Welsh Girls

My favorite names with a welsh origin
  1. Anwen
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "very fair, beautiful"
    • Description:

      Anwen is one of the simplest and best of the classic Welsh girls' names, more unusual than Bronwen but with the same serene feel.
  2. Arwen
    • Origin:

      Literature, Sindarin, Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "noble maiden; fair, blessed"
    • Description:

      Best known as the princess of the Elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Arwen is a fantasy-inspired choice that feels perfectly down to earth. In 2022, it entered the UK Top 400, making it one of the fastest rising names, more than doubling in use from the previous year.
  3. Bronwen
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "white breast"
    • Description:

      Bronwen is widespread in Wales, but still rare enough here to sound somewhat international — we think Bronwen is a real winner. (Note: the Bronwyn spelling is an Anglicization, since the -wyn ending is masculine in Welsh).
  4. Brynn
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Bryn, Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "hill"
    • Description:

      Brynn outshines the original Welsh Bryn in the popularity stakes. This simple, brisk name might be seen as a combination of Bree and Lynn, an androgynous-sounding choice that especially in this spelling is not truly unisex: Brynn, for boys, is not even in the Top 1000.
  5. Cerys
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "love"
    • Description:

      Common name in Wales that's all but unknown in the U.S. Certainly an attractive choice ripe for export. In the UK it sits at Number 330.
  6. Eira
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "snow"
    • Description:

      This Welsh nature name that can be pronounced exactly like the male Ira. Or, to avoid confusion, you could just name her Snow.
  7. Ellis
    • Origin:

      English surname derived from Elijah or Elias or Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "benevolent"
    • Description:

      Ellis, a surname used sparingly as a first in the Wallace/Morris period, sounds new now for girls, as a gender-neutral alternative to Ella or Alice. It debuted in the US Top 1000 for girls in 2015.-- Ellis has always been in the Top 1000 for boys -- and seems to be headed straight up. One of the most popular gender-neutral names, currently there are two baby boys named Ellis for every girl.
  8. Emlyn
    • Origin:

      Welsh from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "rival"
    • Description:

      An Emily or Emma substitute that may be prettier and more classic as Emmeline or Emeline.
  9. Evanna
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Evan, Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      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.
  10. Glenda
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "fair and good"
    • Description:

      There aren't many Glendas under forty.
  11. Guinevere
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "white shadow, white wave"
    • Description:

      Guinevere was the name of the beautiful but ill-fated queen of Camelot, for so many years eclipsed by its modern Cornish form Jennifer. Today, Guinevere could be a cool possibility for adventurous parents intrigued by this richly evocative and romantic choice.
  12. Gwendolen
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "white ring, circle"
    • Description:

      Gwendolen, an ancient Welsh favorite, retired decades ago in favor of the short form Gwen, but now, as in the case all across the naming board, the nickname has faded and the more distinguished original is up for reappraisal.
  13. Isolde
    • Origin:

      Welsh, German
    • Meaning:

      "ice ruler"
    • Description:

      Now that Tristan has been rediscovered, maybe it's time for his fabled lover in the Arthurian romances and Wagnerian opera, a beautiful Irish princess, to be brought back into the light as well.
  14. Lynette
    • Origin:

      French elaboration of Lynn or Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "idol"
    • Description:

      Linda begat Lynn which gave way to Lynette, which peaked in the late 1960s. Lynette has been off the Top 1000 for a couple decades now, and the Lynn variations finding the most favor are those that put the "lyn" part at the end: Evelyn, Madelyn, Brooklyn.
  15. Megan
    • Origin:

      Welsh diminutive of Margaret
    • Meaning:

      "pearl"
    • Description:

      Megan originally evolved from Meg, which itself derived as a nickname for Margaret. Margaret ultimately comes from the Greek word margarites, meaning "pearl." Megan is no longer a common nickname for Margaret—it is most often used as a full name. Other spellings include Meghan, Meagan, Megyn, and Meaghan.
  16. Morgan
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "sea-born, sea-song or sea-circle"
    • Description:

      Morgan has long been a traditional Welsh male name, a variant of the Old Welsh name Morcant, from the Welsh elements mor, meaning "sea" and cant, "circle." The female Morgan is unrelated to the male version—it is a name from Arthurian legend created for Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister and famed sorceress. Her name comes from Morgen, an Old Welsh name meaning "sea-born," and is related to the Irish name Muirgen.
  17. Morwenna
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "maiden"
    • Description:

      Morwenna is an ancient Cornish name now being revived in Wales, deriving from a Celtic word meaning "maiden", although the Mor- syllable means that it's often associated with the sea. It's been heard in the British series Doc Martin and Poldark. Morwenna Banks is a British actress.
  18. Rhonwen
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "slender, fair"
    • Description:

      The delicate and haunting Welsh Rhonwen is still a rarity in the U.S., where her English version Rowena is better known, but would be a lovely choice for any parent in search of a name that was both unusual and traditional, classically feminine yet strong.
  19. Rowena
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "white spear or famous friend"
    • Description:

      A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of one of the Hogwarts houses.. Rowena has some old-fashioned charm, though most modern parents seem to prefer Rowen. Pronunciation, however, is NOT like Rowen with an a at the end, but with a long e and an emphasis on the middle syllable. She was on the popularity list until 1963, several years in the Top 500.
  20. Tarian
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "shield"
    • Description:

      A distinctive name, originally male, that could be an updated tribute to Grandma Marian.