Welsh Boy Names
297 welsh boy names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.
Looking for girl names instead? Welsh Girl Names →
Say a Welsh boy name out loud and it tends to come out shorter and harder than you expect — consonants like stone walls, no wasted breath. That is why Welsh boy names have travelled so well: they sound modern by accident. Owen has spent two decades in the American top thirty and still has not gone soft. Dylan belongs to a figure of Welsh legend linked to the sea, then got a second life through a poet and a folk singer. Rhys is the connoisseur pick, spelled in a way that stops people cold and pronounced simply as Reece. And Griffin comes down from Gruffudd, medieval Welsh princes and all, while sounding to a modern ear like a small brave creature with wings.
The rest of the list leans surname-y and rugged, which is precisely the register American parents are shopping in right now. Bowen is literally son of Owen and has been climbing steadily, an appealing way to honour a grandfather sideways. Maddox arrived loud in the early 2000s and never left. Evan is the Welsh answer to John, gentle and universally spellable, and Gavin keeps that same easy warmth. For something with a harder edge try Kane or Caden; for something borrowed and burnished, Arthur and Lewis both wear their age well. We track 235 boy names of Welsh origin here.
Every name below opens to its full page — a sourced meaning, its Welsh or Anglo-Welsh history, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can hear it before you fall for it.
Welsh Boy Names — Page 2
Ioan#10255 in the U.S.A Welsh and Romanian form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan, 'God is gracious' (via the Greek I▶Jestin#10307 in the U.S.A Welsh form/spelling of Justin, from the Latin Justus, 'just; fair; upright'▶Jonesy#10320 in the U.S.A pet form of the surname Jones, 'son of John' (John, from the Hebrew, 'God is gracious'); used▶Konway#10429 in the U.S.A spelling of Conway, variously from the Welsh River Conwy ('holy/reedy water') or the Irish, '▶Loyd#10475 in the U.S.A variant spelling of the Welsh Lloyd, from llwyd, 'grey; grey-haired,' a descriptive surname t▶Madoc#10492 in the U.S.From the Welsh Madog/Madoc, likely from mad, 'fortunate; good; benevolent.' A legendary Welsh n▶Merlyn#10493 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Merlin, the Welsh Myrddin, understood as 'sea fort.' The name of the wiza▶Rhyz#10652 in the U.S.A stylized 'z' spelling near the Welsh Rhys, 'ardour; enthusiasm; a fiery warrior.' Keeps the W▶Steffan#10652 in the U.S.A Welsh and German spelling of Stephen, from the Greek Stephanos, 'crown, garland, wreath' — th▶Tirion#10769 in the U.S.A Welsh name meaning 'gentle, kind, fair.' It also names a place in Tolkien's legendarium; the ▶Vaughan#10801 in the U.S.From the Welsh bychan, 'small; little' (mutated to fychan/vaughan), originally a descriptive by▶Brynden#10989 in the U.S.Brynden joins the Welsh element bryn, 'hill,' to the -den ending popular in names like Camden a▶Dyllen#11099 in the U.S.Dyllen is a contemporary respelling of Dylan, a Welsh name usually read as 'son of the sea' or ▶Dailon#11102 in the U.S.Dailon is a modern American spelling of Daylon, one of a cluster of -lon and -lan boys' names t▶Daelon#11149 in the U.S.Daelon is a modern respelling that reshapes Dylan, from the Welsh for 'son of the sea,' or the ▶Corwyn#11169 in the U.S.A spelling of Corwin/Corwen, an English surname read as 'friend of the heart' (cor, 'heart,' + ▶Eivan#11207 in the U.S.A modern spelling echoing Ivan (Slavic form of John, 'God is gracious') and Evan (Welsh form of▶Gavynn#11234 in the U.S.Gavynn is a modern respelling of Gavin, the Welsh and Scottish form of the Arthurian Gawain. Th▶Evann#11245 in the U.S.Evann is a respelling of Evan, the Welsh form of John from Ieuan and Iefan. Behind it stands th▶Gawain#11284 in the U.S.An Arthurian name — Sir Gawain, a knight of the Round Table and hero of 'Sir Gawain and the Gre▶Kenderick#11327 in the U.S.Kenderick is a spelling variant of Kendrick, an English surname from Old English or Welsh roots▶Iago#11412 in the U.S.A Spanish, Galician, and Welsh form of James/Jacob, from Hebrew Yaakov ('supplanter; may God pr▶Madyx#11458 in the U.S.Madyx is a modern respelling of Maddox, a Welsh surname meaning 'son of Madoc.' Madoc is an old▶Kevaughn#11479 in the U.S.Kevaughn blends Kevin, from the Irish Caoimhin, meaning handsome or gentle-born, with Vaughn, a▶Maddock#11609 in the U.S.Maddock is an anglicized spelling of the Welsh Madoc