Welsh Names

Amaethon is a figure from Welsh mythology, derived from the Welsh word amaeth meaning "ploughman, servant" combined with the divine or augmentative suffix -on, thus meaning "great ploughman" or "great labourer." He is de...

Angharad is a feminine name of Welsh origin, deeply rooted in the mythology and history of Wales. It derives from an Old Welsh name recorded in various forms such as Acgarat and Ancarat. The name literally means "much lo...

Aranrhod is a Welsh variation of Arianrhod, a prominent figure in Welsh mythology. The original name, Arianrhod, is derived from the Welsh elements arian meaning "silver" and rhod meaning "wheel," often interpreted as "s...

Etymology & OriginsArawn (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈarau̯n]) is a name of uncertain etymology, but it carries deep roots in Welsh mythology as the name of the king of the otherworld realm of Annwn. The meaning, while unknow...

Arianrhod is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, best known from the Mabinogi. Her name probably means "silver wheel", derived from arian ("silver") and rhod ("wheel") in Welsh. The a linking segment may be a feminine...

Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The name is used across many European languages, including Danish, Dutch, English,...

Bedivere is the Anglicized form of the Welsh name Bedwyr, a prominent figure in Arthurian legend. The name likely derives from the Welsh elements bedwen "birch" and gwr "man", possibly meaning "birch man" or by extension...

Bedwyr is a Welsh masculine name and the original form of Bedivere, a key figure in Arthurian legend. The name is possibly derived from bedwen "birch" and gwr "man", meaning "birch man". It is closely associated with Bed...

Beli is a masculine Welsh name, probably a derivative of Belenus. In Welsh mythology, Beli Mawr ("Beli the Great") is a prominent ancestor deity who established several royal lines in Wales.Etymology and OriginsThe name...

Bendigeidfran is another name for the Welsh mythological king Brân the Blessed, dating from medieval Welsh tradition. The name is composed of bendigaid “blessed” (from Latin benedictus) combined with the lenited form of...

Blodeuedd is the original name of the Welsh mythological figure Blodeuwedd, meaning "flowers" in Welsh. This name appears in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, a collection of medieval Welsh tales. According to the story...

Blodeuwedd is a name from Welsh mythology, meaning "face of flowers" in Welsh (from blodau "flowers" and gwedd "face"). According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, she was created out of flowers by the magicians Gwyd...

Brân is a masculine name of Welsh origin, meaning "raven" or "crow." In Welsh mythology, Brân the Blessed (also known as Bendigeidfran, 'Blessed Crow') is a giant king of Britain and a central figure in the Second Branch...

Bran 2 is an unaccented variant of Brân, and is also the Middle Welsh form of the name. The name ultimately derives from the Welsh word for "raven." In Welsh mythology, the raven is a powerful symbol, often associated wi...

Branwen is a Welsh feminine name meaning "white raven", derived from the Old Welsh elements bran "raven" and gwen "white, blessed". Rooted in Celtic mythology, the name is most famously borne by Branwen, the daughter of...

Cai 2 is the Welsh form of Kay 2, a name deeply rooted in Arthurian legend. The name Kay itself is derived from the Old Welsh Cai or Cei, which may ultimately trace back to the Roman name Gaius, a common Latin praenomen...

Etymology and OriginCreiddylad is a name of uncertain meaning from Welsh mythology. It derives from Middle Welsh Creidylat, possibly composed of craidd "heart, center" or crau "blood" combined with dylad "flood", suggest...

Etymology and Mythological OriginsCulhwch is a Welsh name from the Arthurian Cycle, meaning "hiding place of the pig" in Welsh. The name is traditionally explained as derived from cul "narrow, a narrow thing" and hwch "s...

Dôn is an ancestor figure in Welsh mythology, traditionally regarded as the mother or father of a prominent group of supernatural beings known as the "Children of Dôn." The name's meaning is uncertain, but it has been li...

Dylan is a given name of Welsh origin, famously borne by poet Dylan Thomas and musician Bob Dylan. Its etymology is rooted in the Welsh prefix dy meaning "to, toward" and llanw meaning "tide, flow," though it is often in...

