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