or Madog, from the element mad, meaning 'f▶Marbin#11627 in the U.S.Marbin is a Spanish-influenced respelling of Marvin, from the Welsh Merfyn, often read as sea f▶Merick#11665 in the U.S.A form of the surname Merrick (Welsh Meurig), itself a Welsh form of Maurice, from the Latin fo▶Madox#11749 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Maddox, a Welsh surname meaning 'son of Madoc' (Madoc, 'fortunate; benef▶Merik#11767 in the U.S.Merik reads as a respelling of Merrick, a Welsh name (from Meurig, a form of Maurice) often lin▶Maddoxx#11783 in the U.S.Maddoxx is a doubled-x spelling of Maddox, a Welsh surname from Madoc, meaning 'son of Madoc' o▶Marvyn#11806 in the U.S.A -yn spelling of Marvin, from the Welsh Merfyn ('sea hill' or 'eminent marrow') or read as 'se▶Reise#11841 in the U.S.Reise reads as a variant of Reece or Rhys, a Welsh name meaning 'ardor, fiery zeal, enthusiasm.▶Radnor#11959 in the U.S.From the Welsh place-and-surname Radnor (Radnorshire), from Old English read ('red') + ora ('ba▶Tarron#11969 in the U.S.Tarron is a modern American boy's name without a single fixed source. It may respell Tarran or ▶Teagon#11979 in the U.S.Teagon is a variant spelling of Teagan. The name is traced two ways: to a diminutive of the Iri▶Rece#11986 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Reese/Rhys, the Welsh name meaning 'ardour; enthusiasm; fiery.' The trim▶Rulon#12032 in the U.S.A name found especially in Welsh and Latter-day Saint (Mormon) heritage, sometimes linked to 'w▶Trevaughn#12183 in the U.S.Trevaughn is an invented boy's name joining the fashionable Tre- prefix to Vaughn, a Welsh surn▶Trevonn#12185 in the U.S.Trevonn doubles the final n of Trevon, a coined name joining the Tre- prefix, which also echoes▶Arvel#12197 in the U.S.Arvel is a genuine early-twentieth-century American boys' name whose origin is not firmly docum▶Urian#12198 in the U.S.Urian may be a form of the Welsh Urien, a legendary sixth-century king of Rheged in Arthurian t▶Arvell#12236 in the U.S.Arvell reads as an early-twentieth-century American name, most plausibly a variant of Arvel or ▶Cadel#12575 in the U.S.Cadel comes from the Welsh cad, 'battle,' combined with a diminutive ending, giving a sense clo▶Cadell#12585 in the U.S.Cadell is a Welsh name from cad ('battle') plus a diminutive or intensive element, giving a sen▶Davies#12590 in the U.S.A Welsh patronymic surname, 'son of David' (David from the Hebrew for 'beloved'), used as a giv▶Dyllin#12591 in the U.S.Dyllin is a modern respelling of Dylan, a Welsh name usually read as 'great tide' or 'son of th▶Cardiff#12603 in the U.S.Cardiff is the capital city of Wales; its Welsh name (Caerdydd) is generally read as 'fort on t▶Carwyn#12605 in the U.S.Carwyn is a Welsh name from caru ('to love') plus gwyn ('blessed; fair; white'), read as 'bless▶Dillian#12616 in the U.S.Dillian reads as an elaborated spelling of Dillon/Dylan; Dylan is Welsh, from 'dy' and 'llanw',▶Brevan#12628 in the U.S.Brevan is a respelling in the Brevin and Bevan family; Bevan comes from the Welsh ab Evan, son ▶Brevyn#12629 in the U.S.Brevyn is a recent invented name that pairs a Brev- opening with the fashionable -yn ending see▶Dillin#12643 in the U.S.Dillin is a variant spelling of Dylan, a Welsh name usually read as 'great tide' or 'son of the▶Dhylan#12683 in the U.S.A respelling of Dylan, from Welsh, often read as 'son of the sea; great tide' — the name of a s▶Dillen#12686 in the U.S.Dillen is a respelling of Dylan, a Welsh mythological name built from elements meaning 'great' ▶Dillyn#12688 in the U.S.Dillyn is a modern respelling of Dylan, a Welsh name usually explained as dy ('great') plus lla▶Dilon#12689 in the U.S.Dilon is a simplified spelling of Dylan, a Welsh name usually read as 'son of the sea' or 'grea▶Deian#12709 in the U.S.A Welsh affectionate name, sometimes a pet form of Dei (from David, 'beloved'); separately a Ro▶Gavinn#12710 in the U.S.Gavinn is a doubled-n spelling of Gavin, the modern form of Gawain - the name of King Arthur's ▶Derin#12727 in the U.S.Derin has two documented routes: a Welsh/English name linked to Derwen ('oak') or a short moder▶Dalin#12737 in the U.S.Dalin most often reads as a spelling of Dallin, a surname adopted as a first name in Latter-day▶Glynn#12797 in the U.S.A Welsh name and surname from 'glyn,' meaning 'valley' or 'glen.' The double-n spelling gives t▶Emris#12813 in the U.S.Emris is a spelling of the Welsh Emrys, the Welsh form of Ambrose, from the Greek ambrosios, 'i▶Ewens#12836 in the U.S.Ewens reads as a form of Evan