These
names are used by Celtic peoples.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
AANOR f BretonVariant of
AZENOR. Folk etymology likes to associate this name with
ELÉONORE due to confusing the variant
Aenor with the possibly Germanic name
AENOR borne by the mother of Eleanor of Aquitaine (see
ELEANOR for further information).
ABERFA f WelshMeans "from the mouth of the river" in Welsh.
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... [
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AEDD m Welsh, IrishFrom the Irish
aedh "fire". This name was borne by a king of Ireland.
AEDÍN f Irish (Modern, Rare)An Irish name meaning "little flame". It is derived from the name of the Celtic sun god "AED", with "ÍN" the diminutive for "little". It is a feminine version Aidan.... [
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AELHAEARN m WelshDerived from Welsh
ael meaning "(eye)brow" and
haearn "iron". This was the name of a 7th-century saint.
AELOD m Medieval English, WelshFrom
Aelauð, which was a combination of Anglo-Saxon elements
ael meaning "hall, temple" and
Auð meaning "wealth, fortune."
AELWEN f WelshDerived from Welsh
ael "brow" and
gwen "white; fair; blessed". This name has been used from the early 20th century onwards.
AERES f Welsh (Modern, Rare)Allegedly directly taken from Welsh
aeres "heiress". Seems restricted to the Carmarthen district, in South Wales.
AFAN m Welsh, Medieval WelshThe name of a river in South Wales, usually Anglicized as
AVON or Avan, presumably derived from Celtic *
abon- "river" (making it a cognate of
AFON)... [
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AILERAN m IrishBorne by Ailerán the Wise, Irish scholar and saint.
ÁILGHEANÁN m IrishA pet form of a personal name composed of old Celtic elements meaning "mild, noble person"
AINELAG f Manx (Modern, Rare)Modern coinage derived from Manx
ainle "angel" and the diminutive suffix
-ag, this name is intended as a Manx equivalent to
ANGELA.
AINMIRE m IrishMeans "great lord". A king of Tara bore this name.
AITHBHREAC f Scottish Gaelic, Medieval ScottishOlder form of
OIGHRIG. Aithbhreac was the given name of the author of the earliest extant poetry in Scottish Gaelic by a poetess. Aithbhreac Inghean Coirceadal (1430-80) wrote a famous poem to eulogise her late husband.
ALACOQUE f Irish (Rare)From the French surname. Its popularity as a name, especially among Catholics, is likely due to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, V.H.M., a French Roman Catholic nun and mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.
ALAW f WelshDirectly taken from Welsh
alaw "melody, tune; lily".
ALAWN m WelshDerived from Welsh
alaw meaning "melody, harmony" (see
ALAW). This was the name of an early bard, said to be one of the three founders of druidism.
ALLOW m Manx (Archaic)Manx name of uncertain origin, used until the 17th century. Kneen (1937) suggests Old Norse
alfr "elf"; Gill (1963) points to the Manx surname
Callow, which derives from
MacCalo, an Anglicized form of either of the Gaelic surnames
Mac Calbach "son of Calbhach" (the Gaelic name
Calbhach meaning "bold") or
Mac Caolaidhe "son of Caoladhe" (the Gaelic name
Caoladhe being a derivative of
caol "slender, comely").
ALLY f ManxDerived from Manx
aaley "fairer" and
aalin "fair, handsome, beautiful, splendid". It is also considered a cognate of
AILIE.
ALMEDA f Spanish, English, Breton (Archaic)As a Spanish given name, Almeda is a transfer of the Spanish surname which is derived from
Almeida, a habitational name from Arabic
al-medina "the city". Its use has been influenced by
Alameda, a topographic name from Spanish
alameda "poplar grove", and ultimately by the Spanish word
álamo "poplar".... [
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ALURED m Manx, EnglishThis is a Manx name, said to be a cognate of
ALFRED via its latinized form
Aluredus, a variant of
Alvredus.... [
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ALWEN f WelshAdoption of the name of a Welsh river in Clwyd. The origin and meaning of this river's name are uncertain; current theories, however, include a derivation from Proto-Celtic
*al(aun)o- "nourishing".