Eigyr is the original Welsh form of the name Igraine, which appears in the Arthurian cycle. In the Matter of Britain, Eigyr (Middle Welsh Eigyr, modern Welsh Eigr) is the mother of King Arthur by Uther Pendragon and the...

Geraint ( GHERR-eyent) is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a valiant warrior possibly related to the historical Geraint, an early 8th-century king of Dumnonia. It is also the name of a 6th-century Du...

Gofannon is a figure in Middle Welsh literature, renowned as a great metalworker. He is a son of Dôn in Welsh mythology. The name derives from the Welsh word gof meaning "smith". Gofannon is likely a later development of...

Goronwy is a Welsh masculine given name, best known as a variant of the ancient name Gronw. Both names are deeply rooted in Welsh mythology and literature, with Gronw appearing as a tragic figure in the Mabinogion, a col...

Govannon is a variant spelling of Gofannon, a figure from Welsh mythology. The name derives from the Welsh word gof, meaning “smith,” and is rooted in a broader Celtic tradition of smith gods. Gofannon appears in Middle...

Gronw is a masculine given name of Welsh origin, deeply rooted in the mythology of the Mabinogi. Its meaning is uncertain, but some scholars suggest it may derive from the Old Welsh element gur meaning "man".Mythological...

Guendoleu is the Old Welsh form of the name Gwenddoleu. Its meaning is uncertain but the later form Gwenddoleu is thought to derive from gwyn meaning "white, blessed" and dol (plural dolau) meaning "meadow". Guendoleu is...

Gwalchmai is a legendary Welsh name, borne by a hero of early medieval Welsh literature. The name is most likely derived from the Welsh words gwalch "hawk" and mai either meaning "May (month)" or "field, plain." It appea...

Gwalchmei is a variant spelling of Gwalchmai, a traditional Welsh name with deep roots in early Arthurian legend. The base name Gwalchmai is derived from Welsh gwalch "hawk", possibly combined with Mai "May (month)" or m...

Gwawl (also known as Gwawl fab Clud) is a figure in Welsh mythology, featured prominently in the First Branch of the Mabinogi. His name is derived from the Welsh word for "wall," which may metaphorically suggest an obstr...

EtymologyGwenddoleu is a legendary Welsh masculine name derived from the Old Welsh Guendoleu, itself composed of the elements gwyn meaning "white, blessed" and dol (plural dolau) meaning "meadow". The name thus carries t...

Gwenddydd is a feminine name of Welsh origin, combining the elements gwen meaning "white, blessed" and dydd meaning "day", thus signifying "blessed day" or "white day". In medieval Welsh legend, Gwenddydd is a prophetic...

Gwenhwyfar is the original Welsh form of the name Guinevere, borne by the legendary queen of King Arthur in Arthurian romance. The name is derived from the old Celtic roots *windos meaning "white" (modern Welsh gwen) and...

EtymologyGwydion is a Welsh masculine name of ancient origin. Its name is thought to mean "born of trees" from Old Welsh guid "trees" and the suffix gen "born of". This etymology connects the name to the natural world, r...

Etymology and Linguistic OriginGwyn is a Welsh first name meaning "white, blessed". It derives from the Welsh adjective gwyn (feminine gwen), which has the sense of fairness or holiness. The spelling with "y" distinguish...

Gwythyr is a Welsh masculine name derived from the Latin name Victor, meaning "victor" or "conqueror." In Welsh mythology, Gwythyr appears in the early medieval tale Culhwch and Olwen, where he is a rival of Gwyn ap Nudd...

Heilyn is a masculine Welsh name meaning "winebearer, dispenser" (from Welsh gwin "wine" + llaesu "to serve"). In Welsh mythology, as recorded in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Heilyn was one of only seven warriors w...

Etymology and OriginsKay is a masculine given name derived from the Welsh names Cai or Cei. These Welsh forms are thought to trace back to the Roman name Gaius, a common Latin praenomen of uncertain meaning, possibly rel...

Lleu is a Welsh masculine name that is likely a form of the Gaulish mythological name Lugus. It is most famously borne by the hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes ('Lleu of the Skillful Hand'), a central figure in Welsh mythology, part...

Llew is a Welsh masculine name that functions as a variant of Lleu and is also used as a short form of Llewelyn. The name coincides with the Welsh word llew meaning "lion," lending it a regal and powerful connotation. Et...

