Welsh Baby Names: Unusual and Traditional
85Welsh Names
Wales has a rich heritage and culture, quite distinctive from its larger English neighbour. The Welsh language still flourishes, despite centuries of English rule, and the lilting cadences of the spoken word are in themselves lyrical. Welsh names also have a tendency to sound musical and romantic, which makes them the ideal choice for a new baby. Whether you are looking for a beautiful name for a girl or a bold name for a boy, Wales can offer you a fine choice.
Here is a selection of Welsh baby names together with their meanings.
Welsh Names for Babies
Cerys Matthews
Welsh Baby Names for Girls
Aelwen
This is a good choice for a fair haired baby, since it means "fair brow". It is pronounced "EL-wen".
Alis
Alis means "noble".
Bethan
Bethan is a Welsh form of Elizabeth, meaning "God is my oath".
Carys/Cerys
Still a popular name, Carys means "loved one" whilst Cerys means "love". Both names are derived from the Welsh word "caru" which is love.
Cerys Matthews is a Welsh singer/songwriter who first made her name as lead singer with the band Catatonia, and has now started to record in both English and Welsh.
Crystin
This is the Welsh version of Christine, and has the meaning "follower of Christ".
Eirlys
A beautiful name for a winter baby girl. Eirlys means "snowflake" or "snowdrop". Eirylys Bellin is a Welsh actress/comedian who has won critical acclaim.
Ffion
Ffion is a pretty name that means "vine" and is the Welsh version of Fiona.
Lowri
Lowri means "laurel" and is the Welsh form of Laura.
Nia
The Welsh name Nia means beauty and brightness. The name is also found in Swahili where it has the meaning "purpose".
Seren
A name for bright, shiny babies! Seren means "star". Seren has become a popular name once again; in 2009 it was the third most popular girls' name in Wales.
Sian/Siana/Siani
Sian has remained popular over the years, although you don't see the pet forms of Siana and Siani so often. These names are the Welsh equivalents of Jane and mean "God is gracious". The "s" is pronounced as "sh".
Gethin Jones
Find out More About Wales
Wales is a beautiful country, find out more about its history, culture and people in Just Helen's hub Cymru am Byth - Wales Forever
Welsh Baby Names for Boys
Arwel
Arwel means "prominent". A very apt name for leading Welsh rugby international Arwel Thomas.
Bran
According to legend Bran was a giant King of Britain who was killed when he attacked Ireland. The name means "raven".
Caerwyn/Carwyn
This name is derived from the Welsh for love "car" and fair or pure "wyn", so it means fair or pure love. Carwyn Williams is a former professional surfer from Wales who won the European Professional Surfing Tour twice.
Cai/Kai
Cai means "lord", possibly derived from the latin word "caius". Sir Cai, or Kay, features in the Arthurian Legend, being the son of Sir Ector and Arthur's foster-brother.
Celyn
A good name for a Christmas baby boy, Celyn means "holly".
Dylan
In Welsh mythology Dylan was the sea god. The name is composed of two parts: "dy" means great, "llanw" means sea, so it is literally "great sea".
Elis
Thought to be the Welsh form of Elias, so would mean "God is my Lord".
Emlyn
Emlyn means "work". Emlyn Hughes was a very popular English footballer who captained both the England and Liverpool teams in the 1970s.
Geraint
This is another name with links to the Arthurian legends. Sir Geraint was the son of the King of Dumnonia and was the lover of Enid of Cardiff. He fell fighting the Saxons with King Arthur in Somerset. The name means "old".
Gethen/Gethin
The name means "dark, swarthy" and certainly suits the dark, good looks of Welsh TV presenter Gethin Jones.
Hadyn
The Welsh form of Aidan, meaning "little fire".
Harri
It means "home-ruler" and derives from Henry.
Huw
The Welsh form of Hugh, meaning "heart" or "spirit". The presenter of BBC News at Ten, the BBC's flagship news programme, is Welsh journalist Huw Edwards.
Iago
Not just the Spanish form of Jacob, but Welsh too! It means "supplanter".
Ieuan
This name means "God is gracious". Ieuan Evans is a former international Rugby player, the third highest try scorer of all time for Wales.
Lloyd
Used as a forename and a surname, Lloyd means "grey-haired".
Owain/Owein/Owen/Owin/Owyn/Uwain
These different forms of the same name mean "born of yew". Sir Owain was another Arthurian knight.
Rhys
Rhys is a popular name, meaning "heat of passion".
Wyn/Wynn/Wynne
These names mean "fair" or "blessed"
Bryn Terfel
Welsh Names for Girls or Boys
Brin/Bryn/Brynn
This name means "hill" and can be used for girls or boys.
Ceri
For a loving baby this is perfect; it means "to love".
Eilian/Elian/Elyan
The name means "moment in time". St Eilian performed miraculous cures.
Gwyn/Gwynn/Gwynne
Although this is traditionally a masculine name, it is now used for girls too. It means "white, holy, fair".
Morgan
Used as a surname as well as a unisex forename, this name probably means "sea circle".
Want to See More Baby Names? Try these!
- Welsh Baby Names: Unusual and Traditional
If you are looking for a traditional but unusual name for a baby, why not try a Welsh name. Whether you have a boy or a girl, Wales can offer plenty of beautiful names. - 4 months ago
- Unusual Cornish Baby Names
Looking for an unusual name for your baby? Try these Cornish baby names for tradition with a twist. - 5 months ago
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Hi jblais - I have lots of Welsh ancestry too. My mother was born in Cardiff and only a few weeks ago I made contact with some second cousins, which has led me into a whole world of Welsh names! When I was a child I could count in Welsh, but sadly I can't remember it now.