ALWENA f BretonOf uncertain origin and meaning. Current theories include an adoption of the Welsh name (which is unlikely as the Breton name seems to be older than the Welsh name in question), a younger form of Breton
Alc'houen and a variant of Anglo-Norman
ALFWENA.
AMARGEIN m Irish (Archaic)Meaning "born of poetry" relating to the modern Irish word
amhrán meaning song. Was the name of ancient poet, Amargein Glúingel, who wrote the Song of Amargein and the foster of father of the hero Cú Chulainn, Amargein mac Eccit.
AMLODD m Welsh (Rare), Welsh MythologyVariant of
AMLAWDD, derived from the Welsh intensifying prefix
an-/
am- and
llawdd "praise". In Welsh myth he is the father of Eigyr (Igraine) and therefore the grandfather of King Arthur... [
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AMRANWEN f Welsh (Modern, Rare)Derived from Welsh
amrant "eyelid" and
gwen "white, fair, blessed". It is also the Welsh name for the medicinal herb known as German chamomile in English.
ANEIRA f WelshFeminine form of
ANEIRIN, also considered a combination of Welsh
an, an intensifying prefix, and
eira "snow" (see
Eira), with the intended meaning of "much snow" or "very snowy"... [
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ANLUAN m IrishFrom the intensive prefix
an and
luan "warrior"
ANNETH f Cornish (?)From the Cornish word
annedh "home". A fictional bearer is Anneth Sizemore in Silas House's 2001 novel 'Clay's Quilt'.
AODREN m BretonDerived from Old Breton
alt "high; elevated" and either Old Breton
roen "royal" or Old Breton
roen / roin "lineage of a king". In recent times, folk etymology likes to associate this name with Modern Breton
aod "coast, shore, waterside".
AOIBH f Irish (Rare)Aoibh - an old Irish girls name of Celtic origin meaning “Beautiful” “radiant” “Pleasant”
AOILEANN f IrishFrom Irish
faoileann meaning "fair maiden" or "seagull".
AOINE f Irish (Modern)From Irish
aoine meaning "Friday", derived from Latin
ieiunum. Aoine has only been used as a given name in Ireland in recent times.
AOLÚ m Irish (Rare)A combination honoring Irish deities Aodh and Lugh. Aodh is often referred to as a "god of the underworld," although this is likely influenced by Christian interpretation. He and his siblings were turned into swans by their stepmother, Aoife... [
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AOUREGAN f BretonBreton name, in which the first element is
aour meaning "gold" (ultimately from Latin
aurum). The second element may be Breton
gen "cheek, face" or
gwenn "shining, holy"... [
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AOURELL f BretonDerived from Breton
aour "gold", this name is generally considered the Breton form of
AURELIA.
AOURGEN f Breton (Rare)Derived from Breton
aour "gold" and Old Breton
ken "fair; beautiful; splendid" (
kaer and
koant in Modern Breton), this name is the Breton cognate of Welsh
EURGAIN.
ARFON m WelshFrom an ancient name for the region of North West Gwynedd, derived from Welsh
ar "opposite" and
Môn "Anglesey". This has been used as a given name since the late 19th century.
ARGANTAEL f Medieval Breton, Breton (Rare)Derived from Old Breton
argant "silver" (
arc'hant in Modern Breton), and by extension "bright; shining; resplendent", and Old Breton
hael "generous; prince". Argantael was the wife of
NEVENOE, the first Duke of Brittany.
ARIANA f WelshElaboration of the word
Arian meaning Silver
ARIANELL f WelshDerived from Welsh
arian "silver" and Middle Welsh
gell "yellow" (which apparently also carried the connotations of "shining", ultimately going back to Proto-Celtic
*gelwo- "yellow; white", compare Old Irish
gel(o) white; fair; shining").... [
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ARIANWEN f Medieval Welsh, WelshDerived from Welsh
arian "silver" and
gwen "white; fair; blessed". According to legend, Arianwen verch Brychan was the daughter of
BRYCHAN Brycheiniog and later went on to become a saint herself.
