| Bronwen | Carys | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Fair, blessed breast | Love |
| Origin | Welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | BRON-wen | KA-ris |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1941 | 1991 |
| Peak year | 1980 (25) | 2006 (196) |
| In 2025 | 10 | 32 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Bronwen | Carys |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 28 | 189 |
| 2010s | 69 | 933 |
| 2000s | 99 | 1,123 |
| 1990s | 101 | 82 |
| 1980s | 126 | 0 |
| 1970s | 189 | 0 |
| 1960s | 111 | 0 |
| 1950s | 67 | 0 |
| 1940s | 82 | 0 |
Bronwen joins the Welsh for “breast” and “fair, blessed.”
A modern Welsh name formed from the stem of the verb caru 'to love' (compare car 'beloved friend', cariad 'love'). A genuine Welsh 'love' root; the variant Cerys is read the same way.
Carys is more popular than Bronwen today: about 32 US babies were given the name Carys in 2025, compared with 10 named Bronwen.
Bronwen means Fair, blessed breast (Welsh origin), while Carys means Love (welsh origin).
In US records, Bronwen first appears in 1941 and Carys in 1991, so Bronwen has the longer recorded history.