| Carys | Gwen | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Love | White, fair, blessed |
| Origin | welsh | Welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | KA-ris | GWEN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1991 | 1890 |
| Peak year | 2006 (196) | 1959 (942) |
| In 2025 | 32 | 384 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Carys | Gwen |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 189 | 2,113 |
| 2010s | 933 | 2,817 |
| 2000s | 1,123 | 1,453 |
| 1990s | 82 | 512 |
| 1980s | 0 | 1,071 |
| 1970s | 0 | 2,753 |
| 1960s | 0 | 5,961 |
| 1950s | 0 | 6,780 |
| 1940s | 0 | 4,050 |
| 1930s | 0 | 2,808 |
| 1920s | 0 | 1,337 |
| 1910s | 0 | 716 |
| 1900s | 0 | 186 |
| 1890s | 0 | 60 |
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.
Gwen means “white,” “fair” or “blessed” in Welsh.
Gwen is more popular than Carys today: about 384 US babies were given the name Gwen in 2025, compared with 32 named Carys.
Carys means Love (welsh origin), while Gwen means White, fair, blessed (Welsh origin).
In US records, Carys first appears in 1991 and Gwen in 1890, so Gwen has the longer recorded history.