Gwen (given name)
Encyclopedia
Gwen is Celt
ic name meaning "white" in Welsh
and in Breton
when spelled Gwenn.
Many other first names are derived from Gwen or Gwenn :
The female name "Blanche
", attested in several European languagues, also means "White".
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic name meaning "white" in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and in Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
when spelled Gwenn.
Many other first names are derived from Gwen or Gwenn :
- GwenllianGwenllianGwenllian was the name of several ladies who lived in medieval Wales. The two best known have, for different reasons, become symbols of Welsh patriotism and/or independence. The others, have not.*Gwenllian ferch Llywelyn *Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd...
- Gwenffrewi (WinefrideWinefridethumb|right|300px|St Winifred's Well, [[Woolston, north Shropshire|Woolston]], ShropshireSaint Winefride was a legendary 7th-century Welsh noblewoman who was canonized after dying for the sake of her chastity...
) - GwenhwyfarGuinevereGuinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
(GuinevereGuinevereGuinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
) - Gwenfair
- Gwenno
- Gwennan
- Gwenvred
- Gwendal
- Gwendalynne
- Gwenael, Gwenhael, Gwenvael,
- GwendolynGwendolynGwendolyn is a Welsh female first name, derived from Gwendolen.-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". The word "dolen" can mean "ring", "bow" or less...
(Gwendoline) - Gwenola (Guénola)
- Gwenole (male)
The female name "Blanche
Blanche (given name)
Blanche is a feminine given name. It means "white" in French, derived from the Late Latin word "blancus", which is itself of Germanic origin, one of a number of words designating colours - others are words for "grey" and "brown" - which are thought to have been borrowed into Latin to classify...
", attested in several European languagues, also means "White".
Famous people
Famous people named "Gwen" include:- Gwen AraujoGwen AraujoGwen Amber Rose Araujo , born Edward Araujo, Jr., an American teenage pre-operative transgender woman, was murdered in Newark, California, in October 2002. She was killed by four men, with two of whom she had been sexually intimate, who beat and strangled her after discovering she was transgender...
(1985–2002), transgender murder victim - Gwen RaveratGwen RaveratGwendolen Mary "Gwen" Raverat née Darwin was a celebrated English wood engraving artist who co-founded the Society of Wood Engravers in England.- Biography :...
(1885–1957), English illustrator - Gwen BristowGwen BristowGwen Bristow was an American author and journalist.Bristow became interested in writing while reporting junior high school functions for her local newspaper. After studying at Columbia University, she wrote for a number of literary magazines and journals...
(1903–1980), American author and journalist - Gwen HarwoodGwen HarwoodGwen Harwood AO , née Gwendoline Nessie Foster, was an Australian poet and librettist. Gwen Harwood is regarded as one of Australia's finest poets, publishing over 420 works, including 386 poems and 13 librettos. She won numerous poetry awards and prizes...
(1920–1995), Australian poet - Gwen DavisGwen DavisGwen Davis is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, songwriter, journalist and poet.Davis has written seventeen novels, including the bestselling The Pretenders. She has also written songs, reviews, and numerous articles...
(born 1936), American novelist - Gwen GuthrieGwen GuthrieGwen Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter, who also sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Madonna, among others, and who wrote songs made famous by Ben E. King, and Roberta Flack....
(1950–1999), American singer - Gwen IfillGwen IfillGwendolyn L. "Gwen" Ifill is an American journalist, television newscaster and author. She is the managing editor and moderator of Washington Week and a senior correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, both of which air on PBS. She is a political analyst, and moderated the 2004 and 2008 Vice...
(born 1955), American journalist - Gwen JohnGwen JohnGwendolen Mary John was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career. She is noted for her still lifes and for her portraits, especially of anonymous female sitters...
(1876–1939), Welsh artist - Gwen McCraeGwen McCraeGwen McCrae is an American R&B singer, best known for her March, 1975 hit "Rockin' Chair".-Career:...
(born 1943), American singer - Gwen MooreGwen MooreGwendolynne Sophia Moore is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is based in Milwaukee and also includes South Milwaukee, Cudahy and St. Francis, and part of West Allis. She is the first woman to represent the district...
