| Olwen | Blodwen | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | White footprint | White flowers |
| Origin | Welsh | welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | OL-wen | BLOD-wen |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1913 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1917 (12) | 1913 (8) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Olwen | Blodwen |
|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 |
| 1920s | 0 | 11 |
| 1910s | 22 | 14 |
| 1890s | 0 | 11 |
Olwen means “white footprint,” for flowers said to spring up where she walked.
From Welsh 'blodau' (flowers) + 'gwen' (white, blessed, holy), so 'white flowers' (or 'blessed flowers'). Known from Joseph Parry's 1878 Welsh opera 'Blodwen'.
Olwen and Blodwen are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Olwen means White footprint (Welsh origin), while Blodwen means White flowers (welsh origin).
In US records, Olwen first appears in 1913 and Blodwen in 0, so Blodwen has the longer recorded history.