Gwendolyn
| Gwendolyn | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | ɡwɛndəlɪn |
| Gender | Female |
| Language(s) | Welsh |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | White Ring, Fair Bow |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Gwendolen, Gwendoline, Wendy, Gwen |
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Look up Gwendolyn in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Gwendolyn (
/ˈɡwɛndəlɪn/) is a Welsh female first name, derived from Gwendolen.
Contents |
[edit] Meaning
Gwendolyn is derived from the Welsh words "gwen" and "dolen" or "dolyn". Both words have multiple possible meanings. The word "gwen" can mean "white", "fair" or "blessed".[1] The word "dolen" can mean "ring",[1] "bow"[2] or less commonly "brow",[3] "moon"[4] or "hair".[5] Thus, Gwendolyn may mean "White Ring", "Fair Brow" or any other combination.
[edit] History
The name Gwendolyn is a modification of the name Guendoloena, a fictional queen in the Historia Regum Britanniae written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1135. Geoffrey also used the name in his Vita Merlini to refer to a different character, Merlin's wife; the metre shows that he pronounced the name as a pentasyllable, Guĕndŏlŏēnă, with the "gu" pronounced "gw". Spelled Gwendoloena, the name appears as that of Arthur's queen Guinevere in the Latin romance De Ortu Waluuanii. Arthur Hutson has suggested that Geoffrey misread the masculine Old Welsh name Guendoleu as Guendolen, and then chose to Latinize it.[6] The first records of a real person being named Gwendolen appear in the 19th century. Gwendoline was in use in England in the 1860s, and Gwendolen appeared in Daniel Deronda, written by George Eliot and published in serialized form 1874-6.[6]
[edit] Famous people
- Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902–1981) American writer
- Gwendolyn Bradley American soprano
- Gwendolyn T. Britt (1941–2008) American Democratic politician
- Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) American poet
- Gwendolyn Faison American Democratic politician
- Gwendolyn Audrey Foster American Professor
- Gwendolyn Graham (1963-) American serial killer
- Gwendolyn Garcia (1955-) Philippine politician
- Gwendolyn Holbrow (1957-) American artist
- Gwendolyn L. "Gwen" Ifill (1955-) American journalist
- Gwendolyn King American businesswoman
- Gwendolyn Knight (1914–2005) American sculptor
- Gwendolyn Lau American voice actress
- Gwendolyn Lycett British figure skater
- Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987) Canadian novelist and poet
- Gwendolyn Osborne British model and actress
- Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stefani American singer
- Gwendolyn Sanford American singer-songwriter
- Gwendolyn Zepeda (1971-) American Author
- Gwendolyn Dew (1903–1993) writer
- Gwendolyn Celsa Oropeza
[edit] Fictional characters
- Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy A supporting character in the Spider-man series
- Gwendolyn Bracknell from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
- Gwendolyn, one of the protagonists in the video game Odin Sphere
- Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper, a main character in the TV series The Wonder Years
[edit] See also
- Gwen, including list of alternate spellings and related names.
- Gwendolen (disambiguation)
- Gwendoline (disambiguation)
- Gwendolyne
[edit] References
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