-wen/wyn names

Welsh heritage choice that's rare today even in its native land.

A beautiful modern Cornish nature name that is rapidly picking up steam in the States: even spawning variant spellings like Elowyn and Elowynn. In its native region, it wasn't widely used as a name before the twentieth century, when the Cornish language was revived. A (currently) unique member of the fashionble El- family of names, it has a pleasant, evocative sound.

A charming Welsh name with a great meaning, borne by E. B. White, author of Charlotte's Web.

A literary name created by J. R. R. Tolkien for a Lord of the Rings noblewoman of Rohan. Properly spelled with an accent over the first E – Éowyn – it would make an interesting choice for literature lovers or fans of names like Elowen and Evelyn.

While Gwen may have originated as a short form of Gwendolen and Gwendolyn, these days it frequently stands on its own. Rocker Gwen Stefani has given it a shot of cool, and parents are choosing it as a standalone more and more often—Gwen hopped back onto the US Top 1000 in 2013 after an absence of over 30 years. Gwen could also be short for Guinevere.

A male name in Wales, Gwyn has been mostly feminine in the US thanks to its resemblance to the more familiar Gwen. It derives from the same Celtic root as the popular Finn family of names.

Takes Edwin one step -- make that ten steps -- too far.

Islwyn is the name of a mountain in Wales which has a pleasant fluid sound. Islwyn has recently been made more familiar through Runescape.

A bit of a tongue-twister.

Olwen is a Welsh favorite, the name of a legendary princess in what is believed to have been the earliest Arthurian romance, and in fact one of the first recorded examples of Welsh prose.