| Rhiannon | Gwen | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | great queen | White, fair, blessed |
| Origin | welsh | Welsh |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ree-AN-un | GWEN |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1974 | 1890 |
| Peak year | 1999 (651) | 1959 (942) |
| In 2025 | 210 | 384 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Rhiannon | Gwen |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,245 | 2,113 |
| 2010s | 1,444 | 2,817 |
| 2000s | 4,075 | 1,453 |
| 1990s | 3,833 | 512 |
| 1980s | 3,276 | 1,071 |
| 1970s | 1,666 | 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 |
Thought to derive from the reconstructed Celtic 'Rigantona', meaning 'great queen' (from the root 'rigani', queen). A figure of sovereignty in the Welsh Mabinogi. The reconstruction is scholarly, so the 'great queen' sense is widely accepted but not attested directly.
Gwen means “white,” “fair” or “blessed” in Welsh.
Gwen is more popular than Rhiannon today: about 384 US babies were given the name Gwen in 2025, compared with 210 named Rhiannon.
Rhiannon means great queen (welsh origin), while Gwen means White, fair, blessed (Welsh origin).
In US records, Rhiannon first appears in 1974 and Gwen in 1890, so Gwen has the longer recorded history.