Welsh Boy Names
Welsh male names come from Cymraeg, a Brittonic Celtic language. A clear masculine marker is the suffix -wyn (feminine -wen), seen in forms like Arwyn, Arianwyn, and Aelwyn. Another masculine feature is -wr/-ur meaning man or bearer, visible in Arthwr, Bedwyr, and Amerawdwr. Historical patronymics use ap “son of,” as in Ap Ieuan. Many male names preserve early Welsh elements and orthography, including Aneirin, Aneurin, Arawn, and Anarawd.
In modern Wales, established male forms such as Aled, Alun, Aneurin, and Arwyn remain in use, while rarer medieval names like Bedwyr or Anarawd appear less often or mainly in literary and historical contexts.
Showing 50
of 613 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan | Son of the sea / sea-born | Welsh | Boy | 92,343 #1 | |
| Owen | Young warrior; noble-born | Welsh | Boy | 87,084 #2 | |
| Tristan | Traditionally 'sorrowful' (folk etymology from Old French 'triste'); original Brittonic form likely Drustan/Drystan, so exact meaning is uncertain | Breton, Welsh | Boy | 24,020 #3 | |
| Maddox | Son of Madoc; Madoc/Madog is often interpreted as 'fortunate' or 'benefactor' | Welsh | Boy | 22,420 #4 | |
| Griffin | Strong lord; also associated with the mythical griffin (lion‑eagle creature) | Welsh | Boy | 14,740 #5 | |
| Elian | Usually 'of the sun' from Latin Aelianus; when linked to Elijah/Elias it can be associated with 'My God is Yahweh' or 'God has answered'; Welsh usage is tied to a saint rather than a single clear lexical meaning. | Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin, Welsh | Boy | 9,243 #6 | |
| Bowen | Son of Owen (Owain); Owen/Owain often interpreted as 'noble' or 'well-born' | Welsh | Boy | 7,439 #7 | |
| Rhys | Enthusiasm, ardor | Welsh | Boy | 7,405 #8 | |
| Meredith | Generally interpreted as "great ruler" or "sea lord" | Welsh | Boy | 5,308 #9 | |
| Marvin | Likely from Old Welsh Merfyn - commonly interpreted as "sea hill" or "sea/shore friend"; some sources also render a sense of "famous/renowned friend." | English, Germanic, Welsh | Boy | 5,099 #10 | |
| Dillon | From Welsh Dylan meaning "son of the sea"; also used as an Irish surname of Hiberno‑Norman origin | Welsh | Boy | 4,354 #11 | |
| Idris | Arabic: 'interpreter' or 'studious' (name of a prophet often identified with Enoch). Welsh: 'ardent/enthusiastic lord'. | Arabic, Welsh | Boy | 3,382 #12 | |
| Arian | Varies by origin: 'silver' (Welsh); 'noble/Aryan' (Persian/Sanskrit); sometimes used as a form of Adrian. | Albanian, Persian, Sanskrit, Welsh | Boy | 2,704 #13 | |
| Merrick | Associated with Maurice: 'dark-skinned, Moorish'; folk interpretation sometimes 'sea ruler' | Welsh | Boy | 2,130 #14 | |
| Jones | Son of John | English, Welsh | Boy | 1,934 #15 | |
| Maddux | Son of Madoc (Madog), from Welsh meaning 'fortunate' or 'benefactor' | Welsh | Boy | 1,712 #16 | |
| Emrys | Immortal, divine | Welsh | Boy | 1,516 #17 | |
| Merlin | Likely 'sea fortress' or 'hill fort' (etymology uncertain) | Welsh | Boy | 1,092 #18 | |
| Lloyd | Grey, grey-haired | Welsh | Boy | 1,068 #19 | |
| Cai | Multiple origins: linked to the Latin name Caius/Gaius (historically associated with 'rejoice'); as Chinese 蔡 (Cài) it is a surname from an ancient state rather than a lexical meaning. | Chinese, Latin, Welsh | Boy | 975 #20 | |
| Broderick | Literally 'brother-ruler' or 'ruler of brothers'; Irish form (Ó Bruadair) refers to 'descendant of Bruadar' (Bruadar is a personal name, possibly 'dreamer') | English, Welsh | Boy | 895 #21 | |
