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Top Welsh Girls Names in 2016

Some of the top Welsh girls names in 2016 have remained the same from previous years, but some of the names climbed up rather quickly this year. Aria and Willow both gained popularity and climbed up to 39th and 23rd places in the top 100 baby girl names, respectively. Another name that climbed up quickly was Aurora. A few of the names that just made it into the top 100 baby girl names this year are Maddison, Luna, and Penelope. A few other names that gained popularity in 2016 are Marnie and Autumn.

There are a few girls names that are more popular in Wales than England, and they include Seren, which took the 16th spot in 2016, Ffion 25th position and Alys, which took the 44th spot. The most popular girls name in Wales in 2016 was Olivia. Amelia was in the top spot in the year 2015, and it wasn’t far behind in 2016, still making it to being one of the most popular Welsh girls names in that year, as well.

There were some nature names like Autumn and Willow that have made it to being some of the most popular names in 2016, and some classic ones like Alys, too.

The 10 Most Popular Girls Names in Wales

Unfortunately none of the top 10 girls names originated from Wales in 2016.

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Ella
  4. Ava
  5. Isla
  6. Emily and Evie
  7. Mia
  8. Lily
  9. Isabella

Gwenda

Origin and Popularity of the Name Gwenda

Gwenda Thomas the Welsh Labour Politician
Gwenda Thomas, a Welsh Labour Politician

The name Gwenda originated in Welsh. The popularity of Gwenda reigned in the 20th century, being connected to the form of a saint.

There were four famous people named Gwenda- Gwenda Hawkes (British race car driver), Gwenda Morgan (British artist), Gwenda Owen (Welsh singer), and Gwenda Thomas (Welsh politician).

Meaning and Origin of the Name Gwenda

The meaning Gwenda is “fair, good.” It is associated with “lovely.” The name was first listed in 1930 and the popularity of Gwenda, became astounding in America during the 1950’s. Gwenda was also a popular character in the Agatha Christie novel in 1976 and a character in the miniseries “World Without End.”

Variations in the Name

There are also nicknames and variations of Gwenda such as- Gwennda, Gwynda, Gwinda and the lovely name Gwen. The meaning of Gwenda is special.

People with this name tend to be romantic, passionate, and have a magnetic personality. Many who are born with this name usually follow professions in fields where they can lend a helping hand. It’s an amazing name for a girl and has history and culture associated with it.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and origin of other Welsh girls’ names.

Blodeuwedd

Meaning of Blodeuwedd

Blodeuwedd meaning Flower Face
Blodeuwedd meaning Flower Face
Based on the mythological text Mabinogi, the meaning of Blodeuwedd is “face of flowers”, or “flower face”. She was created by Gwydion for his nephew Lleu Llaw Gyffes from the blossoms of broom, meadow-sweet, and oak. Beautiful but unfaithful, she is eventually punished for infidelity by eternal transformation into an owl. Thus, the name Blodeuwedd encompasses both grace and rebellion, romance and tragedy. The name Blodenwedd means “Blood Wedding” and is a traditional Welsh ceremony of death. It is a time for family members and friends to gather together to say goodbye, share stories, and grieve. Another meaning of Blodeuwedd is “bloody” or “troubled,” which tells you a lot about the level of Blodenwedd. You can read more of the history and myths in “Blodeuwedd Myths.”

Face of flowers

Blodeuwedd is a reviving and sad ceremony. It doesn’t matter how old you are; you will always feel like your heart will break when you say goodbye to a loved one. You may also feel happy and excited to see what they wanted you to have after they die.

Popularity of Blodeuwedd

According to common baby-naming websites, the popularity of Blodeuwedd is low, and rarely found outside of the United Kingdom. It does not appear in the top 100 popular names of 2017.

