Given name

Bronwen

Bronwen is a feminine given name from Welsh. It is used in English and Welsh.

Meaning & origin

Where it comes from

Bronwen is a variant of Branwen. An origin associated with Branwen is Welsh.

Explained through its name family

How it developed

From Welsh Bronwen.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1941. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Bronwen is a variant of Branwen. The history of Branwen gives this family its wider story. Branwen appears in the Mabinogi, a medieval collection of Welsh legends.

Combines direct and name-family evidence

Bronwen through the years

Babies since 1880
872
0 boys · 872 girls
Most popular year
1980
25 babies
2025
10
#9,569 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
−46%
Cooling
051015201960198020002025Highest share 19756.2
Bronwen in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1941–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 9,569 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 25 in 1980. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 917 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Bronwen’s family of names

Bronwen has a related form in Branwen.

Walk Bronwen’s family in the name graph

BronwenBranwen

The ring: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 1

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love Bronwen, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Celtic languages

Brianne

“from the high hill; one who ascends”

24RareCooling

>99% girls

 

Brandi

“a woman wielding a sword; an alcoholic drink”

26RareEasing

>99% girls

 

Brie

“from the high hill; one who ascends”

27RareCooling

>99% girls

English

Brandy

“a woman wielding a sword; an alcoholic drink”

33RareEasing

13% boys · 87% girls

 

Kristin

“follower of Christ”

26RareCooling

3% boys · 97% girls

 

Kristen

“follower of Christ”

40UncommonEasing

6% boys · 94% girls

German

Gretchen

“resembling a pearl”

27RareCooling

>99% girls

 

Brittney

“a woman from Great Britain”

25RareCooling

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Bronwen’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Bronwen

A sister for Bronwen