Welsh names for boys
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Most popular Welsh names in official statistics
Wales, 2025
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Featured in baby name books
Alexander
Alexander is a Greek name meaning “defender of men” or “protector,” with countless forms worldwide, including Alessandro, Alejandro, Alistair, and Sasha. Alexander the Great made the name a byword for strength and leadership, and it has never been more popular; other famous bearers include Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Arthur
Arthur is a Celtic name usually traced to artos, “bear,” and glossed as “bear-hero” or “rock,” with Arturo and Artur as other forms. The legendary King Arthur made the name famous, and the Duke of Wellington and Tennyson’s Idylls of the King boosted it; it was in the U.S. top fifteen around 1900.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Brian
Brian is a Celtic name meaning “noble,” “high,” or “strong.” Brian is also glossed as “brave” or “virtuous.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With
Cain
Cain is a Hebrew name meaning “spear,” or one who wields a spear. Cain is also read as “acquired” or “possession.”
Sources: Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Baby Names Made Easy, Numerology for Baby Names
Cedric
Cedric is a Welsh or Celtic name meaning “leader of war” or “battle chieftain.” Cedric is also read as “spectacular bounty” or “a great prize.”
Sources: Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 10,000 Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names
Craig
Craig means “rock” or “crag” and is a Scottish surname that became a first name across the English-speaking world. Craig is familiar thanks to Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and actor Craig T. Nelson.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
David
David is a Hebrew name meaning “beloved,” “cherished,” or “darling.” The biblical David was a shepherd boy who slew Goliath, wrote psalms and music, and became a mighty king of Israel.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Dylan
Dylan is a Welsh name meaning “son of the sea” or “sea.” Dylan is a Welsh legendary hero, and the name is also read as “great sea.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Evan
Evan is the Welsh form of John, meaning “God is good” or “God is gracious.” Evan is also given a Gaelic meaning, “wellborn young warrior.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Floyd
Floyd is a Welsh name meaning “gray” or “gray-haired,” a version of Lloyd. Boxer Floyd Patterson is a famous bearer.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Gavin
Gavin is a Welsh name meaning “white hawk” or “little falcon.” Gavin is the modern form of Gawain, the brave and honorable knight of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Sources: Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Gilbert
Gilbert is a Germanic and French name meaning “bright pledge” or “bright promise”; Gilberto is the Spanish and Italian form. Other meanings offered include “brilliant hostage,” an Irish “blond boy,” and a Celtic “servant.”
Sources: 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, 10,000 Baby Names, Numerology for Baby Names
Griffin
Griffin is named for the mythical griffin, half eagle and half lion, a heraldic symbol of strength and courage. Some books trace Griffin to Latin for “one with a hooked nose.”
Sources: 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Made Easy, 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book
Harold
Harold is an Old English and Scandinavian name meaning “army ruler” or “leader of armies,” with Hal and Harry as nicknames. Harold once had royal connotations and suggests smoking jackets and parlors lined with books, but it now seems endearingly dorky, as in the film Harold and Maude or the book Harold and the Purple Crayon.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book
Hayden
Hayden is an English surname meaning “hedged valley” or “hay valley.” Hayden is also read as “hill of heather.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, The Everything Baby Names Book, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, Baby Names (Laura Emerson)
Hugh
Hugh is a Germanic name meaning “intelligent,” “mind,” or “spirit,” with “bright spirit, shining heart” also given. Hugh has been a favorite of French and English nobility since the Middle Ages; Hugo is a top-ten name in several European countries, and Hugh Jackman may revive it in the U.S.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Made Easy
Ian
Ian is the Scottish form of John, meaning “God is gracious” or “God is good,” with Iain and Ean as variants. Ian arrived in the U.S. around 1934, peaked in the mid-1960s, and long sounded quintessentially British thanks to James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names
Jacob
Jacob is a Hebrew name meaning “supplanter,” with “heel” also given. In the Bible, Jacob was the younger twin son of Isaac and Rebekah who took his brother Esau’s birthright and became a great patriarch.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
John
John is a Hebrew name meaning “God is gracious” or “God is good,” with forms across Europe such as Juan, Jean, Johann, and Sean. John was a top-five name for centuries until 1980; it remains sturdy and authoritative, evoking leaders like John Kennedy and John Adams as well as artists like John Lennon.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Book, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Jonathan
Jonathan is a Hebrew name meaning “gift from God” or “Jehovah gave.” In the Bible, Jonathan was King Saul’s oldest son and David’s loyal friend, warning him of Saul’s plot; the name thus signifies loyalty.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Classic Biblical Baby Names, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Kai
Kai is most often linked to Hawaiian “sea,” and is rising, especially for boys. Kai is also Japanese for “forgiveness.”
Sources: Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, The Best Baby Names for Boys, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Keith
Keith is a Scottish surname meaning “forest” or “wood.” Keith once evoked bagpipes and heather but is now an established first name, worn by Keith Urban, Keith Haring, and Keith Carradine.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Kendrick
Kendrick is an English or Gaelic name meaning “royal ruler,” “royal hero,” or “powerful royal.” Kendrick can also be Scottish, from MacKendrick, “son of Henry,” and is a squarely masculine choice with hard K sounds at both ends.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Kent
Kent is taken from the county in southeast England. Kent is read as “border” or “edge,” with Made Easy calling it Celtic for “coastal border; white.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Unusual Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy
Maddox
Maddox is a Welsh name, a version of Madoc, meaning “fortunate.” Maddox is also read as “generous,” “beneficent,” or “son of the benefactor.”
Sources: Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, The Best Baby Names for Boys
Marvin
Marvin is a modern form of the Welsh Mervyn, meaning “sea friend” or “lover of the sea.” Marvin is also glossed as “mariner” or “gentle lord.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Numerology for Baby Names, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, Baby Names Book
Meredith
Meredith is a Welsh name meaning “great ruler,” “great leader,” or “splendid lord.” Meredith is also linked to the sea, glossed as “guardian from the sea.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Numerology for Baby Names
Rhys
Rhys is a Welsh name meaning “enthusiasm,” “ardour,” or “fiery,” anglicized as Reece and Reese. Rhys is a hot import from Wales, pronounced “Rees” and also said to mean “love.”
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Best Baby Names for Girls, The Everything Baby Names Book, Numerology for Baby Names, Unusual Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time
Ryan
Ryan is an Irish Gaelic name meaning “little king,” from the older form Rían, borne by several saints and warriors. Ryan O’Neal’s 1970 films Love Story and Ryan’s Daughter shot the name into the top twenty, where it has held steady for decades.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book, Irish Names for Children, Numerology for Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With
Trevor
Trevor is a Welsh surname meaning “large homestead” or “large settlement,” with Trefor and Trev as variants. The name became a first name in the 1950s because of the English actor Trevor Howard, and it is also borne by director Trevor Nunn and baseball player Trevor Hoffman.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, 1,107 Baby Names That Stand the Test of Time, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Best Baby Names for Boys, The Everything Baby Names Book
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These lists are only intended to give you name ideas. Make sure to further research each name, as some may have negative connotations.