ARTAGAN m Scottish GaelicA diminutive of the Gaelic name
ARTAIR, which is thought to mean "bear" or "stone". Also refers to the ancient Celtic word "art" which has three meanings: "a stone", "God" and "noble".
ARTHEK m CornishDerived from Cornish
arth "bear" (ultimately from Proto-Celtic
*arto- "bear").
ARWEN f WelshFeminine form of
ARWYN. Its adoption in the late 19th century may have been influenced by the ancient Welsh name
ARIANWEN.
ATTRACTA f Irish, Medieval Irish (Latinized)Latinized form of the Gaelic name
Athracht, which is of uncertain meaning. The Latinization was perhaps influenced by
attractus "attracted". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish saint who was known as a healer and miracle worker.
AUSTOL m CornishMeaning unknown. It is the name of a 6th century Cornish Saint.
AVEL m BretonBreton form of
ABEL. In recent times, folk etymology likes to connect this name to Breton
avel "wind".
AVERICK f ManxManx form of
AIFRIC, from Gaelic
aith-bhric or
ath-breac meaning "somewhat dappled, speckled". According to 'An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language' (1896) by Alexander MacBain, the old Gaelic feminine name
Affric belonged to a water nymph in local folklore who gave her name to the river Affric (which itself gave its name to the Scottish glen and loch Affric).
AWEL f WelshDirectly taken from Welsh
awel "breeze; wind".
AWEN f Breton, WelshDirectly taken from Welsh and Breton
awen "muse; (poetic) inspiration; poetic gift", ulitmately from the Indo-European root
*-uel "to blow (wind)". As a given name it has been used since the 19th century.
BADB f Irish Mythology, IrishMeans "crow, demon" in early Irish (and may have originally denoted "battle" or "strife"). In Irish myth the Badb was a war goddess who took the form of a crow. She and her sisters, the
Morrígan and
MACHA, were a trinity of war goddesses known collectively as the
Morrígna.
BAHEE f ManxOf very uncertain origin and meaning. Folk etymology, however, seems to connect this name to both
MARGARET and
BIDDY.
BÁINE f & m Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Irish MythologyAn Irish name meaning "whiteness, pallor". In Irish Mythology, Báine was a princess, daughter of Tuathal Techtmar, ancestor of the kings of Ireland. "Cailín na Gruaige Báine" and "Bruach na Carraige Báine" are the names of two traditional Irish songs.... [
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BAOIGHEALL m IrishThe meaning of this name is uncertain, but it is thought to be connected to Irish
geall meaning "pledge"
BAOTH m IrishPerhaps related to
BEATHAN. It coincides with a Gaelic word meaning "vain, reckless, wanton, foolish". Other forms are
Baothan,
Baoithin/
Beheen and
Baolach... [
more]
BAOTHGHALACH m IrishMeans "foolishly valorous", from the roots
baoth "foolish, vain" and
galach "valorous".
BEHAN m Irishname and surname of irish origin that derives from "bee" but means "child".
BERCHAN m Irish, FilipinoA well-known saint of the early Irish church was named Berchan the Prophet of Clonsast in King's Co., but often called Brachan by Metathesis. Often used as a surname.
BLAA f ManxDerived from Manx
blaa "bloom, flower" (but also "pride, heyday"), this name has been occasionally used as an equivalent of
FLORA.
BLEIDDUDD m WelshDerived from the Proto-Brythonic
*blėð meaning “wolf” and
*jʉð meaning “lord”.
BLEIZ m BretonDerived from Breton
bleiz "wolf; gray" and thus nowadays commonly considered the Breton equivalent of French
LOUP, this name was in former times also used as a phonetic approximation to
Blois and given in honor of the Blessed Charles of Blois, Duke of Brittany.... [
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