Gwenfrewi

← Back to Victorian and Belle Époque

Girl · Welsh

Gwenfrewi

Say it: gwen-VREH-wee

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From gwen 'white, fair, blessed' and a second element of uncertain meaning.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Its wave through time

No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.

Through the ages

Used by

Welsh

The family of the name

English	Winifred

Famous bearers

Saint Gwenfrewi (Winefride) of Holywell

Names worth a look

DwynwenGirlThe second element is gwen 'white, fair, blessed'; the first is uncertain.Early Medieval · forgotten

NonGirlUncertain; sometimes linked to Latin nonna 'nun'.Early Medieval · forgotten

GwladysGirlUncertain; derived either from gwlad 'country, land' or as a Welsh form of Latin Claudia.Early Medieval · forgotten

MorwennaGirlUncertain; often linked to Welsh morwyn 'maiden', but the Cornish saint's name is not securely explained.Early Medieval · forgotten

MorganGirl or boyUncertain. From Old Welsh Morcant, perhaps mor 'great' or 'sea' plus cant 'circle' or 'bright'; 'sea-born' is a…Early Medieval · peak 1995

MaryGirlFrom Hebrew Miryam, through Greek and Latin Maria; the meaning is uncertain, with many proposals and none settled.Biblical · peak 1891

GwenGirlWelsh gwen, feminine of gwyn, 'white, fair, blessed'.Middle Ages · peak 1959

GwendolenGirlWelsh; the first element is gwen 'white, fair, blessed', the second is uncertain, perhaps dolen 'ring, loop'.Victorian

Where this comes from

Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.