Best Welsh Baby Names

Wales is a land of dramatic scenery, deep history and proud Celtic culture with many distinctive traditions. If you’re expecting and pondering the right name to give your new son or daughter, you could choose from these distinctive Welsh baby names. They’ll make an excellent choice, honouring your family background or just showing love for this beautiful country.

Let’s explore some of the best Welsh names for baby boys and girls. We’ve included notes on how to pronounce some names that may be unfamiliar!

Top 10 Welsh baby names for boy

Aled

This popular name is derived from a river in the north-eastern Welsh county of Denbighshire.

Emyr (em-eer)

This name means ‘king’.

Gareth

This perennially popular boy’s name most likely comes from the Welsh word gwaredd, meaning goodness or gentleness. In its current form, the name made its first appearance in the 15th Century Arthurian epic La Morte d’Arthur.

Gruffudd (griff-ith)

This origin of this very old name has been lost in the mists of time. It was a popular name amongst medieval rulers of Wales. It is often seen today in its Anglicised form ‘Griffith’.

Harri

This is a distinctively Welsh spin on Harry, which began as a diminutive of Henry.

Ieuan (yoo-ann)

This is a Welsh form of the Biblical name more familiar to English speakers as ‘John’. It is also spelt ‘Iwan’.

Osian (oh-see-an) 

A legendary Irish poet whose fame lives on in Wales

Owain (oh-way-n)

Originally a surname, Owain became a common first name too, especially in its Anglicised form Owen. It means ‘well-born’ or ‘noble’. Welsh national hero Owain Glyndŵr revolted against English colonisers in the 14th Century.

Rhys (rees)

This name owes its popularity to a number of Welsh rules in the early Middle Ages. Anglicised forms include Rees, Reese and Reece.

Steffan (stef-fan)

As you may have guessed, this is simply the Welsh form of the name Stephen or Steven, which is Greek in origin and means ‘crown’ or ‘wreath’

Top 10 Welsh baby names for girls

Alys (ah-liss)

This is the Welsh version of Alice, a name which came to us via French from German and originally meant ‘noble kind’.

Beca (be-ka)

 This name is more familiar to English speakers as the Biblical name Rebecca.

Bethan

This is a distinctively Welsh – and popular – version of the name Elizabeth.

Cerys (ceh-ris)

Also spelt Carys, this name means ‘loved one’.

Catrin

This is a variant from the name Catherine, which comes to us ultimately from Greek and means ‘pure one’.

Ffion (fee-on)

This is Welshification of the Gaelic name fionn, which means ‘fair-haired’.

Gwen

This very distinctive Welsh name means ‘white’ or ‘holy’.

Mari (mah-ree)

A Welsh spin on Mary. The Hebrew original, Miryam, is of uncertain origin.

Megan

This popular name is a variation of Marged, more familiar to English speakers as Margaret.

Siân (shan)

This is the Welsh version of the name Jane, the feminine of the classical Biblical name ‘John’. In its original Hebrew formYehohanan, this meant ‘God is gracious.

Popular Welsh baby names by year

Statistics reveal that, when it comes to naming their children, most Welsh parents opt for a few tried and tested favourites, but these vary across regions. In Scotland, for example, Jack is a firm favourite for boys, but in Wales Oliver very much tops the list!

According to the Office for National Statistics, the most popular baby names for the last five years have been:

2020 – Noah and Olivia

2019 – Oliver and Olivia

2018 – Oliver and Olivia

2017 – Oliver and Olivia

2016 – Oliver and Olivia

Medieval Welsh baby names

Many traditional Welsh names go back centuries, all the way to the Middle Ages or even earlier. Here are a few:

Angharad (an-garad) –

This very Welsh name means ‘beloved’ and dates back to at least the 12th Century. It was popular amongst Welsh nobles and is found amongst the legendary medieval tales of the Mabinogion.

Cai (k-aye) –

Cai was a knight of the Round Table in the medieval Welsh narrative The Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Ultimately the name comes from the Latin moniker Caius.

Rhodri (rod-ree) –

A name with deep roots amongst the princes of long-gone Welsh kingdoms in the early Middle Ages, it originally meant ‘wheel king’.

Mythological Welsh baby names

Celtic mythology is a rich and eerie brew that has inspired artists and poets for hundreds of years. Why not bring a little magic into your child’s life with a name inspired by Welsh myth? The possibilities include:

Rhiannon (ree-an-non) –

Rhiannon is a major character in the Mabinogi, a sequence of medieval legends which date back to the pre-Christian era. Rhiannon is a fairy woman from the Otherworld who marries a Welsh prince. It is sometimes shortened to Rhian.

Dylan –

Another name from the pages of the Mabinogi, Dylan is a figure of mystery and magic associated with the se

Welsh versions of popular English baby names

As we saw above, many of the most popular Welsh names correspond to more familiar, traditional English names. Here are two more examples:

Dafydd (dav-ith) –

This is the classical Biblical name ‘David’, which in the original Hebrew meant ‘beloved one’. Dafydd was a popular name amongst the poets and princes of medieval Wales.

Siôn (shon) –

Another Welsh version of the Biblical name, John. It appears in written records as early as the 15th Century.