Gwen is a Welsh feminine given name meaning "white, holy". It can also be a shortened form of Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere) or other names beginning with the same element, such as:

• Gwenhael, Gwenael, Gwenvael, Gwenaelle
• Gwenda (explained as a compound of gwen "white, pure, blessed, holy" + da "good, well")
• Gwendolen, Gwendoline, Gwendolyn
• Gweneira (from gwen "white" + eira "snow")
• Gwenfair (combination of gwen "blessed, holy" + -fair, soft mutation of Mair "(the Virgin) Mary")
• Winefride (originally Gwenffrewi) (Breton: Gwenvred)
• Gwenfron (from gwen "white" + fron, mutated form of bron "breast"; cf. Bronwen)
• Gwenyth, Gwenith (identical to the Welsh word for "wheat")
• Gwenllian
• Gwennant (compound of gwen "white" + nant "stream, brook")
• Gwenola (modern feminized form of Breton Winwaloe)

Although superficially similar, Gwyneth has a different, albeit uncertain, etymological origin (likely either from Gwynedd or the Welsh gwynaeth, meaning joy, bliss or happiness).^[1]

People

• Gwen Benaway (born 1987), Canadian poet and activist
• Gwen Berry (born 1989), American hammer thrower
• Gwen Bristow (1903–1980), American author and journalist
• Gwen Davis (born 1936), American novelist
• Gwen ferch Ellis (c. 1542 – 1594), the first recorded woman accused of witchcraft in Wales
• Gwen Guthrie (1950–1999), American singer
• Gwen Harwood (1920–1995), Australian poet
• Gwen Ifill (1955–2016), American journalist
• Gwen John (1876–1939), Welsh artist
• Gwen Jorgensen (born 1986), American world and Olympic champion triathlete
• Gwen Kelly (1922–2012), Australian novelist and short-story writer
• Gwen McCrae (born 1943), American singer
• Gwen Moore (born 1951), American politician
• Gwen Plumb (1912–2002), Australian performer
• Gwen Raverat (1885–1957), English wood engraving artist
• Gwen Sebastian (born 1974), American country-rock singer
• Gwen Shamblin, American author
• Gwen Smith, Trinidadian cricketer of the 1990s
• Gwen Somerset (1894–1988), New Zealand educator
• Gwen Stefani (born 1969), American pop-rock, Ska and R&B singer
• Gwen Verdon (1925–2000), American dancer and actress

Fictional characters

• Saint Gwen Teirbron (sometimes called Blanche in French sources)
• Gwen Choke, James Adams' deceased mother in the CHERUB novel series
• Gwen Cooper, one of the main protagonists in the television series Torchwood
• Gwen Grayson, a character in the movie Sky High (2005)
• Gwen Kindle, a character from the stop-motion series The Most Popular Girls in School
• Gwen Meighen, an air stewardess from the 1968 novel Airport and its 1970 film adaptation
• Gwen Norbeck Munson, from the TV soap opera As the World Turns
• Gwen Raiden, from the TV series Angel
• Gwen Rizczech, from the American soap opera Days of Our Lives
• Gwen Runck, from the TV series That '90s Show
• Gwen Tennyson, from Cartoon Network's Ben 10 franchise
• Gwen West, a character from the TV sitcom Gavin & Stacey
• Gwen Hotchkiss Winthrop, from the American soap opera Passions
• Gwen Wu, a character from the Nickelodeon animated TV series The Mighty B!
• Gwen, a minor character from the American animated series Mission Hill
• Gwen, a character from the Canadian animated series Total Drama
• Gwen, a minor character from 6teen
• Gwen, a 2009 "Girl of the Year" doll from the American Girl collection
• Gwen, the recurring character from Johnny and the Sprites
• Gwen, a recurring character from Sam & Cat
• Gwen, a recurring character in the MMORPG Guild Wars, its expansion pack, and its sequel
• Gwen, the castle's kitchen maid from Sofia the First
• Gwen, a gunslinger hero in the video game Vainglory
• Gwendaline, a character from the movie Bad Moms
• Gwen (or Guinevere), from the British TV series Merlin
• Gwen, the Hallowed Seamstress, a playable champion character in the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends

See also

• Saint Wenna, also known as Gwen of Talgarth
• Saint Wenna (queen), also known as Gwen ferch Cynyr

References