In Popular Culture

Blodeuwedd is also a part of the Mabinogi, or traditional Welsh mythology, though it has many versions. In the versions of Mabinogi, Blodeuwedd is a girl who turns into an owl. In the Blodeuwedd version, you will find out the story of Blodeuwedd and her brother Gwydion. John Steinbeck briefly mentions the name Blodeuwedd in his story Sweet Thursday (1954). The story and name of Blodeuwedd are used in the Alan Gardner novel The Owl Service (1967), and the Welsh book and film, Tylluan Wen. The Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru has revived the classic story of Blodeuwedd, setting it during World War II.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and history of other Welsh girls’ names on this website.

Arwen

Meaning and Origin of the Nmae Arwen

The popularity of Arwen, a Welsh baby girls name, is not as great as a lot of baby girls names in Wales. It wasn’t one of the one hundred most popular names in 2015, but the name Arwen is still beautiful.

The pronunciation is simple, the spelling is easy, and the meaning is “fair” or “fine.” The meaning is perfect for a baby girl, and that is part of what makes it a great name even though it is not too popular.

Famous People Called Arwen

Liv Tyler played Arwen in the film Lord of the Rings
Liv Tyler played Arwen in the film Lord of the Rings

Some of the reasons why people will recognise the name Arwen are because of Arwen Colles and because of a fictional character named Arwen in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel. Arwen Colles is an area of small hills on Saturn, and that is a special reason to choose the name.

Popularity

The name Arwen isn’t too popular in Wales (not in the top 100 baby girls’ names in 2017), but it is still a pretty sounding name and one that can be easily spelled and pronounced. The meaning of Arwen is a great reason to choose it for a baby girl, as well.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and popularity of other Welsh girls’ names.

Eirian

Meaning and Origin of the Name Eirian

The meaning of Eirian is “silver”, and it also comes from a name that means “beautiful” or “bright”.

Popularity

The name Eirian didn’t make it to being one of the 100 most popular Welsh names in the year 2015, but the popularity of Eirian doesn’t matter because it is still a pretty girl name.

How to pronounce Eirian

The name is pronounced Eye-Ree-Anne, and it sounds beautiful when spoken out loud.

Famous People with the Name Eirian

The Gymnast Eirian Smith
The Gymnast Eirian Smith

There are a few notable people with the name Eirian, and one of those people is Eirian Smith, who is a gymnast. Eirian Llwyd was a Welsh artist, and Jennie Eirian Davies was a Welsh politician and also a magazine editor.

There are many reasons to love the name, from the pronunciation Eirian to the spelling and the fact that it is a more unique name. It was used as the name of a few celebrities and notable people, and it is a simple name that is not too unique, even though it is also not too popular.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and popularity of other Welsh girls’ names.

Cati

History of the Name Cati

Cati is a baby girl name that does not receive the attention it deserves. It didn’t make it to being one of the 100 most used names in 2015 in Wales, but it is a name that sounds pretty and has been used for some special purposes.

The popularity of Cati has nothing to do with the meaning of the name, and the name comes from others such as Catrin the Welsh form of Catherine. Catherine’s meaning is innocent, and that is the perfect meaning for a baby name. The name Cati is a special one, as it is a shortened version of some more popular names.

The meaning of Cati comes from those names, and that and the ways the name has been used previously are part of what makes the name Cati so special.

Famous People and Places Called Cati

  • Cati is a municipality in Spain.
  • Twm Sion Cati was a wizard in Welsh folklore and he was said to have been born in Tregaron (in the market town of Ceredigion). It is possible that he took his name Cati from his mother’s 1st name.

It is a well known name, even though it is not that popular, and that is a reason why people should pay it more attention.

Useful Resources

Beti

The Meaning of Beti

The traditionally feminine Beti name is the Welsh term for what many know as Betty and is diminutive of Elisabeth. While the name is typically associated with females, it can also be a unisex name.

The Welsh meaning of Beti is graceful, strong and happy. Originally, the name came from the Latin for Beatrix, she who brings happiness. In Spanish, Beti is also the nickname for Beatrix.

An example of someone with the first name Beti is Beti George a Welsh TV and radio broadcaster.