Thanks for your comment, much appreciated :-)
These names sound like Tolkein characters--just beautiful.
Hello kschimmel - yes, you are right, some of them are reminiscent of Tolkein, I think he was influenced by Celtic mythology (amongst other things) which might explain it.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated :-)
Carys means loved one or beloved and Cerys means love, both are derived from the word Caru which is Welsh for love. Both are equally beautiful names from a beautiful part of the world. Thanks for your hub x
Thanks Violet - I will amend that, thanks for commenting :-)
Well its a good job HP wasn't around when I was naming our three- I had enough difficulty sorting their names out with my limited knowledge!
Nice hub , drawing all the names together so well.
Hi Caseworker - yes, sometimes there can be just too much choice! Glad that you enjoyed the hub, thanks for the comments :-)
Oh, too bad I don't have any Welsh ancestors! My name could have been Bethan, so beautiful. Or Eirlys, since I am a winter girl or perhaps Aelwen, another lovely name.
Oh, well. . .at least I enjoyed reading about the exotic and beautiful names you put together.
Thank you for a great hub!
Hi Sannel - I am constantly wishing for another name and thinking "why didn't they choose that one!" I like Eirlys and Aelwen too. The boys ones are great, very different and bold.
As always, I appreciate your comments :-)
I interact with the Welsh in my current position what a lovely people. These names show the beauty of the culture and the land. Voted up, marked useful, beautiful and interesting
Hi pmccray - thank you so much for your kind comments - very much appreciated!
Thank you for this hub, Judi ... I love Wales and these names are just so poetic ... I feel like changing my name!
Hi Angie - I have realised that my interest in names stems from dissatisfaction with my own. I love the lilting sounds of Welsh and Cornish names. Angie was the name of my favourite doll though (still got her!), so I love your name too.
Great to hear from you, Happy New Year!
An unusual though excellent selection for those of us in the U.S. Voting this Up and Interesting.
Hi alocsin - definitely unusual and beautiful names, I hope they become more popular with a wider audience.
Thanks for your comment, much appreciated :-)
Judi, a man from Wales is one of my special friends, so I found this hub of yours very interesting. One of his names is Royston, and I now wonder if it could also be typical Welsh? And then we have Eiddwen, one of my lady friends in here, and I wonder how typical Welsh is her name?
My name, Martie, is typical Afrikaans and South African, but derived from Martha, which has its roots in the Aramaic language.
Voted up and interesting.
Hi Martie - my father has a cousin named Royston, and although one of our grandparents was Welsh, I think that Royston is originally English. Eiddwen is definitely a Welsh name - don't know that it is a common name, but it is most certainly Welsh.
One of my great-grandmothers was a Martha, I wonder if she was ever "Martie" for short!
Thanks for your comments, I appreciate you taking the time :-)
Interesting names and hub!
My name Linda means beautiful in Spanish, I've heard that story enough times throughout my life.
Hello Linda - I didn't know the meaning of your name before, it suits you!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated :-)
You are welcome! I must also add a Happy Birthday to you!!!:)
Linda, diolch yn fawr - which, I hope, is "thank you" in Welsh!
"Linda".......the "stalker", here, butting in (as usual) to say that "linda" means "PRETTY" in Spanish....which is just as nice as beautiful, of course....but, "beautiful," in Spanish is "Hermosa." Aren't you glad your name isn't HERMOSA??? LOL!! My name means "little" in Latin...and obviously it's not in reference to my MOUTH!!!......I love you, "Pretty"
This is an awesome hub, BTW!!
Lovely hub and lovely Welsh names. My name DeAnna is an old English name that means 'leader' and is a variant of Diana meaning 'divine'. 'So I suppose I'm a divine leader!
I love this Hub! I'm a Welsh-Canadian, married to a Welsh man, so I get excited every time someone showcases something special and unique about Wales! Voted up, awesome, beautiful and shared! - Sarah
Hi fpherj48 - I'm not going to argue this one, I have no idea about Spanish names!
Thanks for dropping in and taking the time to commment :-)
Hi editorsupremo aka DeAnna - Diana is also the huntress in mythology, so perhaps you are the divine leader of the hunt!
Thanks for your comments, much appreciated :-)
Hi Sarah - glad I gave you something to get excited about - I am proud of my Welsh heritage too!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it :-)
Very cute hub on Welsh names for babies! Though names are unusual, they look and sound beautiful and that what make them unique! Though I visited London last year and enjoyed it a lot, still I would like to visit Wales in the near future. The two of my favorite celebrities are connected to Wales- Diana, the late Princess of Wales and Catherine Zeta Jones, the native Welsh, now a popular Hollywood star. What is the meaning of your name Judi? Mine means wealth/prosperity in Sanskrit(ancient Indian language).
Thanks For Sharing. Interesting and Vote up.
Hi iswaryaa22 - I hope that you manage to visit Wales, it has some beautiful scenery and fantastic castles.
Good to know the meaning of your name. Mine means "Jewess", so clearly my parents didn't choose it for its meaning, because we are not Jewish! Never really understood why they chose it, but so be it.
Great to hear from you again, thanks for stopping by :-)
Interesting names. My niece's name is Megan which is the Welsh form for Meghan, from the Irish. This is a good hub for prospective parents to check out.
Hi suzettenaples - Megan has become a popular name in the last twenty years here in the UK - I don't remember meeting many Megans before that.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated :-)
Nice ideas for names. I personal like names that are distinct. Thanks for this hub; it will give newly expecting parents some ideas.
Hi ytsenoh - I agree, it must be great to have a distinctive name.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your comments :-)
jblais1122@aol Level 2 Commenter 4 months ago
Very nice, I have a lot of Welsh ancestors, I've always thought the language and names were interesting and exotic.