Lludd is a figure from Welsh mythology, best known as Lludd Llaw Ereint ("Lludd of the Silver Hand"). The name is Nudd altered due to alliterative assimilation with his byname Llaw Ereint ("silver hand"), a process commo...

Llyr is an unaccented variant of the Welsh name Llŷr. Both forms are found in Welsh mythology, where Llŷr is a shadowy figure best known as the father of several important characters: Brân (the Blessed), Branwen, and Man...

Llŷr is a figure from Welsh mythology whose name means "the sea" in Welsh. He is best known as the father of Brân, Branwen, and Manawydan in the medieval Welsh tale the Mabinogi, specifically the Second Branch, Branwen,...

Mabon is a Welsh masculine name derived from the earlier Celtic god Maponos, whose name means “great son,” from the roots *makwos (“son”) and the augmentative suffix -on. Maponos was a youthful deity associated with Apol...

Macsen is a Welsh given name derived from the Latin personal name Maximus. It is best known as the Welsh form of the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus (Macsen Wledig in Welsh), a 4th-century co-ruler of the Western Roman Empi...

Manawydan is a figure from Welsh mythology, known as Manawydan fab Llŷr (son of Llŷr). He is a central character in the Mabinogi, a collection of medieval Welsh tales. His name is a Welsh cognate of Manannán, the Irish s...

Math is a Welsh masculine given name with deep roots in Celtic mythology. Possibly derived from the old Celtic root *matus meaning "bear", the name is best known from the figure of Math ap Mathonwy, a prominent character...

Medraut is the original Welsh form of the name more commonly known in English as Mordred, a central figure in Arthurian legend. The earliest known mention of Medraut appears in the 10th-century Welsh chronicle Annales Ca...

Medrod is the Welsh form of the name Mordred, famously known from the Arthurian cycle of legends. The name derives from the Medraut variant in early Welsh sources, which in turn likely originates from the Latin moderatus...

Modred is a variant spelling of Mordred, a name deeply rooted in Arthurian legend. Derived from Welsh Medraut, possibly from Latin moderatus meaning “controlled, moderated,” the name appears in early Welsh sources—such a...

Modron is a figure in Welsh mythology and folklore, whose name means "mother." She is best known as the mother of Mabon, a prominent hero in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen. Modron's character likely has earlier origins...

EtymologyMordred is a name of Welsh origin, derived from the name Medraut, which itself may come from the Latin moderatus, meaning "controlled" or "moderated." Variations of the name include Medrod and Modred.Historical...

Etymology and OriginsMyrddin is the original Welsh form of the name later Anglicized as Merlin. Its etymology traces back to the Romano-British settlement of Moridunum, derived from Celtic elements *mori meaning "sea" an...

Nudd is a Welsh masculine given name, also used as a surname, that is a cognate of the Irish mythological name Nuada. In Welsh legend, Nudd appears in early poetry and the medieval tale Culhwch and Olwen, where he is rec...

Etymology and MeaningOlwen is a feminine name of Welsh origin, derived from the elements ol meaning "footprint, track" and gwen meaning "white, blessed," thus forming the meaning "white footprint." The name is closely as...

Peredur is a Welsh name of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from peri "spears" and dur "hard, steel", suggesting "hard spears". The name appears in early Welsh poetry and historical traditions, as well as in Arthurian...

Pryderi is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, best known as the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and the king of Dyfed. His name derives from the Welsh word pryder, meaning "care" or "worry," or possibly from a related ter...

Pwyll is a Welsh masculine name meaning "wisdom, reason". In Welsh mythology, Pwyll is a central figure in the Mabinogi, specifically the First Branch known as Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed ("Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed"). He is the l...

Rhiannon is a female name of Welsh origin, derived from the Celtic Rigantona, meaning "great queen." It combines a root meaning "queen" (rīganī) with a divine or augmentative -on suffix. The name is often linked to a spe...

Taliesin (Welsh pronunciation: [talˈjɛsɪn]) is a Welsh masculine name meaning "shining brow", derived from Welsh tal "brow, head" and iesin "shining, radiant". It is most famously borne by a semi-legendary 6th-century We...