Gwendolen

Welsh

"white ring, circle"

Gwendolen Origin and Meaning

The name Gwendolen is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "white ring, circle".

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.

Gwendolen means "white circle," probably alluding to an ancient moon goddess, and appears in both Welsh and English legend, once as a fairy with whom King Arthur fell in love and another was the wife of the wizard Merlin.

Gwendolen is the name of principal characters in George Eliot's novel Daniel Deronda and in the Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Earnest.

An alternate spelling is Gwendolyn, as in Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer prize for poetry. Gwendolyn, always the more popular spelling in the U.S. and the full name of the character Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years is now at Number 514, having reached as high as 112 in the 1950's.

Singer Gwen Stefani was actually christened Gwen.

Gwendolen Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1689 on Nameberry

Gwendolen Popularity

• 1689 Nameberry 2024

20 Names Similar to Gwendolen

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Gwendolen.

• Gwendolyn
• Gwyneth
• Gwen
• Guinevere
• Ceridwen
• Winifred
• Dorothea
• Bronwen
• Gwyn
• Sybil
• Irene
• Jessamine
• Anwen
• Arianwyn
• Enid
• Isolde
• Helene
• Gwendoline
• Rosamund
• Cosette

Famous People Named Gwendolen

• Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" John Welsh artist
• Gwendolen Florence Mary Guinness Countess of Iveagh, British politician
• Gwendolen Margaret Carter Canadian,American political scientist
• Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" Darwin Raverat English wood engraver
• Gwendolen Mary Fitzalan Howard, Duchess of Norfolk
• (Florence) Gwendolen Rees Welsh zoologist and parasitologist
• Gwendolen Josephine Gyngell daughter of TV journalist Leila McKinnon & David Gyngell

Gwendolen in Pop Culture

• Gwendolen Harleth a central character in George Eliot's 'Daniel Deronda'
• Gwendolen Fairfax character from Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
• Gwendolen Chant a central character in Diana Wynne Jones's 'Charmed Life'
• "Gwendolen " novel by Buchi Emecheta