or Owen, Welsh names generally linked to 'young warrior' or 'well▶Galahad#12877 in the U.S.Galahad is the name of the noblest knight of King Arthur's Round Table, the achiever of the Hol▶Gavan#12883 in the U.S.Gavan is a variant spelling of Gavin, a name of Welsh and Scottish tradition often linked to Ga▶Garreth#12902 in the U.S.Garreth is a spelling variant of Gareth, a Welsh name borne by a noble knight of King Arthurs R▶Jovaughn#13028 in the U.S.Jovaughn is a modern coinage that pairs the Jo- prefix, familiar from names like Joseph and Joh▶Javaun#13038 in the U.S.Javaun is a coined name combining the popular Ja- prefix with an ending that echoes Vaughn, a W▶Glyn#13128 in the U.S.Glyn is a Welsh name and surname from glyn, 'valley', also serving as a short form of Glyndwr o▶Jevan#13150 in the U.S.A form of Jevon or Evan; Evan is the Welsh form of John, 'God is gracious.' The route runs thro▶Kynan#13227 in the U.S.Kynan is a spelling of the Welsh Cynan, an old name usually read as chief or high, and linked i▶Keinan#13228 in the U.S.A form of the Hebrew Kenan (Cainan), a descendant of Adam in Genesis; separately a Welsh name. ▶Marwin#13357 in the U.S.Marwin is a spelling variant of Marvin, which descends from the Welsh name Merfyn and was resha▶Lynell#13415 in the U.S.Lynell reads as a mid-century blend of the short element Lyn, from the Welsh llyn for lake, and▶Macksen#13422 in the U.S.Macksen is a modern spelling of Maxen/Macsen, a name carried in Welsh tradition (Macsen Wledig,▶Maddoc#13428 in the U.S.Maddoc is a spelling of Madog, an old Welsh name usually explained from mad, 'good, fortunate' ▶Marven#13452 in the U.S.Marven is a variant spelling of Marvin, which comes from the Welsh Merfyn or an Old English nam▶Martyn#13467 in the U.S.Martyn is the Welsh spelling of Martin, from Latin Martinus, derived from Mars, the Roman god o▶Meric#13506 in the U.S.Meric is the Turkish name of the river known elsewhere as the Maritsa or Evros, used as a boy's▶Owain#13536 in the U.S.A classic Welsh name, linked to the sense 'well-born; young warrior' (often connected to the La▶Mervyn#13538 in the U.S.Mervyn is the anglicized form of the old Welsh name Merfyn, borne by a ninth-century king of Gw▶Owynn#13674 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Owen, from Welsh Owain — usually glossed 'noble; well-born,' and sometim▶Reiss#13749 in the U.S.Reiss is a German surname, variously explained as from Riese ('giant') or as a byname for someo▶Rhodri#13763 in the U.S.From Welsh rhod ('wheel; circle') plus rhi ('ruler; king'), giving 'wheel ruler'. It was borne ▶Rhy#13767 in the U.S.Rhy is a very short modern spelling, read most naturally as a clipped Rhys — the Welsh name mea▶Ryce#13808 in the U.S.Ryce is a modern spelling that lands between two names: Rice (an anglicization of Welsh Rhys, '▶Tarren#13856 in the U.S.Tarren reads most vividly as a spelling of the Welsh Taran, from taran, 'thunder', tied to a Ce▶Tagen#13885 in the U.S.Tagen is a phonetic American respelling of Teagan or Tegan; Tegan traces to Welsh, where it has▶Treavor#13891 in the U.S.Treavor inserts an extra a into Trevor, a Welsh surname and place name from tref, 'town, homest▶Trevaun#13901 in the U.S.Trevaun is a modern respelling of Trevon or Travon, a late-century coinage usually built from a▶Merwin#13914 in the U.S.Merwin is a variant of Mervin and Marvin, tracing to the Old Welsh name Merfyn; it is commonly ▶Stevens#13929 in the U.S.A patronymic English and Welsh surname, 'son of Steven', ultimately from Greek Stephanos, 'crow▶Tathan#13969 in the U.S.Tathan (also Tatheus) is the name of an early Welsh saint honoured in Monmouthshire, where St A▶Trevian#14002 in the U.S.Trevian is an African-American coined name extending Trevon and Trevor, which share the Welsh e▶Tudor#14008 in the U.S.The Welsh Tudur, anglicized as Tudor — a form connected to Theodore, 'gift of God' — and the na▶Trevar#14061 in the U.S.Trevar is a spelling variant of Trevor, a Welsh name and surname from tref, 'homestead or settl▶Yale#14240 in the U.S.Yale as a first name is borrowed from the surname, best known through Elihu Yale, the benefacto▶
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Frequently Asked
What are the most popular Welsh boy names?
Owen and Dylan lead comfortably in U.S. birth data, followed by Evan, Griffin and the fast-rising Bowen.
How is Rhys pronounced?
Rhys is said like the English word Reece — the h belongs to a Welsh consonant cluster rather than a separate sound. Press the audio button on its page to hear it spoken.