Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Llew as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Llew

Add to my Name List

The baby name Llew is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced Welsh IPA: /ɬeʊ/; Anglicized approximation: 'hloo' (initial 'll' is a voiceless lateral fricative).

Llew is Welsh in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Welsh
Pronunciation: Welsh IPA: /ɬeʊ/; Anglicized approximation: 'hloo' (initial 'll' is a voiceless lateral fricative)

What is the meaning of the name Llew ?

The baby name Llew is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced Welsh IPA: /ɬeʊ/; Anglicized approximation: 'hloo' (initial 'll' is a voiceless lateral fricative).

Llew is Welsh in Origin.

Llew is a Welsh masculine name with two intertwined roots. As a standalone, llew is the Welsh noun for “lion,” used as a nickname and given name implying courage. More often, Llew serves as a short form of Llywelyn (anglicized Llewellyn), from llyw “leader, helm,” giving the sense of “leader/ruler.”

Attested in Wales since the Middle Ages through bearers named Llywelyn - such as Llywelyn the Great - Llew became a familiar byname and later an independent given name in Wales and the diaspora. Variants and related forms include Llewelyn/Llywelyn, Llewellyn, Lleu (the Mabinogion hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes, often confused with Llew), Llyw, Lew, and the medieval Latinized Leoline/Leolinus. It remains uncommon beyond Wales, though recognized in other English-speaking regions; in English contexts it is sometimes pronounced with an initial L or shortened to Lew.

Llew is a rare find. Across 5 countries, we found 13 recorded uses of it.

Llew has the following similar or variant Names

Llew – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
ZA 0 #474 1 14,421
BH 0 #587 1 17,937
AE Girls 0 #597 1 20,968
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
ZA Boys 0 #1,265 8 25,619

Llew is popular in 5 countries — most recent births per country:

AE
BH
BR
CO
ZA

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Llew

Llew is predominantly a boy's name.
Llew is a one syllable name, pronounced Welsh IPA: /ɬeʊ/; Anglicized approximation: 'hloo' (initial 'll' is a voiceless lateral fricative).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Llywelyn, Llewelyn, Llewellyn and Llyw.
Llew is a name of Welsh origin, traditionally used in Wales. It doesn't appear in the major international birth registries we track, but it is an established name within Wales and its diaspora communities.
Yes — it is. Llew falls well short of the numbers a name needs to reach any national birth ranking, the clearest sign of a genuinely rare name.