Welsh Names for Girls

Olwyn is a popular Welsh name that might be an alternative to the more familiar Bronwen or Rhonwen -- though in Wales the female form is usually spelled -wen and the male one -wyn.

Unusual floral name which would be perfect for a spring baby girl, if you can pronounce the Welsh double L correctly. It's a tricky sound for non-native Welsh speakers, kind of halfway between an H and an L.

This unusual and appealing form of Laura is popular in sections of Wales.

Evanna is the name of a Harry Potter actress who pronounces it ee-vah-na. This might be considered another international feminine form of the many variations of John; Ivana, Giovanna, and even Joan are cousins of Evanna. It could also be a compound name, combining Eva and Anna.

Short, but still kind of a mouthful.

A diminutive of the (male) name Dafydd, the Welsh form of David. In the US, it's strongly associated with the candy.

This 1950s Welsh bird name sounds less dated than our fifties Robin.

Now that the midcentury sound-alike name Gail for girls is sailing out to sea, Gael is becoming an increasingly popular name for boys -- and could make the gender switch in the opposite direction again.

An offbeat way to get to Gwen.

Looks unusual and a little on the brink of weird; sounds like a little lioness named Leo.

Nolwenn is popular in Wales but would be a very adventurous choice in the US. Though with the increased visibility of names like Arwen, thanks to Lord of the Rings, it may not feel as odd going forward as it might have a generation ago. Other, similar ideas: Olwen, Anwen, Bronwen, Rowena.

Ever since singer Michelle Branch gave it to her daughter in 2005, Owen has started to be used for a small number of girls each year as well. Just 39 baby girls received the name in 2021, compared with over 8700 boys.

An unusual floral -wen name which was the name of an 1878 opera by Welsh composer Joseph Parry.

Very popular in Wales, this perfectly nice name's only problem is its similarity to the dated Beth Ann.

There aren't many Glendas under forty.

An Emily or Emma substitute that may be prettier and more classic as Emmeline or Emeline.

Common in Wales, but would really stand out here. One of the middle names of Stella McCartney's daughter Reiley; Dilys Powell was a well-known British film critic, Professor Dilys Derwent a Harry Potter character., a witch who worked as a Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital, and was a celebrated Headmistress of Hogwarts School..

Why bother to invent a new name or spelling when there are intriguing oddities like this in existence. Also in the Welsh encyclopedia of names: Ffion, Ffiona, and Ffraid, the Welsh form of Brigid.

Taliesin is a name an architecture-minded parent could love, because of its close association with Frank Lloyd Wright.