Gwen is a Welsh feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

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) () * 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 Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

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

People

* Gwen Apuli (born 2003), Filipino singer and member of girl group Bini * Gwen Benaway (born 1987), Canadian poet and activist * Gwen Barlee (1963–2017), Canadian environmental activist * Gwen Berry (born 1989), American hammer thrower * Gwen Bristow (1903–1980), American author and journalist * Gwen Carr (born 1949), American activist, public speaker, and author * Gwen Davis (born 1936), American novelist * Gwen Dickey (born 1953), American musician * Gwen ferch Ellis (c. 1542 – 1594), the first recorded woman accused of witchcraft in Wales * Gwen Farrar (1897–1944), English musician, actress and comedian * Gwen Fleming (1916–2011), Australian doctor * Gwen Frostic (1906–2001), American artist, entrepreneur, and author * Gwen Gillen (1941–2017), American sculptor and artist * Gwen Graham (born 1963), American lawyer and politician * Gwen Guthrie (1950–1999), American singer * Gwen Hall (1951–2006), American minister and activist * Gwen Harwood (1920–1995), Australian poet * Gwen Heeney (1952–2016), British sculptor * 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 Knapp (1961–2023), American sports journalist * Gwen Shamblin Lara (1955–2021), American founder of the Remnant Fellowship Cult and ''The Weigh Down Workshop'' * Gwen Lee (1904–1961), American actress * Gwen Margolis (1934–2020), American politician * Gwen Marston (1936–2019), American quilter, teacher, lecturer, and author *

Gwen McCrae Gwendolyn Patricia McCrae ( Mosley, December 21, 1943 – February 21, 2025) was an American singer, best known for her 1975 hit record, hit "Rockin' Chair (Gwen McCrae song), Rockin' Chair". Known in the music industry as the "Queen of Rare Gro ...

(born 1943), American singer * Gwen Meredith (1907–2006), Australian writer, dramatist and playwright, and radio writer * Gwen Moore (born 1951), American politician * Gwen Nagel (1946–2009), New Zealand cricketer and international cricket umpire * Gwen Ngwenya (born 1989), South African academic and politician * Gwen O'Mahony (born 1972), Canadian politician * Gwen Plumb (1912–2002), Australian performer * Gwen van Poorten (born 1989), Dutch television presenter * Gwen Ramokgopa, South African politician * Gwen Raverat (1885–1957), English wood engraving artist * Gwen Rix (1918−2000), New Zealand diver * Gwen Richardson (1894–1944), Australian actress and travel writer * 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 Svekis (born 1996), American softball player * Gwen Teirbron, Sixth century Breton saint *

Gwen Torrence Gwendolyn Lenna Torrence (born June 12, 1965) is a retired American sprinter and Olympic champion. She was born in Decatur, Georgia. She attended Columbia High School and the University of Georgia. She was offered a scholarship because of her ...

(born 1965), American sprinter and Olympic champion * Gwen Verdon (1925–2000), American dancer and actress * Gwen Walz (born 1966), American civic leader and educator * Gwen Watford (1927–1994), English 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 Cummings, character in '' 28 Days'' * 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 Mallard, a little duck from Migration * Gwen Meighen, an air stewardess from the 1968 novel ''

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

'' and its 1970 film adaptation * Gwen Norbeck Munson, from the TV soap opera '' As the World Turns'' * Gwen Raiden, from the TV series ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' * Gwen Rizczech, from the American soap opera '' Days of Our Lives'' * Gwen Runck, from the TV series '' That '90s Show'' *

Gwen Stacy Gwendolyne Maxine "Gwen" Stacy is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man (Peter Parker). A college student and the daughter of George Stacy, Georg ...

, character found in American comic books published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, fictional character in Marc Webb's '' Amazing Spider-Man'' films * Gwen Tennyson, from

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

'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 ''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 "D.I.C.E. Award for Role-Playing Game ...

'', 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, collectible card game or Miniature wargaming, miniature wargame. An expansion may introduce new rules ...

'', 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 same ...

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

Marvel Entertainment

* Gwen Poole, the protagonist of the '' Unbelievable Gwenpool'' comic book series * Gwen Stacy (Earth-616), a love interest of Peter Parker (

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

) in many of the ''Spider-Man'' comic book series ** Gwen Stacy (Earth-65), the superhero Spider-Woman in the '' Spider-Gwen'' comic book series *** Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld in the ''Spider-Verse'' films ** Gwen Stacy (''The Amazing Spider-Man''), portrayed by Emma Stone in the ''Amazing Spider-Man'' films * Gwen Warren / Spider-Girl, a superhero and member of the X-Men

References

{{given name, Gwen Breton feminine given names English feminine given names Welsh feminine given names Feminine given names English given names Hypocorisms English-language feminine given names

People

Fictional characters

Marvel Entertainment

See also

References