Gwenllwyfo

  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “white elm.”
  • Gender: Female
  • Pron: (GWEN-SHOY-VO)

The name is composed of the Welsh words, gwyn (white, fair, blessed) and llwyf (elm tree). The name was borne by a 7th-century Welsh saint of whom very little is known. Her feast day is November 30th.

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Gwawr, Gwawrddydd

  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “dawn; daybreak.”
  • Gender: Female
  • Pronunciation: Gwawr, Gwawrdydd

Gwawr is derived from the Welsh word for “dawn,” whereas Gwawrdydd is from the Welsh meaning, “daybreak.”

In Welsh legend and early medieval hagiography, Gwawr is mentioned as one of the daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog, a 5th-century Welsh chieftain and saint reputed to have had many saintly children.

A notable bearer is Welsh concert soprano, Gwawr Edward (b. 1984).

Gwawr continues to experience quiet usage in Wales, whereas Gwawrdydd remains rare, last experiencing rare use in the mid 1800s. Another rarer variation is Gwawrwen (fair dawn; white dawn; holy dawn).

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Afallach, Avalloc

  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “apple.”
  • Gender: Male
  • Pron: AH-va-lok

From the Welsh afal, meaning “apple,” Afallach is the name of a male deity in early Welsh mythology. He is described as a god of the Otherworld and of healing—figures sometimes link him to the Isle of Apples (Ynys Afallach), the mythic realm better known to us as Avalon. Through this association, Afallach is regarded as the mythic progenitor of the name Avalon, the legendary paradise of Arthurian lore.

Avalloc is its Anglicized form. Other Anglicized forms includem Evelake, and Aflach.

It has seldom use, if at all, as a given-name in the modern era, but it’s a bold, evocative choice pulled straight from Welsh mythology. It is ideal for those drawn to ancient, nature-infused names with literary and mystical resonance or those who want a pagan inspired name.

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Swyn

  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “magic, spell, enchantment.”
  • Gender: Feminine
  • Pron: (sʊɨn /swiːn)

From the Welsh vocabulary word, swyn (magic, spell, enchantment). In the 20th-century, it has been adopted by Welsh parents as a female given name, usually 5 girls per year have been given this name in Wales. since 2001.

The perfect name for a Halloween baby.

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Rhain

  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: debated
  • Gender: Male

In Welsh, Rhain is an old personal name with roots in early medieval Wales.

Rhain appears in early Welsh royal genealogies—e.g., Rhain Dremrudd and Rhain ap Cadwgan, princes of Dyfed and Brycheiniog in the 7th–9th centuries. Medieval English chroniclers translated the name as Regin.

It survives mainly in historical records and place-names (such as Llanrhian in Pembrokeshire, which means “church of Rhain”).

The exact origin is not completely certain, but most Celtic scholars connect it to the Old Welsh and Brittonic stem rān / rēn, which meant “spear” or “lance,” or figuratively “arm of strength, leader.” It has also been linked with the Welsh word, rhain (stiff). In modern Welsh, y rhain means “these.”

Today Rhain is rare as a given name, used mostly in Wales by families reviving early medieval names.

Pronunciation in modern Welsh: /r̥aɪn/ — roughly “rhine,” with the initial rh being the voiceless rolled “r” unique to Welsh.

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Rhoswen

  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “white rose.”
  • Gender: Female
  • Pronunciation

The name is composed of the Welsh words, rhos (rose) and gwyn (white; blessed). As a given-name, it first came into use in the mid 19th-century.

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Elliw

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Gender: feminine
  • Meaning: “colour”
  • Pronunciation, sounds kind of like Eshew

The name is derived from the Welsh lliw, meaning “colour.” The name has been in use since Medieval Times.

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Glain

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “jewel; gem; bead.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pron: GLINE

The name comes directly from the Welsh word for a jewel or decorative bead. It is born by Welsh musical artist, Glain Rhys.

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Llian

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “flax; linen.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: (SHEE-on)

The name can either be a contracted form of the female Welsh name Gwenllian (white linen; white flax) or derive from the Welsh word lliain (flax, linen).

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Mirain

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “comely; fair; beautiful.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pron: mee-RINE

The name comes directly from the Welsh word meaning, “comely; fair; beautiful.”

The names has had rare but steady usage in Wales, being given to at least 3 babies per year.

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