🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Welsh Names

Welsh Name Generator

Generate authentic Welsh names instantly. Welsh names carry the music of one of Europe's oldest living languages — poetic, distinctive, and deeply connected to Celtic mythology and the Welsh landscape.

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About Welsh Names

Welsh is one of the oldest living languages in Europe, with a continuous literary tradition stretching back over 1,400 years. Welsh names draw from this ancient tradition — many are rooted in the Mabinogion (the collection of Welsh myths and legends), in the Arthurian tradition (which has deep Welsh roots), and in the Welsh landscape of mountains, rivers, and valleys.

Welsh names are famous for looking unpronounceable to non-Welsh speakers, but they follow consistent phonetic rules. The Welsh ll sound (as in Llewelyn or Llŷr) is made by placing the tongue against the upper teeth and blowing air around the sides. The ch sound (as in Rhiannon or Rhys) is like the Scottish loch. The double d (dd) is like the English th in the.

Wales has produced some of the most beautiful names in any language — Rhiannon (great queen or divine queen), Seren (star), Cerys (love), Bleddyn (wolf prince), and Caradoc (beloved) are names with deep roots in Welsh myth and history. Many Welsh names have also spread internationally — Gwen, Megan, Rhys, and Dylan are used worldwide, often without awareness of their Welsh origins.

Common Welsh Names

Male Names

Name	Meaning
Rhys	enthusiasm and passion, one of Wales's most ancient names
Llywelyn	leader, lion-like
Owain	young warrior, Welsh form of Owen
Caradoc	beloved and dear
Dafydd	beloved, Welsh form of David
Geraint	old, old man, a name from Arthurian legend
Bleddyn	wolf prince
Emrys	immortal, the Welsh name of Merlin
Aled	offspring, a name from Welsh rivers
Idris	ardent lord, associated with a Welsh mountain

Female Names

Name	Meaning
Rhiannon	great queen, divine queen, goddess name
Seren	star, one of Wales's most popular modern names
Cerys	love and affection
Megan	pearl, a Welsh diminutive of Margaret
Branwen	white raven, from Welsh mythology
Carys	love, a variant of Cerys
Anwen	very beautiful
Morfudd	great treasure
Nia	bright and lustrous
Gwenllian	white linen, a name of Welsh heroines

Tips for Using Welsh Names

Welsh ll is not an l sound — it is made by placing the tongue behind the upper teeth and blowing, creating a sound with no equivalent in English.
Many globally popular names have Welsh origins — Dylan (great tide), Megan (pearl), Morgan (sea circle), and Gwen (white and holy) are all Welsh.
For Arthurian fiction, Welsh names like Emrys, Geraint, Owain, and Branwen are far more historically authentic than the French names that dominate most Arthurian retellings.
Wales has a strong tradition of place names becoming personal names — Aled, Taff, and Hafren (the Welsh name of the River Severn) all began as river or place names.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce Welsh names?

Welsh follows consistent rules: ll is a breathy lateral sound, ch is like Scottish loch, dd is like English th, and f is a V sound. Rhiannon is Hree-AN-on, Llywelyn is Hloo-EL-in.

What are distinctly Welsh names?

Rhys, Seren, Cerys, Rhiannon, Llywelyn, Branwen, and Bleddyn are names found almost exclusively in Welsh tradition.

Are Welsh and Irish names related?

Both are Celtic languages and share some roots, but Welsh (Brythonic Celtic) and Irish (Goidelic Celtic) diverged thousands of years ago. They share a Celtic character but Welsh names are distinct from Irish names.