Welsh is one of the oldest living languages in Europe, spoken continuously for over 1,500 years in Wales. Its names carry an unmistakable sound — fluid dd and ff and ll consonants, poetic imagery from the Mabinogion and Arthurian legend, a sense of ancient coastline and mountain. Many Welsh names have crossed into English usage so thoroughly that most parents don't realise they're reaching back to Celtic Wales.
Welsh names in the US today
Dylan — #25 boys in 2024
The most successful Welsh export of the twentieth century. From the Welsh Dylanwyf, "son of the sea," Dylan was the name of a sea god in the Mabinogion. It's been thoroughly Americanised — Bob Dylan adopted it in 1959, and the name has been in US top-40 territory ever since. Dylan peaked in the mid-1990s and is holding steady.
Owen — #24 boys in 2024
A Welsh adaptation of the Latin Eugenius (Eugene), meaning "well-born." Owen ab Urien was a knight of the Round Table; Owain Glyndŵr led the last major Welsh revolt against English rule in 1400. In 21st-century America, Owen feels fresh, clean, and easy — qualities that have kept it in the top 25 for over a decade.
Griffin — #223 boys in 2024
From the Welsh Gruffudd (Gruffydd), meaning "strong lord." Griffin has a mythological echo — the winged lion creature — which has helped it feel bold without being outlandish. Griffin is rising steadily.
Rhys — #332 boys in 2024
Pronounced Reece, Rhys means "enthusiasm" or "ardour" in Welsh. It was borne by multiple Welsh princes and is still one of the most popular boys' names in Wales itself. In the US it's gaining ground, helped by American parents who want the sound of Reese with the Welsh spelling.
Tristan — #267 boys in 2024
From the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Iseult — one of the great love stories of medieval literature. The name is of uncertain Celtic origin, possibly connected to the Welsh drystan (noise). Tristan has become a modern favourite across the English-speaking world.
Gavin — #255 boys in 2024
An anglicisation of the Welsh Gawain, Knight of the Round Table. Gavin has a long independent history in Scotland as well. Gavin was very popular in the 1990s–2000s and is holding at a solid mid-rank.
Evan — #101 boys in 2024
Welsh form of John, from the Latin Iohannes. Evan has been consistently popular in the US for decades — it has the virtue of being familiar yet not overused. Evan feels like a name that doesn't peak; it just endures.
Meredith — top 500 girls in 2024
From the Welsh Maredudd — originally a male name meaning "great lord." Meredith crossed the gender line in twentieth-century America and is now almost exclusively female. It carries a literary, slightly formal quality. Meredith is recovering from a mid-century dip.
Morgan — #277 girls in 2024
From the Welsh Morcant, meaning "sea circle." Morgan le Fay was King Arthur's half-sister — sorceress, healer, sometimes villain, sometimes ally. The name was masculine in Wales for centuries and has become majority-female in the US over the last forty years. Morgan is the rare name that has genuinely crossed both ways.
Gwen — top 400 girls in 2024
A short form of Gwendolyn or Guinevere, from the Welsh element gwen meaning "white, fair, blessed." Simple and ancient, Gwen is rising in the US as part of a broader vintage revival. Gwen is compact, strong, and carries the weight of Welsh legend lightly.
Guinevere — top 500 girls in 2024
King Arthur's queen, from the Welsh Gwenhwyfar ("white phantom" or "fair and smooth"). Guinevere spent most of the twentieth century in American dormancy — too elaborate, too foreign. It's reviving now, part of the wave of elaborate medieval names that parents are rediscovering. Guinevere still sounds genuinely unusual on a child.
Reese — top 200 girls in 2024
The anglicised spelling of Rhys. Thanks almost entirely to Reese Witherspoon, Reese has become a popular girls' name while the Welsh spelling Rhys remains predominantly male. Same sound, two different names.
Arwen — top 500 girls in 2024
Most American parents know this from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings — the Elvish princess — but Tolkien drew the name from Welsh arwen, meaning "noble woman." Arwen is rare but growing; it sits at the intersection of Welsh origin and fantasy fandom.
The Welsh sound
Welsh names share some distinctive features that make them appealing in English:
- Short, punchy single syllables — Rhys, Gwen, Bryn, Evan, Owen
- Soft endings — Morgan, Griffin, Dylan, Tristan
- Liquid consonants — the flowing quality that makes Welsh spoken aloud sound like water
Many have been in English usage long enough that they feel "normal" to American ears, even though their roots go back to a language most Americans have never encountered.
Explore any of these names in depth: Dylan · Owen · Griffin · Rhys · Meredith · Morgan · Gwen
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration 1880–2024. Welsh origins via the Oxford Dictionary of First Names and the Dictionary of Welsh Biography.