Welsh Names for Boys

The simple and attractive Bryn is well used for boys in Wales, and does have a history as a male name in the US, although both Bryn and Brynn are currently far more popular for girls.

This name of the courteous Knight of the Round Table, the nephew of King Arthur, has long been superseded by its Scottish form, Gavin.

This Welsh name, also used in France, is the name of a 6th century saint who went to Brittany and established abbeys. Armel has a pleasant and familiar sound, making it easily used outside of Wales and France.

This Welsh name presents some pronunciation/spelling challenges but has a lovely sound and meaning. The name has been used in the South Korean multiplayer game Mabinogi for one of the human healer characters.

A pleasingly simple alternate spelling of Aidan - but likely to get confused with Eden. In Hebrew, it means "era", and it's a Top 100 name in Israel.

Rhodri, the name of an important ninth century Welsh king known as Rhodri the Great, a renowned warrior who was the ancestor of many of the later dynasties of Wales, was revived in modern Wales. Has a nice Rory-like feel.

Gentle and poetic and most often heard in Wales, Emlyn joins Emrys as soft, interesting alternatives to popular Em- names like Emmett and Emery.

Also spelled Macsen, this ancient name manages to sound modern and cool. An heroic namesake was Maxen Wledig, a fourth century Spanish-born general who led the Roman army out of Britain, and as Emperor was the most powerful occupant of the throne of the Caesars who had ever ruled Europe from the City of the Seven Hills.

Short, simple, gentle, undeniably Welsh but easy to spell and pronounce – there's a lot to like about this underused gem. In the States it's been almost exclusively female, perhaps due to the greater familiarity of Gwen, but it definitely feels like a candidate to reclaim for the boys.

Iago, the villain of Shakespeare's Othello, was so treacherously evil that his name has hardly ever been heard offstage. Try the much-more-benign Inigo.

Rarely heard in the US, Aneurin is best remembered in the UK as the Welsh politician, Aneurin "Nye" Bevan, who was instrumental in setting up the National Health Service when he was Minister for Health.

An ancient Celtic name worn by one of the Knights of the Round Table, as well as a semi-legendary Welsh King.

Yet another offshoot of the original John, also sometimes used as Jevan or Yevan.

Emyr is a name that is well-known in Wales, but little heard outside of it. There are several well-known Emyrs, from the famed Welsh novelist and poet Emyr Humphries to footballer Emyr Huws.

Aneirin is the original form of the more common Aneurin (which was a mistaken spelling used after the 17th Century). Aneirin was one of the first great Welsh poets who flourished in the 6th Century. He was said to be the Prince of Bards.

The Welsh form of Tristan, and the name of a counselor to King Arthur.

Also spelled Madog, which was the name of an early Welshman, Madog ap Owain Gwynedd, reputed to have been the first European to discover North America in 1155. Maddox, the name of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's oldest child, is a stronger and more familiar choice.

This can make an unusual yet simple middle name choice, especially for anyone with family ties to Wales.

A cross-cultural name that can be a nickname for David and can be pronounced Day (preferable to die), but is also the name of a vicious Asian villain.