Cornish Baby Names

Variant of Rewan

Ebrel is the Cornish word for the month of April, recently adopted as a baby name. Ebrel is a charming and accessible update to the now-dated month name.

Bronnen is an attractive name but is similar to so many others -- Brennan, Brannon, Bronwen -- it's sure to provoke a lot of "What was that again?"

St. Keverne is a town on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula and also the name of an ancient saint. While the name is virtually unused for children in the modern world, it could be a Kevin update and has contemporary possibilities.

Similar to the Welsh form Dafydd, Daveth is a softer alternative for the perennial boys' name David. The long "Ah" sound also minimises the chance of the name being shortened to Dave, for those eager to avoid the ubiquitous nickname.

St. Neot was a Saxon saint in the Middle Ages, whose name is used for a town in Cornwall, England. Some sources say the little-known name is Hebrew and means "pleasant pasture," but there is really no evidence for that.

Cornish variation on Meriadoc and Meriadeg.

With other Cornish names like Elowen and Jago catching people's attention, the mythical sounding Mithian might prove an unexpected and magical feeling choice. Traditionally called Mydhyan, Mithian is a village in Cornwall that sits between St Agnes and Perranporth.

So many people love Jack but worry about its popularity. If you count yourself amongst these people, this rare but intuitive Cornish version of the name might be a choice worth consideration.

Lerryn is a Cornish place name for both the River Lerryn and the village that borders it. The name belonged first to the river, which was named in the 13th century. Lerryn literally translates to "flood."

This is a name from ancient Britain: St Adwen was one of many fifth-century Welsh saints of whom little more is known than their name. It survives in St Adwen's Church (also known as Adwena or Adwenna) in the village of Advent in Cornwall. The origin looks like gwen ("fair, blessed") plus possibly a prefix meaning "again". Alternatively, it could be related to the Welsh word addwyn, meaning "fine". Although rare, Adwen has a pleasing simplicity, and the stylish Ad- sound gives it potential as an alternative to names like Ada and Adelyn.

Penzance is a port town at the very tip of Cornwall. With its associations with operetta and pirates, Penzance packs quite a bit of zip for a name.

This Celtic saint's name is the most offbeat Jen name of all.

Just one letter off from Corentin, but an entirely different name — the Cornish variation stresses the middle syllable, while the French stresses the last. And in America, where both versions are unknown, people are likely going to guess that the emphasis belongs on the first syllable.

A Welsh saint who is the namesake of the village of St Breock in Cornwall, and is also venerated in Brittany. The name is a diminutive of Briafael ("mighty prince"). Variants include: Breock, Bryok, Brioc, Briec, Brieuc, Briog.

In Cornish legend, Beryan was a princess who could heal the sick. There is also a Cornish village on the coast called Veryan.

An unusal alternative to June or Junia.

An English surname and occasional first name deriving from the same root as Baldwin, "bold or brave friend".

Where does Gwen end and Jennifer begin? Gwenifer may feel like a mashup of the two names but it is a genuine Cornish name for girls that makes clear the relationship between Gwen and Jennifer, themselves both variations on Guinevere.