(born 1951), American politician - Gwen PlumbGwen PlumbGwen Plumb AM BEM was a veteran Australian performer of stage, radio and television.-Biography:Gwendoline Jean Plumb was born in 1912...
(1912–2002), Australian performer - Gwen RaveratGwen RaveratGwendolen Mary "Gwen" Raverat née Darwin was a celebrated English wood engraving artist who co-founded the Society of Wood Engravers in England.- Biography :...
(1885–1957), English wood engraving artist - Gwen ShamblinGwen ShamblinGwen Shamblin is an American Christian non-fiction author and leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church. The most distinctive aspect of her writing is its combination of weight loss programs with Christianity...
, American author - Gwen StefaniGwen StefaniGwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
(born 1969), American pop-rock and R&B singer - Gwen VerdonGwen VerdonGwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an actress and dancer who won four Tony awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was a critically acclaimed dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
(1925–2000), American dancer and actress
Fictional characters
- Gwen CooperGwen CooperGwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover...
, one of the main protagonists in the television series TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from... - Gwen Grayson, from 2005 movie Sky High (2005 film)Sky High (2005 film)Sky High is a 2005 American comedic superhero family film about an airborne school for teenage superheroes. It was directed by Mike Mitchell and written by Paul Hernandez, Robert Schooley, and Mark McCorkle...
- Gwen Meighen, an air stewardess from the 1968 novel Airport and its 1970 film adaptation
- Gwen NorbeckGwen NorbeckGwen Munson is a fictional character on the American soap opera As the World Turns. She was introduced in early 2005 and is played by Jennifer Landon, who won three Daytime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Younger Actress" in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively...
, from As the World TurnsAs the World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light... - Gwen Raiden, from the TV series AngelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
- Gwen StacyGwen StacyGwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
, love interest of Spider-Man who features in many of the Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
comic book series - Gwen Tennyson, from Ben 10Ben 10The Omnitrix was originally created by a Galvan named Azmuth. The Omnitrix was intended to allow beings to experience life as other species in order to bring understanding and foster peace in the universe....
- Gwen West, a character from Gavin and Stacey
- Gwen WinthropGwen WinthropGwendolyn' "Gwen" Winthrop is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. Introduced in the soap's debut episode, Gwen is portrayed by both Liza Huber and Natalie Zea...
, from the American soap opera PassionsPassionsPassions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008.... - Gwen, a character from the MMORPG Guild WarsGuild WarsGuild Wars is an episodic series of online 3D fantasy role-playing games developed by ArenaNet and published by NCsoft. Although often defined as an MMORPG the developers define it as a CORPG due to significant differences from the MMORPG genre. It provides two main modes of gameplay—a cooperative...
- Gwen, a character from Total Drama
- Gwen, a minor character from the American animated series Mission HillMission HillMission Hill is an American animated television series that first aired on The WB in 1999. Although 18 episodes were planned, only 13 episodes were produced. The show was put on hiatus by the WB Network after two episodes due to poor ratings. It returned to the WB in the summer of 2000 but was...
- Gwendolen, a tragic, snobbish novelist from "The Figure in the CarpetThe Figure in the CarpetThe Figure in the Carpet is a short story published in 1896 in London by American writer Henry James. The short story is usually referred to as a novella and is told from first person...
" by Henry James. - Gwen, a minor character from 6teen6teen6teen is a Canadian animated sitcom, which premiered in Canada in 2004 on Teletoon. In the USA, 6teen first premiered on Nickelodeon on December 18, 2005 and was removed from the schedule on May 13, 2006 before being removed completely in 2007 before the series' run could be completed. 6teen was...
- Gwen, a 2009 "Girl of the year" doll from American GirlAmerican GirlAmerican Girl is a line of dolls, books, and accessories.American Girl may also refer to:* American Girl , a magazine published by the American Girl company* American Girl , a 2002 American film...
doll collection. - Gwen, a character from The Mighty B!The Mighty B!The Mighty B! is an American animated television series co-created by Amy Poehler, Cynthia True and Erik Wiese for Nickelodeon. The series centers on Bessie Higgenbottom, an ambitious Honeybee girlscout that believes she will become a superhero called the Mighty B if she collects every Honeybee badge...