Gwyneth

Gwyneth is a Welsh female name from the Celtic element “gwyn” meaning “white, blessed”. Gwyneth is also considered an altered form of Gwynedd, a Celtic kingdom in Wales which emerged in the early Middle Ages after the Romans withdrew from Britannia in the 5th century (Gwyneth and Gwyedd are pronounced very similarly). Gwynedd was said to be founded by and named after Cunedda, a Briton chieftain from the Kingdom of Gododdin (now southern Scotland) where he was originally tasked with fending off the invading Irish-Gaels and Picts (like the Britons, the Gaels and the Picts were Celtic tribes, just from different branches). Cunedda must have been a brave and able warrior because he and his sons were sent to the area now known as Gwynedd to rally Roman-Briton forces against unwelcome Irish raiders and settlers. Who authorized Cunedda’s conquest of northwest Wales remains uncertain – either the Roman Emperor at the time or some other important High Chieftain of the Britons – but Cunedda was effective in his campaign against the Gaelic peoples. Gwynedd was established as a new kingdom with Cunedda often credited as its founder. Some say the name Gwynedd comes from Cunedda, derived from an ancient Celtic word meaning “good hound”. Still others speculate that Gwynedd is Brythonic translation of Venedotia which was the Roman-Briton Latin name for the region. Venedotia was apparently a corruption of the Old Irish word “Féni” which was an ancient term used for the Irish people in general – in reference to the fact that Gaelic peoples from Ireland infiltrated north-west Wales after Roman forces left Britannia. Most people, however, connect the name Gwyneth with the meaning “white and blessed”. Gwyneth did not become a popular female name in Wales until the early 20th century, largely influenced by Welsh author Annie Harriet Hughes (1852-1910) whose nom de plume was Gwyneth Vaughan (who, incidentally, wrote from her home in Gwynedd). Ironically, Gwyneth is not a Top 100 name in Wales despite its colorful Welsh history. Here are the five most popular names of Welsh origin being used on baby girls in Wales today: Ffion (foxglove), Seren (star), Megan (Margaret), Cerys/Carys (love) and Lowri (Laura). Gwyneth is actually pretty uncommon.