elements barr "top, head" and gwyn "white, blessed". This is the name of a mountain range in Wales.

Caerwyn m Welsh
Derived from the Welsh elements caer "fortress" and gwyn "white, blessed".

Carwyn m Welsh
Derived from Welsh caru "to love" and gwyn "white, blessed". This name was created in the 20th century.

Cerridwyn f Welsh (Rare)
Variant of Ceridwen.

Cledwyn m Welsh
Possibly derived from Welsh caled "rough, hard" and gwyn "white, blessed". This is the name of a small river (Cledwen) in Conwy, Wales.

Colwyn m Welsh
From the name of a bay and seaside town in Conwy, Wales.

Delwyn m Welsh
From Welsh del "pretty" combined with gwyn "white, blessed". It has been used as a given name since the start of the 20th century.

Dilwyn m Welsh
From Welsh dilys "genuine" and gwyn "white, blessed". It has been used since the late 19th century.

Eirwyn m Welsh
Masculine form of Eirwen.

Gwyn m Welsh, Welsh Mythology
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.

Gwynedd f & m Welsh
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".

Gwyneira f Welsh
Means "white snow" from the Welsh element gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with eira meaning "snow". This is a recently created Welsh name.

Gwyneth f Welsh, English
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-).

Gwynfor m Welsh
Derived from the Welsh element gwyn meaning "white, blessed" combined with maur meaning "great, large". This name was created in the 19th century.

Gwynn m Welsh
Variant of Gwyn.

Heddwyn m Welsh
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.

Islwyn m Welsh
From the name of a mountain in Wales that means "below the forest" from Welsh is "below" and llwyn "forest, grove".

Maldwyn m Welsh
From Maldwyn, another name for the old Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. It is so called from Trefaldwyn, the Welsh name for the county town of Montgomery, misinterpreting it as if meaning "town of Maldwyn". In fact it means "town of Baldwin" (in Welsh both m and b mutate to f).

Olwyn f Welsh
Variant of Olwen.

Wyn m Welsh
Derived from Welsh gwyn meaning "white, blessed".

Wynn m Welsh
Variant of Wyn.

Wynne 1 m & f Welsh
Variant of Wyn, sometimes used as a feminine form.

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