Welsh Names
Welsh names have a music all their own. They come from Cymraeg, one of Europe’s oldest living languages, and many reach back to medieval legend: Rhiannon, Taliesin and Olwen all appear in tales written down more than seven centuries ago. Others are simply Welsh words for the land and sky, like Seren (star) and Eira (snow).
This guide gathers more than 90 Welsh names with meanings and a pronunciation hint for each. For deeper lists, go straight to Welsh boy names or Welsh girl names. Wales is one of the six Celtic nations, so you’ll find cousins of many of these in our Celtic names and Irish names collections.
Welsh Names: browse all lists
A quick guide to Welsh pronunciation
Welsh spelling is very regular once you know a few rules: dd sounds like “th” in this, a single f is a “v,” ff is an “f,” w can be a vowel (“oo”), ch is the throaty sound in Scottish loch, and ll is made by placing your tongue for an “l” and blowing air past it (roughly “hl”). Stress almost always falls on the second-to-last syllable. These names show each rule in action.
| Name | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dafydd | DAH-vith | Beloved (Welsh form of David) |
| Llywelyn | hluh-WEL-in | Possibly “leader” or “lion-like” |
| Ffion | FEE-on | Foxglove |
| Gwilym | GWIL-im | Welsh form of William, “resolute protector” |
| Rhodri | HROD-ree | Circle ruler, wheel king |
| Siân | SHAHN | Welsh form of Jane, “God is gracious” |
| Angharad | an-HAR-ad | Much loved |
| Bleddyn | BLETH-in | Wolf cub |
Popular Welsh boy names
Welsh boy names range from ancient princes to breezy modern favorites. Many more are waiting in our full list of Welsh boy names.
| Name | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dylan | DULL-an | Son of the sea (Dylan ail Don of the Mabinogion) |
| Rhys | REES | Ardor, enthusiasm |
| Owain | OH-wine | Well-born, or young warrior |
| Emrys | EM-riss | Immortal (Welsh form of Ambrose) |
| Osian | OSH-an | Little deer (Welsh form of Oisín) |
| Tomos | TOM-oss | Twin (Welsh Thomas) |
| Ioan | YO-an | God is gracious (Welsh John) |
| Cai | KY | Rejoice; Sir Kay of Arthurian legend |
| Idris | ID-riss | Ardent lord; the giant of Cadair Idris |
| Aled | AL-ed | Offspring; also a Welsh river |
| Huw | HEW | Mind, spirit (Welsh Hugh) |
| Gethin | GETH-in | Dark, swarthy |
| Iestyn | YES-tin | Just (Welsh Justin) |
| Macsen | MAK-sen | Welsh form of Maximus (Macsen Wledig) |
Popular Welsh girl names
Welsh girl names are some of the prettiest in Europe, and several (Megan, Gwen, Bethan) are well known in the US. Browse the complete list of Welsh girl names for more.
| Name | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Seren | SERR-en | Star |
| Cerys | KERR-iss | Love |
| Carys | KARR-iss | Love (a variant of Cerys) |
| Megan | MEG-an | Pearl (Welsh pet form of Margaret) |
| Gwen | GWEN | White, fair, blessed |
| Nia | NEE-a | Bright (Welsh form of Irish Niamh) |
| Mali | MAL-ee | Welsh form of Molly or Mary |
| Alys | AL-iss | Welsh form of Alice, “noble” |
| Elin | EL-in | Welsh form of Helen, “light” |
| Lowri | LOW-ree | Welsh form of Laura, “laurel” |
| Bethan | BETH-an | Welsh pet form of Elizabeth |
| Catrin | KAT-rin | Welsh form of Katherine |
| Mererid | mer-ERR-id | Pearl (Welsh Margaret) |
| Efa | EV-a | Life (Welsh Eve) |
Names from the Mabinogion and Welsh legend
The Mabinogion, eleven medieval Welsh tales, is a treasure chest of names for anyone who loves myth. Several also turn up in Arthurian romance and in our fairy names and druid names.
| Name | Say it | Who they are |
|---|---|---|
| Rhiannon | hree-AN-on | Otherworldly queen who rides a white horse; “great queen” |
| Branwen | BRAN-wen | Tragic heroine; “white raven” or “blessed raven” |
| Blodeuwedd | blod-EYE-weth | Woman made of flowers; “flower face” |
| Arianrhod | ar-ee-AN-hrod | Enchantress; “silver wheel” |
| Olwen | OL-wen | Maiden whose footsteps grew white clover; “white footprint” |
| Pwyll | POO-ihl | Prince of Dyfed; “wisdom, prudence” |
| Pryderi | pruh-DAIR-ee | Son of Rhiannon; “care, anxiety” |
| Lleu | HLAY | Hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes; “light, bright” |
| Gwydion | GWID-yon | Magician and storyteller |
| Math | MATH | Wizard-king of Gwynedd; possibly “bear” |
| Manawydan | man-a-WUD-an | Wise son of the sea god Llŷr |
| Culhwch | KIL-hookh | Hero who wins Olwen; “pig run” (from his birth story) |
| Taliesin | tal-YES-in | Legendary bard; “shining brow” |
| Ceridwen | ker-ID-wen | Enchantress of the cauldron of wisdom |
| Enid | EE-nid | Wife of Geraint; possibly “soul, life” |
| Geraint | GER-aint | Knight of Arthur’s court; from Latin Gerontius, “old man” |
| Myrddin | MUR-thin | The original Merlin |
| Gwenhwyfar | gwen-HOO-ee-var | Welsh Guinevere; “white phantom” or “fair one” |
Welsh nature names
Many modern Welsh names are simply beautiful everyday words. They’re a natural fit with our lists of nature names and names that mean snow.
