Gwen is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

feminine given name meaning "white, holy". It can be a shortened form of '' Gwenhwyfar'' (

Guinevere Guinevere ( ; cy, Gwenhwyfar ; br, Gwenivar, kw, Gwynnever), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First me ...

) or other names beginning with the same element, such as: * Gwenhael, Gwenael, Gwenvael, Gwenaelle * Gwenda (explained as a compound of ''

gwen Gwen may refer to: * Gwen (given name), including a list of people with the name * ''Gwen, or the Book of Sand'', a 1985 animated film * Gwen (film), a 2018 horror film * Tropical Storm Gwen, several storms with the name Acronyms * AN/URC-117 Grou ...

'' "white, pure, blessed, holy" + '' da'' "good, well") * Gwendolen, Gwendoline,

Gwendolyn Gwendolyn is a feminine given name, a variant spelling of ''Gwendolen'' (perhaps influenced by names such as '' Carolyn'', '' Evelyn'' and '' Marilyn''). This has been the most popular spelling in the United States. Notable people called Gwendol ...

*Gweneira (from ''gwen'' "white" + '' eira'' "snow") *Gwenfair (combination of ''gwen'' "blessed, holy" + -''fair'', soft mutation of ''Mair'' "(the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

) Mary") * Winefride (originally Gwenffrewi) ( br, Gwenvred) *Gwenfron (from ''gwen'' "white" + '' fron'', mutated form of ''

bron Bron () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, eastern France. Geography Bron lies east-southeast of central Lyon. It is the sixth-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is adjacent to its east side. Clima ...

'' "breast"; ''cf.''

Bronwen Bronwen () is a Welsh feminine given name. It is closely associated with the similar name '' Branwen'', which appears in medieval Welsh literature. Used in Wales since the 19th century, it was introduced to the English-speaking public at large by ...

) *Gwenyth, Gwenith (identical to the Welsh word for "wheat") *

Gwenllian Gwenllian (or Gwenllïan) (Welsh, a combination of ''gwen'' "fair, blessed, white" and ''llian'' " flaxen") was the name of several ladies who lived in medieval Wales. The two best known have, for different reasons, become symbols of Welsh patriot ...

*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 Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...

or the Welsh 'gwynaeth', meaning joy, bliss or happiness.

People

* 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 Gwen Harwood (née Gwendoline Nessie Foster, 8 June 19205 December 1995) was an Australian poet and librettist. Harwood is regarded as one of Australia's finest poets, publishing over 420 works, including 386 poems and 13 librettos. She won n ...

(1920–1995), Australian poet *

Gwen Ifill Gwendolyn L. Ifill ( ; September 29, 1955 – November 14, 2016) was an American journalist, television newscaster, and author. In 1999, she became the first African-American woman to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program ...

(1955–2016), American journalist *

Gwen John Gwendolen Mary John (22 June 1876 – 18 September 1939) was a Welsh artist who worked in France for most of her career. Her paintings, mainly portraits of anonymous female sitters, are rendered in a range of closely related tones. Although sh ...

(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 Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" Raverat (née Darwin; 26 August 1885 – 11 February 1957), was an English wood engraver who was a founder member of the Society of Wood Engravers. Her memoir ''Period Piece (book), Period Piece'' was published in 1952. Bi ...

(1885–1957), English wood engraving artist *

Gwen Sebastian Gwen Noel Sebastian is an American country music singer-songwriter. Sebastian was signed to Lofton Creek Records in 2009 and released two singles for the label. In 2012, she was a contestant on the second season of '' The Voice'' but lost in the ...

(born 1974) American Country-rock singer *

Gwen Shamblin Gwen Shamblin Lara (February 18, 1955 – May 29, 2021) was an American author, founder of the Christian diet program ''The Weigh Down Workshop'' and founder of the Remnant Fellowship. She is the subject of the 2021 HBO Max docuseries, '' The W ...

, American author *

Gwen Smith Gwendolyn Smith is a Trinidadian former cricketer who played as a right-arm fast bowler. She appeared in 4 One Day Internationals for the West Indies, all at the 1997 World Cup. She played domestic cricket for Trinidad and Tobago Trinid ...

, West Indian cricketer * Gwen Somerset, (1894–1988), New Zealand educator *

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs ...

(born 1969), American pop-rock, Ska and R&B singer *

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

(1925–2000), American dancer and actress

Fictional characters

Saint Gwen Teirbron Gwen Teirbron (French: Blanche; Latin: Alba Trimammis or Candida; possibly English: Wite) was a Breton holy woman and wife of Fragan who supposedly lived in the 5th or 6th century. Her epithet is Welsh for '(of the) three breasts'. Veneration Po ...

