Gwendolyn

Variation of Gwendolen, Welsh
"white ring"

Gwendolyn Origin and Meaning

The name Gwendolyn is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "white ring".

One spelling variation that's more popular than the original, this somewhat old-fashioned name might be in honor of poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American to win a Pulitzer prize for poetry, or may be a way to get to the modern short form Gwen.

In the Oscar Wilde play, the character's name is spelled the traditional Welsh way, Gwendolen, as it was for one of the principal characters in George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, and Gwendolen was also Merlin's wife in Arthurian legend.

# 380 in the US

Gwendolyn Rank in US Top 1000

# 292 on Nameberry

Gwendolyn Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Gwendolyn Popularity

Famous People Named Gwendolyn

  • Gwendolyn "Gwen" Ifill
    American TV journalist
  • Gwendolyn Bennett
    American poet and fiction writer
  • Gwendolyn Bradley
    American operatic soprano
  • Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks
    American poet
  • Gwendolyn Margaret MacEwen
    Canadian poet and novelist
  • Gwendolyn Elaine Armstrong
    American civil rights activist
  • Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia
    Filipina politician
  • Gwendolyn "Gwen" Guthrie
    American singer,songwriter
  • Gwendolyn King
    American businesswoman and Social Security administrator
  • Gwendolyn "Gwen" Watts
    English actress
  • (Gwendolyn) Avril Coleridge
    Taylor, English pianist, conductor, and composer
  • Gwendolyn Lee "Gwen" Byrd
    daughter of singer Tammy Wynette

Gwendolyn in Pop Culture

  • Guendoloena (Gwendolen)
    Merlin's wife in some Arthurian legends (e.g. Vita Merlini)
  • Gwendolyn "Gwen" Tennyson
    character in animated series Ben,10
  • Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy
    character in the Spider,Man series
  • Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper
    a main character on TV's "The Wonder Years"
  • Gwendolyn Post
    character on TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
  • Gwendolyn "Gwen" Thompson
    character in American Girl film "Chrissa Stands Strong"
  • Gwendolyn Shepherd
    character in the German Gem Trilogy
  • Gwendolyn Sommerset
    character in video game "Ravenhearst "
  • Gwendolyn
    character in video game "Odin Sphere"
  • Gwendolyn
    Princess of Treecrest, character in "The Wide,Awake Princess" by E. D. Baker
  • Gwendolyn “Gwen”
    character in the Rooster Teeth animated series "Camp Camp"