The Meaning and Origin of Branwen

The meaning of Branwen is derived from the old Welsh words “bran” and “gwen”. “Bran” means “raven” while “gwen” means “fair”, “white”, or “blessed”. Therefore this name could be translated as “fair raven”, “white raven”, or “blessed raven”.

History of the Name

The name Branwen is a name that is found often in the romantic myths of Wales. First documented in a famous medieval romance tale. As recounted in Branwen Ferch Ll r, Branwen was a daughter of Llyr who was betrothed to Matholwch, the kind of Ireland. After a while, she was made to work as a scullery wench and beaten every day, in revenge for an insult that was done by her half-brother Efnisien to the king’s horses. This provoked a brutal war that represents one of the finest sets of heroic tales in the entirety of Welsh legend.

Some have equated Branwen to the Irish myths of Deirdre, in the fact that she is the same kind of tragic heroine whose mistreatment sparks a titanic battle before dying of a broken heart upon seeing the horrible aftermath of war.

Another famous person with the name of Branwen is television presenter Branwen Gwyn. Born in Cardiff, she has worked with S4C since 1999 on a wide variety of programs. These include the network’s flagship children’s program “Planed Plant”. The popularity of Branwen outside of Wales has never been particularly high

Popularity

Branwen was not in the top 100 baby girls names in Wales in 2017.

Useful Resources

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