Gwendolyn
Encyclopedia
Gwendolyn is a Welsh
female first name, derived from Gwendolen
.
, a fictional queen in the Historia Regum Britanniae
written by Geoffrey of Monmouth
in 1135. Geoffrey also used the name in his Vita Merlini
to refer to a different character, Merlin's wife; the metre shows that he pronounced the name as a pentasyllable, Guĕndŏlŏēnă, with the "gu" pronounced "gw". Spelled Gwendoloena, the name appears as that of Arthur's queen Guinevere
in the Latin romance De Ortu Waluuanii. Arthur Hutson has suggested that Geoffrey misread the masculine Old Welsh name Guendoleu as Guendolen, and then chose to Latinize it. The first records of a real person being named Gwendolen appear in the 19th century. Gwendoline was in use in England in the 1860s, and Gwendolen appeared in Daniel Deronda, written by George Eliot
and published in serialized form 1874-6.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
female first name, derived from Gwendolen
Gwendolen
- Meaning :Gwendolen is derived from the Welsh words "gwen" and "dolen". Both words have multiple possible meanings. The word "gwen" can mean "white", "fair" or "blessed". The word "dolen" can mean "ring", "bow" or less commonly "brow", or "hair"...
.
Meaning
Gwendolyn is derived from the Welsh words "gwen" and "dolen" or "dolyn". Both words have multiple possible meanings. The word "gwen" can mean "white", "fair" or "blessed". The word "dolen" can mean "ring", "bow" or less commonly "brow", "moon" or "hair". Thus, Gwendolyn may mean "White Ring", "Fair Brow" or any other combination.History
The name Gwendolyn is a modification of the name GuendoloenaQueen Gwendolen
Queen Gwendolen was a legendary ruler of Britain, whose life is described in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. According to Geoffrey, she was the wife of King Locrinus of the Britons until she defeated him in battle and took on the leadership of Britain herself.Gwendolen was the...
, a fictional queen in the Historia Regum Britanniae
Historia Regum Britanniae
The Historia Regum Britanniae is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written c. 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the kings of the Britons in a chronological narrative spanning a time of two thousand years, beginning with the Trojans founding the British nation...
written by Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
in 1135. Geoffrey also used the name in his Vita Merlini
Vita Merlini
Vita Merlini, or The Life of Merlin, is a work by the Norman-Welsh author Geoffrey of Monmouth, composed in Latin around AD 1150. It retells incidents from the life of the Brythonic seer Merlin, and is based on traditional material about him....
to refer to a different character, Merlin's wife; the metre shows that he pronounced the name as a pentasyllable, Guĕndŏlŏēnă, with the "gu" pronounced "gw". Spelled Gwendoloena, the name appears as that of Arthur's queen Guinevere
Guinevere
Guinevere was the legendary queen consort of King Arthur. In tales and folklore, she was said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot...
in the Latin romance De Ortu Waluuanii. Arthur Hutson has suggested that Geoffrey misread the masculine Old Welsh name Guendoleu as Guendolen, and then chose to Latinize it. The first records of a real person being named Gwendolen appear in the 19th century. Gwendoline was in use in England in the 1860s, and Gwendolen appeared in Daniel Deronda, written by George Eliot
George Eliot
Mary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
and published in serialized form 1874-6.
Famous people
- Gwendolyn B. BennettGwendolyn B. BennettGwendolyn B. Bennett was an African American writer who contributed to Opportunity, which chronicled cultural advancements in Harlem. Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose...
(1902–1981) American writer - Gwendolyn BradleyGwendolyn BradleyGwendolyn Bradley is an American soprano who performed on many opera and concert stages.Mrs. Bradley grew up in Bishopville, South Carolina and was trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Her debut was as Nannetta in...
American soprano - Gwendolyn T. BrittGwendolyn T. BrittGwendolyn Britt was a member of the Maryland State Senate, first elected in 2003, to represent District 47 in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA, winning with 99.4% of the vote...
(1941–2008) American Democratic politician - Gwendolyn BrooksGwendolyn BrooksGwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was an American poet. She was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968 and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985.-Biography:...