| Name | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Eira | AY-ra | Snow |
| Afon | AV-on | River |
| Bryn | BRIN | Hill |
| Celyn | KEL-in | Holly |
| Derwen | DER-wen | Oak tree |
| Heulwen | HAYL-wen | Sunshine |
| Glyn | GLIN | Valley |
| Awel | OW-el | Breeze |
| Haf | HAHV | Summer |
| Wyn | WIN | White, fair, blessed |
| Môr | MORE | Sea |
| Enfys | EN-viss | Rainbow |
Welsh saint names
The “age of the saints” (roughly 400–700 AD) gave Wales hundreds of local saints whose names live on in villages beginning with Llan- (church). More holy names are in our saint names list.
| Name | Say it | Who they were |
|---|---|---|
| Dewi | DEH-wee | Saint David, patron saint of Wales (feast March 1) |
| Dwynwen | DWIN-wen | Patron saint of lovers (feast January 25) |
| Non | NON | Mother of Saint David |
| Teilo | TAY-lo | Founder of Llandeilo |
| Gwenfrewi | gwen-VREH-wee | Saint Winifred of Holywell |
| Cadoc | KAD-ok | Founder of Llancarfan monastery; “battle” |
| Illtud | ISHL-tid | Teacher of saints at Llantwit Major |
| Beuno | BAY-no | Saint of north Wales |
| Deiniol | DINE-yol | First bishop of Bangor |
| Tysilio | tuh-SIL-yo | Prince-saint of Powys |
Common Welsh last names
Most Welsh surnames come from the old ap (“son of”) system: ap Rhys became Price and ap Hywel became Powell. That’s why a handful of names like Jones and Williams are extremely common in Wales. Compare with Scottish last names.
| Surname | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Jones | Son of John | Patronymic; the most common Welsh surname |
| Williams | Son of William | Patronymic |
| Davies | Son of David | Patronymic |
| Evans | Son of Evan (Ifan, John) | Patronymic |
| Thomas | Twin | From the first name |
| Roberts | Son of Robert | Patronymic |
| Hughes | Son of Hugh | Patronymic |
| Lewis | Anglicized Llywelyn | Patronymic |
| Griffiths | Son of Gruffudd (“strong lord”) | Patronymic |
| Price | From ap Rhys | Welsh ap- surname |
| Powell | From ap Hywel | Welsh ap- surname |
| Pritchard | From ap Richard | Welsh ap- surname |
| Bowen | From ab Owain | Welsh ab- surname |
| Parry | From ap Harry | Welsh ap- surname |
| Pugh | From ap Hugh | Welsh ap- surname |
| Lloyd | Grey (llwyd) | Descriptive nickname |
| Vaughan | Small, younger (fychan) | Descriptive nickname |
| Morgan | Sea-born, or bright sea (disputed) | From the first name |
Tips for choosing a Welsh name
- Say it out loud with the Welsh sounds in mind. Ffion is “FEE-on” and Dafydd is “DAH-vith,” and people outside Wales will need a quick lesson.
- If you live outside Wales, names like Seren, Rhys, Cerys and Dylan travel easily without spelling headaches.
- Legend names come with stories: Blodeuwedd was turned into an owl, and Branwen’s tale is tragic. Read the myth before you choose.
- A Welsh middle name is a gentle way to honor heritage, for example Olivia Seren or James Emrys.
- Consider the English form too. Siân, Ioan and Dafydd are the Welsh versions of Jane, John and David, so you can pick whichever suits your family.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Welsh name?
In recent years Welsh-language favorites for girls have included Seren, Cerys and Mali, and for boys Osian, Tomos and Rhys. Dylan and Megan are the Welsh names best known worldwide.
How do you pronounce Welsh names?
Welsh is phonetic: dd = “th” as in this, f = “v,” ff = “f,” w often = “oo,” ch = the “kh” in loch, and ll = a breathy “hl.” Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable.
What is the Welsh name for David?
Dafydd (DAH-vith), with the pet form Dai. Dewi is the older form used for Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.
Why are so many Welsh people called Jones?
Wales adopted fixed surnames late, often just by turning a father’s first name into a surname. With John being so common, Jones (son of John) became the most widespread Welsh surname.
What Welsh name means star?
Seren means “star” in Welsh and has become one of the most popular girls’ names in Wales.