Where does the name Gwendolyn come from?

Gwendolyn is a girl name of Welsh origin.

Is Gwendolyn a boy or a girl name?

Gwendolyn is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 122,733 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Gwendolyn in 2023?

Gwendolyn ranks #379 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1953 with 3,519 babies.

How do you pronounce Gwendolyn?

Gwendolyn is pronounced GWEN-do-lin (3 syllables).

What are common spellings of Gwendolyn?

Gwendolyn is also written as Gwendolen, Gwenllian, Gwen.

A name from Welsh · Girl

Gwendolyn

From Old Welsh — gwen ('white, fair, blessed') + a second element possibly meaning 'ring' or 'bow'; often glossed 'white ring' or 'blessed circle'. In Arthurian legend, Gwendolen was Merlin's wife.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

122,733 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

814 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

GFrom Old Welsh — gwen ('white, fair, blessed') + a second element possibly meaning 'ring' or 'bow'; often glossed 'white ring' or 'blessed circle'. In Arthurian legend, Gwendolen was Merlin's wife.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Gwendolyn".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Gwendolen Most common Gwenllian Gwen

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Gwendolyn.

G
Gwendolyn Brooks (Pulitzer-winning poet)
G
Gwendolyn (Marvel character)
G
Gwen Stefani (singer; variant Gwen)

Quick answers

People often ask about Gwendolyn.

What does the name Gwendolyn mean?: Gwendolyn means from Old Welsh — gwen ('white, fair, blessed') + a second element possibly meaning 'ring' or 'bow'; often glossed 'white ring' or 'blessed circle'. In Arthurian legend, Gwendolen was Merlin's wife.
Where does the name Gwendolyn come from?: Gwendolyn is a girl name of Welsh origin.
Is Gwendolyn a boy or a girl name?: Gwendolyn is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 122,733 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Gwendolyn in 2023?: Gwendolyn ranks #379 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1953 with 3,519 babies.
How do you pronounce Gwendolyn?: Gwendolyn is pronounced GWEN-do-lin (3 syllables).
What are common spellings of Gwendolyn?: Gwendolyn is also written as Gwendolen, Gwenllian, Gwen.

Similar names

If you love Gwendolyn, also consider…

Megan

#694

Girl ·Welsh

Welsh diminutive of Margaret, from Greek margaritēs meaning 'pearl'

Dylan

#34

Boy ·Welsh

Son of the sea; great wave

Morgan

#550

Unisex ·Welsh

From Old Welsh Morcant — likely mor ('sea') + a second element meaning 'circle' or 'bright'; often glossed 'sea-born' or 'sea-circle'

Marvin

#637

Boy ·Welsh

From the Old Welsh name Merfyn — possibly mer ('marrow' or 'eminence') + myn ('hill') or ('great')

Lynn

#6385

Unisex ·Welsh

From Welsh llyn meaning 'lake' or 'pool' — originally a surname tied to several places in Wales and England

Owen

#20

Boy ·Welsh

Young warrior; noble-born

Rhonda

#6356

Girl ·Welsh

A 20th-century American name, likely from the Welsh Rhondda Valley (from Welsh rhoddni 'noisy' — the name of a river) or as an elaboration of Rhoda

Lloyd

#1795

Boy ·Welsh

From the Welsh adjective llwyd meaning 'grey' — originally a surname for someone with grey hair

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.