(1917–2000) American poet - Gwendolyn FaisonGwendolyn FaisonGwendolyn A. Faison is an American Democratic politician. Faison was Mayor of Camden, New Jersey. She was first appointed when Milton Milan was convicted of corruption and forced to leave office in 2000. She had served as City Council President since 1997. She won re-election in 2001 and 2005...
American Democratic politician - Gwendolyn Audrey FosterGwendolyn Audrey FosterGwendolyn Audrey Foster is a professor in the Department of English, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, specializing in film studies, cultural studies, and Postfeminist Critical Theory...
American Professor - Gwendolyn Graham (1963-) American serial killer
- Gwendolyn GarciaGwendolyn GarciaGwendolyn Fiel Garcia , commonly known as Gwen, is the Governor of the Philippine province of Cebu. She was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2007. She is Cebu's first woman governor...
(1955-) Philippine politician - Gwendolyn HolbrowGwendolyn HolbrowGwendolyn Holbrow , is an American artist. Primarily a sculptor, she works in a variety of media and addresses an eclectic array of topics, with exploration of boundaries a recurring theme: between the tangible and intangible worlds; between the genders; between the individual and society...
(1957-) American artist - Gwendolyn KingGwendolyn KingGwendolyn S. King is an American businesswoman. From 1989 to 1992 she was the Commissioner of the American Social Security Administration.-Career:...
American businesswoman - Gwendolyn KnightGwendolyn KnightGwendolyn Clarine Knight was an African American artist from Barbados, in the West Indies.Gwendolyn Knight painted throughout her life, but did not start seriously exhibiting her work until the 1970s. Her first retrospective when she was nearly eighty years old...
(1914–2005) American sculptor - Gwendolyn LauGwendolyn LauGwendolyn Lau is an American voice actress who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films.-Anime:* Aquarion - Manamana...
American voice actress - Gwendolyn LycettGwendolyn LycettGloria Gwendolyn Lycett was a British figure skater.She competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics, the first Olympics where figure skating was contested, and finished fifth out of five skaters. She also participated at the World Figure Skating Championships twice, finishing fourth in 1912.-Competitive...
British figure skater - Gwendolyn MacEwenGwendolyn MacEwenGwendolyn Margaret MacEwen was a Canadian poet and novelist. A "sophisticated, wide-ranging and thoughtful writer," she published more than 20 books in her brief life. "A sense of magic and mystery from her own interests in the Gnostics, Ancient Egypt and magic itself, and from her wonderment at...
(1941–1987) Canadian novelist and poet - Gwendolyn Osborne British model and actress
- Gwendolyn "Gwen" StefaniGwen StefaniGwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
American singer - Gwendolyn SanfordGwendolyn (artist)Gwendolyn Sanford is a singer-songwriter who was born in Philadelphia and raised in Sierra Madre, California. Her work, and the appreciation of it, reflects the continuing popularity of independent recording artists who eschew the pursuit of commercial success associated with major record labels...
American singer-songwriter - Gwendolyn ZepedaGwendolyn ZepedaGwendolyn Zepeda is an American author.In June 1997, Zepeda started an online journal called Gwen's Trailer Trash Page. It eventually evolved into...
(1971-) American Author - Gwendolyn Dew (1903–1993) writer
Fictional characters
- Gwendolyn "Gwen" StacyGwen StacyGwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
A supporting character in the Spider-man series - Gwendolyn Bracknell from Oscar Wilde'sOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
The Importance of Being EarnestThe Importance of Being EarnestThe Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations... - Gwendolyn, one of the protagonists in the video game Odin SphereOdin Sphereis a 2D fantasy action RPG video game. Developed by Vanillaware and localized and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2007, it tells the interlocking stories of five different protagonists. Odin Sphere is considered a spiritual successor to an Atlus game titled Princess Crown and takes some...
See also
- GwenGwen (given name)Gwen is Celtic name meaning "white" in Welsh and in Breton when spelled Gwenn.Many other first names are derived from Gwen or Gwenn :*Gwenllian*Gwenffrewi *Gwenhwyfar *Gwenfair*Gwenno*Gwennan*Gwenvred*Gwendal*Gwendalynne...
, including list of alternate spellings and related names. - Gwendolen (disambiguation)
- Gwendoline (disambiguation)