Cornish Boy Names
Cornish male names come from the Cornish language (Kernewek) and long-standing local usage shaped by English. A common masculine pattern is endings in -an or -en and sometimes -o, often tied to saints or place-derived forms: Peran/Perran (St Piran), Mawgan (St Mawgan), Gorran (St Goran), Kevern/Keverne, and Jago (the Cornish form of James). Variants such as Denzil/Denzell reflect anglicization. Diminutives like Kitto also occur.
Today, Cornish boys’ names appear both in Cornwall and more widely in the UK, with revival interest and flexible spellings. Examples include Jago, Peran, Perran, Pascoe, Denzil, Denzell, Kevern, Mawgan, Gorran, and Kitto.
Showing 32
of 32 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bray | Marshy ground | Cornish, English, Old French | Boy | 315 #1 | |
| Denzell | From the high fortress | Cornish | Boy | 114 #2 | |
| Jago | Supplanter (one who follows at the heel) | Cornish | Boy | 65 #3 | |
| Enys | Island | Cornish | Boy | 52 #4 | |
| Denzil | From the high stronghold | Cornish, English | Boy | 25 #5 | |
| Cador | Likely from Welsh element 'cad' meaning 'battle', broadly interpreted as 'battle leader' or 'warrior'. | Cornish, Welsh | Boy | — | |
| Carn | Cairn; heap or mound of stones; rocky hill | Cornish, Irish (Gaelic), Scottish Gaelic | Boy | — | |
| Coan | Likely 'descendant of Cuanán' (from Irish Cuan meaning roughly 'harbor' or 'beloved/little one'), or a locational name meaning 'dweller by a hollow/cove' in Cornish/English contexts. | Cornish, English, Irish, Scottish | Boy | — | |
| Cubert | Famous, bright | Cornish, English | Boy | — | |
| Denzal | From a Cornish place name meaning "from the high fortress" or "from the fortified place". | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Denzill | Surname-derived given name from the Cornish place-name Denzell, meaning 'fortified place' or 'from the fortress'. | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Denzille | From the place Denzell - 'fort' or 'high stronghold' | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Gof | Smith, blacksmith (metalworker) | Cornish, Welsh | Boy | — | |
| Gorran | Either 'mountain man' (from Slavic Goran) or 'change' (Kurdish); also used as a Cornish place name. | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Henwas | Literally 'old servant' or 'old youth' - a Cornish/Brittonic compound | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Jaygo | Derived from Jago (Cornish form of James/Jacob), meaning 'supplanter'. | Cornish, English | Boy | — | |
| Kellow | Surname-based name probably linked to a place or the holly tree (if from Cornish kelyn); overall meaning is uncertain | Cornish, English | Boy | — | |
| Kernen | Surname-turned given name; likely surname-origin. Possible Irish link meaning 'descendant of Cearnán' or a German/toponymic sense related to 'core, seed' or the place name Kernen. | Cornish, English, German, Irish | Boy | — | |
| Kerwyn | Likely 'fair/blessed' (wyn) combined with 'ker' - possibly 'fair/blessed dweller' or a variant of Carwyn meaning 'blessed love'. | Cornish, Welsh | Boy | — | |
| Kevern | Uncertain - original Cornish meaning unclear; possibly related to 'gentle'/'handsome' if linked to Kevin (Caoimhín) | Cornish, Scottish | Boy | — | |
| Keverne | Place-name derived - 'of Keverne' (named for the parish/saint); specific older-language element uncertain | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Kitto | Diminutive form of Kit (from Christopher: 'Christ-bearer'); sometimes linked to Katherine ('pure') when used for girls; also a Cornish family name. | Cornish, English, Japanese | Boy | — | |
| Mawgan | Likely from a Brythonic root related to mael, meaning 'prince' or 'chief'; also the name of a Cornish/Breton saint. | Breton, Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Morice | Derived from Mauritius, meaning "dark-skinned" or "Moorish" | Cornish, Latin | Boy | — | |
| pasco | Relating to Easter or Passover; 'of the Passover/Easter' (born at or associated with Easter) | Cornish, Italian, Latin | Boy | — | |
| Pascoe | Relating to Easter; 'born at Easter' | Breton, Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Penvro | Likely 'head of the land' or 'chief of the country' (from pen 'head' + vro 'land/country') | Breton, Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Peran | Uncertain - in Cornish linked to Saint Piran (no clear literal meaning); in Persian/Kurdish contexts it may relate to words meaning 'old' or 'wise'. Meaning varies by origin. | Celtic, Cornish, Persian | Boy | — | |
| Perran | Probably "little dark one" (from Irish Ciarán); associated with Saint Piran, patron saint of Cornwall | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Pirrin | Likely 'little rock' (diminutive of Pierre/Peter - 'rock') | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| tremaine | Homestead or settlement by the stone | Cornish | Boy | — | |
| Trevett | From a Cornish place name meaning 'homestead' or 'settlement' (dweller from the homestead) | Cornish, English | Boy | — |
Cornish Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Cornish-origin name in our dataset.
32
Names in this origin
3
With data in 2024
81
Births 2024
234
Peak year 2010