Popularity

The name is moderately popular in Wales; however, from 2008 to 2012 the popularity of the name in the United States was consistent. In 2012 the popularity of Beti has been consistently on an incline with over 5,000 girls carrying the name so far in 2017. It’s interesting that in 2007, there were over 13,000 Beti’s in the United States.

Traits of Someone Called Beti

If you are a believer in the Kabalarian Philosophy, which is a study that explains who we are and is the basis for our health, happiness, and spiritual natures, the name offers more insights like:
• You’re a lover of nature
• You tend to be restless and inquisitive
• You have intense wishes
• You either have or will contribute to humanity in a significant way
• You lack patience and focus, and although you are capable of being highly analytical, you don’t like to stick with one topic too long
• You are creative, have lofty ideals
• You can be resentful and dramatic and may display temper tantrums and moodiness
• From a health perspective, you are prone to nervousness, indigestion, and ulcers may develop

Similar Names

Other names that are closely related to Beti include (please not these are not Welsh names):
• Beauty
• Betty or Bettie
• Bitty
• Buddy
• Beatty
• Bittu
• Bade
• Beata

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and popularity of other Welsh girls’ names.

Manod

Meaning of the name Manod

The girls name Manod is one that is steeped very well in the history of Wales. The meaning of Manod is one that is very broad. It describes a person that is well educated and one that is very philosophical and creative. One that prevails and stands above all the rest. Philosophy and creativity is certainly a word that can describe someone from Wales for sure.

Famous People and Places Called Manod

The name Manod can be found all over Wales. Some of the famous figures and places that are associated with Manod include mountains such as Manod Mawr in Gwenedd. Several famous authors from Wales have included Manod in their writings and they are ones such as John Marius Wilson and John Bartholomew. The books they were known for writing include Manod, Llyn y Manod and Llyn Manod.

Popularity of the Name

The popularity of Manod as a girls name is one that has seen a decline over the past several years. Manod though is still one that has a deep history in the country of Wales.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and origin of other Welsh girls’ names.

Luned

The Name Luned

Luned a Welsh girl’s name and it origins from the Wales.  You would not typically find this name in other  parts of the world.

Meaning of Luned

The most notable meaning of Luned is mainly known from Welsh mythology as a heroine who goes on to save a knight Owen and is romantic in it’s nature as well as being more common a feminine name in the welsh country.

The name Luned is also based off of another name used mainly in Wales which is Eiluned. Eiluned is derived from the welsh language word cilun. Cilun is to when describing an idol figure or is an actual idol.

Popularity

The popularity of Luned as being a common name among the people of Wales for either boys or girls is quite low, in fact, it is ranked as not even in the top 100 names for Welsh people.

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and popularity of other Welsh girls’ names.

Delwen

The Meaning of The Name of Delwen

The name Delwen is the Welsh female version for the name of Delwyn. What is the meaning of Delwen?

The meaning of the Welsh girls name Delwen is this. Delwen stands for pretty and fair or pretty and white. The name is modern in invention and is completely Welsh in origin.

Some of the names that are similar to this one do include Delyth, which is also Welsh, and Elowen that is Cornish.

Usage of the Name

The meaning of the name Delwen is clear. However, do take note, it is a baby girls name that is used the world over and in a number of different places. The countries that this name is used in, are English-speaking countries, but they may also speak different languages as well. Wales is one of them.

Advice

If you do consider naming your baby Delwen, it is highly advised that you not only know the meaning of Delwen, but also to know its history and background. It is because this name will play an important role in your baby’s life and she will hear it spoken every day.

Delwen is a more modernised Welsh name for a girl and it is derived from the original Welsh name of Delwyn. Delwyn is a boy’s name and it was taken from the Welsh element del that means pretty and combined with the word gwyn that stands for fair and pretty in the Welsh language.

Popularity

The popularity of Delwen wasn’t big in 2015 (not in the top 100 baby girl’s names in Wales).

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and origin of other Welsh girls’ names.