She’s almost a Welsh goddess and was one of the world’s first supermodels. But toy with the spelling, and she’s a boy.
Thanks to Allison for suggesting Bronwen as Name of the Day.
In the good ol’ US of A, Emersyn and Carsyn are girls. The y spellings are supposed to indicate femininity. Head over to Wales and the opposite holds true – Bronwen is a girl. Bronwyn is a boy.
Still, it is tough to argue with usage, and so you’ll find Bronwyn listed as a feminine appellation in baby name books, too.
The derivation might be obvious to name addicts. That gwen bit means fair – like Gwendolen. Bron means breast.
Janet Brownwen Alun Pugh was an aristocratic English girl who grew up to model tea dresses. She eventually became the inspiration for early 20th century fashionista Pierre Balmain. In her day, she was as famous as Kate Moss. (Though models earned a pittance compared to our time.) She dropped her rather workaday Janet in favor of her more exotic middle name early in her career.
Bronwen was more than just a pretty face. She married Viscount Astor and eventually endured scandal and widowhood at a young age. (The scandal toppled a prime minister, after a senior official in his government had an affair with a showgirl who also happened to be the mistress of a Soviet spy. The Astors hosted the party where the pair connected.) Bronwen picked herself up and has gone on to have quite the career in psychotherapy and random acts of kindness.
Strictly speaking, the goddess of love is not Bronwen, but Branwen. The two names have slightly different roots, nevertheless you’ll find Bronwen listed as a variant form and vice versa. Perhaps that’s because they’re used interchangeably in literature. (More on that in a minute.)
Spell it however you wish, this name has never charted in the US Top 1000. But she’s not completely unfamiliar. A few famous bearers of the name include:
- Canadian poet Bronwen Wallace;
- Australian poet Bronwyn Lea;
- A handful of athletes and politicians using both spellings of the name.
While Bronwen sounds appealingly medieval, all of our famous Bronwens are 20th century figures and beyond. Like many a mythological moniker, it is tough to turn up a medieval bearer of the name. The fifteenth century poet Tudur Penllyn refers to a Bronwen. Some medieval versions of the Tristan and Isolde story include a character called Branwen, usually a cousin or other close confidante of Isolde.
On balance, I find Bronwen accessible despite her rarity. (I was sure she’d rank in the US Top 1000 at some point in recent history, but nope – I was wrong!)
She might not have a long history as a given name, but she certainly has literary and mythological roots. If you’re looking for something simple and frills-free for a daughter, Bronwen is one to consider.
I love the name Bronwen/Bronwyn and have since I was a young adolescent scouting through her first name book (I started reading ’em early!). I’ve since gone to university and become friends with a Bronwen, which only lends the name greater appeal. I don’t think I could get the name past my husband however.
I really like Bronwen, just like many Welsh names. It’s a shame that these traditional Welsh names are being used less frequently for ease of pronounciation. Still, I think Bronwen is one English and American ears can master!
I’m loving Bronwen/Bronwyn for a girl’s name. I think the name is powerful and pretty, and would definitely use it. Bronwen a character in Dean Koontz’s “Odd Thomas” series, as Bronwen “Stormy” Llewellyn.
I also remember a recent starbaby twin with the name Bronwyn Golden, and I think her brother was named Slater Josiah. Funny how you remember these things.
I love Bronwen and Bronwyn along with a few other Br- names. I find that a lot of names I like have an “n” in there somewhere. This is one that I come across on name boards but not IRL – hard to believe that it has never ranked in the Top 1000! I love that it is uncommon but not “weird”
I take it back. I like it written, but when I say it out loud, it irks me.
It’s a beautiful name – yet somehow, I can’t picture ever naming my daughter Bronwen (or Bronwyn, which just appeals to me more). There’s something about that Br- sound that doesn’t totally appeal to me, but as a whole, it’s a beauty of a name. I’m not being clear, but I can’t get any clearer than that…
I agree that Bronwyn looks like the better spelling. I have a Great Aunt Olwen, and I always want to spell it Olwyn. (I’m one quarter Welsh – unfortunately, Olwen is the only family name to get passed down.)
I love it. I can’t say enough about it. Had our little one been a girl, she would have been a Bronwen (alas, now I’m forced to struggle over boy names!).
I had to laugh reading JNE’s thing about west Philly suburbs. It’s true. 🙂
Bronwen’s fabulous! Exotic, accessible and oh so pretty. 😀
She’s one of 13 B names on my collected favorites list and one of two Br- names. I too usually find Br- too harsh. (Bryony is the other).
But Bronwen’s got style and substance and a whole lot of charcter. I really like that! I can’t get her past the other half “too masculine soundng” he says. (As if Josephine’s not stong enough to stand up well)! I would absolutely love meeting some though, I really do think Bronwen’s Fab-u-lous!
Funny, Lola – Bryony is one my faves, too! And I agree – Briana and Brenda always sound a bit brusque to my ear. (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Bronwen is lovely and it used to be in my combos quite frequently. I’ve since moved on to more ostensibly English names, but Bronwen remains pretty as ever. It’s one of the few Br- names I like, because I usually find them terribly unattractive. Like JNE, I wouldn’t use it myself, but would be charmed to meet a little one!
JNE, you’re right about the Philadelphia ‘burbs! And it’s funny – it never occurred to me that’s why I know how to pronounce Welsh names so well. 🙂
With the Welsh names I struggle – usually I like them well enough, but don’t love them… Bronwen is no exception (there are only a few I’m more partial to – it is something I tried hard to embrace, since our surname is Welsh and my husband was insistent that he wanted the first name to “go with it”). Bronwen is fine and I think it would be lovely to meet a baby Bronwen. However, perhaps it’s because I spent 4 years in the western suburbs of Philly, with tons of Welsh place names there, but many of the Welsh names for people kind of sound like place names to me, even when they’re not.
As for the gender confusion, after my stint in England, where many names are the opposite gender to that assumed in the states, I’ve become less concerned about the “original” gender and more interested in the currently accepted gender of the name (boys called Ashleigh in the US might find middle school awfully difficult, for example). Having said that, I would personally steer clear of names where the gender would be confusing across the pond, since half of our family is there. Bronwen is not for me, but it certainly would be a lovely name for another’s little one.
JNE, I think your attitude about gendered names is wise. I don’t get in a twist shouting “But Madison is a boy’s name!” either. I know a 4 y.o. boy called Avery, and I suspect he might be downright annoyed about it in a few more years.