(sometimes called " Blanche" in French sources) * Gwen Choke, James Adams' deceased mother in the

CHERUB A cherub (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

novel series * Gwen Cooper, one of the main protagonists in the television series ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of '' Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'' * Gwen Grayson, a character in the movie ''

Sky High Sky High or Skyhigh may refer to: Business * Sky High Aviation Services, an airline based in the Dominican Republic Film and television * ''Sky High'' (1922 film), an American silent film * ''Sky High'' (1951 film), a US Air Force comedy wit ...

'' (2005) * Gwen Kindle, a character from the stop-motion series ''

The Most Popular Girls in School ''The Most Popular Girls in School'' (abbreviated ''MPGIS'') is an American adult stop-motion animated comedy web series that debuted on YouTube on May 1, 2012. Created by Mark Cope and Carlo Moss, the series animates Barbie, Ken and other fash ...

'' * Gwen Meighen, an air stewardess from the 1968 novel ''

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

'' and its 1970 film adaptation *

Gwen Norbeck Munson Gwen Norbeck Munson is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns''. She was introduced on March 30, 2005, and was portrayed by Jennifer Landon until April 4, 2008, and again in 2010. Landon won three Daytime Emm ...

, from the TV soap opera ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' * Gwen Poole, the protagonist of the ''

Unbelievable Gwenpool ''The Unbelievable Gwenpool'', more commonly called ''Unbelievable Gwenpool'', is a manga-influenced superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring Gwenpool as its main protagonist. The series was a spin-off from the charact ...

'' comic book series * Gwen Raiden, from the TV series ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...

'' *

Gwen Stacy Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Sta ...

, a

love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

of Peter Parker ( Spider-Man) in many of the ''Spider-Man'' comic book series * Gwen Tennyson, from Cartoon Network's ''

Ben 10 ''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device res ...

'' franchise * Gwen West, a character from the TV sitcom ''

Gavin & Stacey ''Gavin & Stacey'' is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, South Wales. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the titular characters Gavin and Stacey and the writers ...

'' * Gwen Hotchkiss Winthrop, from the American soap opera ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

'' *

Gwen Wu ''The Mighty B!'' (stylized in all caps) is an American animated television series created by Amy Poehler, Cynthia True, and Erik Wiese for Nickelodeon. The series centers on Bessie Higgenbottom, an ambitious Honeybee girl scout who believes sh ...

, a character from the Nickelodeon animated TV series '' The Mighty B!'' * Gwen, a minor character from the American animated series ''

Mission Hill Mission Hills or Mission Hill may refer to: Places Communities ;In the United States (alphabetically by state) * Mission Hills, Santa Barbara County, California, a town north of the city of Lompoc * Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, in the S ...

'' * Gwen, a character from the Canadian animated series ''

Total Drama ''Total Drama'' (often shortened as ''TD'') is a Canadian animated television series created by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis that premiered on Teletoon in Canada on July 8, 2007, and on Cartoon Network in the U.S. on June 5, 2008. The s ...

'' * Gwen, a minor character from '' 6teen'' * Gwen, a 2009 "Girl of the Year" doll from the ''

American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...

'' collection * Gwen, the recurring character from '' Johnny and the Sprites'' * Gwen, a recurring character from ''

Sam & Cat ''Sam & Cat'' is an American teen sitcom that originally aired from June 8, 2013, to July 17, 2014, on Nickelodeon. It is a spin-off of two TV shows ''iCarly'' and '' Victorious'', which Dan Schneider also created. It stars Jennette McCurdy a ...

'' * Gwen, a recurring character in the MMORPG ''

Guild Wars ''Guild Wars'' is an online role-playing game franchise developed by ArenaNet and published by NCSOFT. The games were critically well received and won many editor's choice awards, as well as awards such as Best Value, Best Massively Multiplay ...

'', its ''

expansion pack An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or a ...

'', and its

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the sam ...

* Gwen, the castle's kitchen maid from ''

Sofia the First ''Sofia the First'' is an American animated fantasy children's television series. The show follows a young peasant girl named Sofia (Ariel Winter), who becomes a princess after her mother marries the king of Enchancia. Episodes focus on her adv ...

'' * Gwen, a gunslinger hero in the video game ''

Vainglory Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic s ...

'' * Gwendaline, a character from the movie '' Bad Moms'' * Gwen (or

), from the British TV series ''

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

'' * Gwen, the Hallowed Seamstress, a playable champion character in the multiplayer online battle arena video game

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a custom map for ''Warcraft III'', Ri ...

References

{{given name, Gwen, cat=Welsh feminine given names English feminine given names English given names Hypocorisms Breton feminine given names

People

Fictional characters

See also

References