Gawain

The first name Gawain is a Welsh variant of the old Welsh names Gwalchgwyn and Gwalchmei.

What does the name Gawain mean?

The name Gawain, a Welsh form, derives from the old Welsh names Gwalchgwyn and Gwalchmei. The meanings vary and can include 'the white falcon', 'the falcon of light', or 'the warrior of light'. Additionally, it is associated with 'the falcon of the field' or 'the May falcon'. The name has its roots in Old Welsh, where the first element gwalch means 'falcon' or 'hawk' and the second element gwyn or gwen means 'white', 'bright', 'blond', 'radiant', 'blessed', and 'holy' or mei means 'the flat land' and 'the month of May'. Gawain is also the name of a nephew of King Arthur and one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. Furthermore, Gawain appears as a central figure in a work by Gillian Bradshaw. Variants of the name include Gwaine and Gwain.

Where does the name Gawain come from?

The origin of the name Gawain is Old Welsh, carrying the meaning 'the white falcon'.

How do you pronounce Gawain?

Gawain is pronounced approximately like 'Gawen'.

Popularity

In Germany, Gawain is a relatively rare first name. In 2015, it ranked 3,527th on the list of the most common male first names. Its best placement was in 2012 at 3,479th. In the last ten years, Gawain has been given as a first name less than 10 times, which earned it the 6,739th place in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it ranks 6,874th.

Nicknames & pet names

Gavin / Gaw / Gawinie / Wini

Similar first names

Famous people

• Gawain Briars (squash player from Great Britain)
• Gawain Jones (English chess player)
• Gawain Robards (character from Harry Potter)
• Sir Gawain (Knight of the Round Table (Arthurian legend))