| Floyd | Gray, gray-haired | Welsh | Boy | 741 #22 | |
| Conway | From the Welsh placename Conwy - 'from the River Conwy' (literally 'chief/important river' or 'high water') | English, Irish, Welsh | Boy | 693 #23 | |
| Gareth | Possibly "gentle" or "modest" (etymology uncertain) | Welsh | Boy | 592 #24 | |
| Penn | Head; top; hill | English, Welsh | Boy | 555 #25 | |
| Pryce | Son of Rhys (Rhys = ardor, enthusiasm) | Welsh | Boy | 477 #26 | |
| Llewyn | Derived from Llywelyn - commonly interpreted as 'leader' or 'lion-like' | Welsh | Boy | 456 #27 | |
| Taron | Thunder | Armenian, Gaulish, Welsh | Boy | 385 #28 | |
| Daron | Variant of Darren/Darin - meanings vary by origin: often rendered as 'great' or 'fruitful' (Irish Dáire), associated with hills/place-names (Welsh), or 'from Taron' (Armenian). | Armenian, English, Irish, Welsh | Boy | 353 #29 | |
| Dyllan | Son of the sea / born of the ocean | Welsh | Boy | 345 #30 | |
| Arwyn | Fair, blessed | Welsh | Boy | 335 #31 | |
| Owyn | Young warrior; well-born (noble) | Welsh | Boy | 316 #32 | |
| Sion | Welsh form of John meaning "God is gracious"; when linked to Zion, refers to the biblical place/name | Welsh | Boy | 309 #33 | |
| Taran | Thunder | Celtic, Pictish, Welsh | Boy | 287 #34 | |
| Rhydian | From the ford / ford-dweller | Welsh | Boy | 263 #35 | |
| Macsen | Great | Welsh | Boy | 256 #36 | |
| Griffen | From Welsh meaning 'strong lord' or associated with the griffin, a mythical guardian creature | Welsh | Boy | 255 #37 | |
| Dewey | Diminutive of Dewi/David - 'beloved' or 'friend' (often rendered as 'little David') | Welsh | Boy | 236 #38 | |
| Griffyn | From Welsh Gruffudd meaning 'strong lord'; also evokes the guardian mythical griffin. | Welsh | Boy | 236 #39 | |
| Mattox | Either 'descendant of Madog' (Madog = 'fortunate') or related to Matthew meaning 'gift of God'. | English, Welsh | Boy | 224 #40 | |
| Marvyn | Possibly 'sea/hill' or 'sea-friend' from Welsh Merfyn; alternatively 'famous friend' from Old English Mǣrwin | Welsh | Boy | 218 #41 | |
| Edris | Welsh: 'ardent/fiery lord' (from Idris). Arabic: name of a prophet (Idris), associated with learning/studiousness. | Arabic, English, Welsh | Boy | 186 #42 | |
| Iwan | God is gracious | Welsh | Boy | 153 #43 | |
| Ioan | God is gracious | Romanian, Welsh | Boy | 142 #44 | |
| Leondre | Lion-man - from Leon (lion) combined with an element from André meaning 'man' or 'warrior'; suggests lion-like bravery | Welsh | Boy | 134 #45 | |
| Arth | Welsh: 'bear'. Sanskrit/Hindi: 'meaning', 'purpose', or 'wealth'. | Hindi, Sanskrit, Welsh | Boy | 133 #46 | |
| Rees | Enthusiasm, ardor | Welsh | Boy | 131 #47 | |
| Dylen | From Welsh elements meaning 'great' and 'tide' - often interpreted as 'son of the sea' or 'great tide' | Welsh | Boy | 130 #48 | |
| Llewellyn | From Welsh Llywelyn - likely 'leader' (also folk-associated with 'lion'/'lion-like') | Welsh | Boy | 127 #49 | |
| Arwin | Generally interpreted as a form of Arvin/Erwin meaning 'friend' (often rendered 'eagle-friend' or 'army-friend'); in Welsh linked to 'fair/blessed'; similar to Persian Arvin. | Germanic, Persian, Welsh | Boy | 120 #50 |
Welsh Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Welsh-origin name in our dataset.
613
Names in this origin
6
With data in 2025
0
Births 2025
52,528
Peak year 2006