Origin: |
Bronwen is a Welsh name, composed of the elements bron "breast" -- sometimes used in placenames to mean 'hill' -- and gwen "white, blessed." Despite not coming into use in its own right as a given name until the 19th century, Bronwen was used prior to that as an alternate name for Branwen (bran "raven" + gwen), one of the most alluded to and popular figures of Welsh legend. Sister of the giant Bran, king of Britain, Branwen was married to Matholwch, King of Ireland. According to the Mabinogion, she was one of the “Three Chief Maidens” of Wales, and “the most beautiful girl in the world.”* When her half brother Efnisien insulted the Irish king, Branwen was treated cruelly by her husband and made to work as a servant. Resourceful Branwen tamed a sparrow, eventually sending it to Britain with a message to Bran to come and rescue her, and war ensued. The story of Branwen first appears in the famous Welsh prose, the White Book of Rhydderch (c. 1300-1325). While Branwen is mentioned sixteen times, the spelling Bronwen also appears once in the text. Other examples of Bronwen's use instead of Branwen can be found in Twr Bronwen, an alternate name for Harlech castle, mentioned by Welsh poet Tudor Penllyn (fl. c. 1420–1490) and later 19th century historians; and also Ynys Bronwen (Bronwen's island), another name for Bedd Branwen (Branwen's grave), a burial cairn by the river Alaw in Anglesey were legend says Branwen was buried. Though Branwen is clearly the dominant form for the romantic heroine, it could be argued that Bronwen was the original form. If Bronwen was first used, it may have been changed to Branwen to match the name of her brother Bran. Equally, if Branwen was the original, Bronwen may have arisen from the assumption that white breast is a more feminine etymology than white raven. |
Usage: |
Other than the literary character, neither Branwen or Bronwen were used as given names until the 19th century, most likely thanks to the Victorian love of all things medieval -- a style inspired by Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1820) -- and the revival of traditional Welsh names. In 1813, a grave containing a funeral urn was discovered on the banks of the river Alaw (the traditional site where Branwen was said to have been buried) in Anglesey. The site was labelled 'Ynys Bronwen' and the event made the papers. We also find references in newspapers from the early 19th century extolling the attractions of Harlech Castle, which was also known as Twr Bronwen. Here we see the literary Branwen clearly called Bronwen (see image right). Another boost to the name, and to old Welsh names in general, came with the translation of the Mabinogion by Lady Charlotte Guest, which was completed in seven parts by 1845. A revised addition was published in 1877. The name Bronwen itself was used infrequently at the beginning of the 19th century. The first record in the birth index is in 1852 in Llandovery. It was used slowly until the 1880s, when it surged in use, peaking at the turn of the century. It isn't clear what caused the name to increase tenfold, but in 1881 newspapers make several references to the marriage of Elizabeth Bronwen Hughes, daughter of the Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire, and I have also found a reference a serialised historical romance entitled Bronwen (see image right) which was published by the Welsh newspaper The Weekly Mail from 1879-1880, and translated into Welsh in 1881. Quite understandably, much of Bronwen's use was confined to Wales; the majority in South Wales, especially Glamorgan. Births in England and Wales: 1840s: 0 births Strangely, Branwen, was only registered three times in the 19th century: twice in 1888, and once in 1897 -- all in Glamorgan. Bronwyn was also used on rare occasions from 1870 in Wales and later in England in the 20th century. The slight boost in the 1940s could be attributed to its use in Richard Llewellyn novel How Green Was My Valley (1939) which brought the name to a wider audience outside of Wales. The novel was made into a Hollywood movie in 1941, where the spelling was changed to Bronwyn, thereby making that the more common spelling in the English-speaking world. At the end of the 1990s, both Bronwen and Bronwyn were in the top 600. Bronwen ranked #549 (45 births) and Bronwyn #423 (73 births) in 1996. Bronwyn was the more common spelling, probably explained by the higher population in England compared with Wales. Both names have gradually declined in use; Bronwen fell out of the top 1000 in 2004, Bronwyn fell out in 2012. In 2014, both Bronwen and Bronwen ranked at #1411 with 22 births each. In Scotland, Bronwyn is the more common spelling. Bronwyn has been registered in 28 of those forty years, starting in 1982, with between 1 and 21 births in any given year. It peaked at #200 (21 births) in 1996. In 2014, Bronwyn ranked #603 (5 births) in Scotland; Bronwen did not rank. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Bronwen Wallace (1945–1989), Canadian poet and short story writer. Contemporary: * Bronwen Astor (b. 1930), English model. Literature and Other Media: * Bronwen Morgan, Richard Llewellyn novel How Green Was My Valley (1939). |
Variants: |
Bronwyn, Bronwynn |
Pronunciation: |
BRON-wen [key] |
Possible diminutive: |
Bron, Bren, Wen |
Sibling Names: |
Margot Fenella Rhiannon Fiona Demelza Tamsin |
Name Lists: |
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Thanks to Minbin for requesting this post.