Character Name
Bran
Bran Bran carries the authority of a great king and the melancholy of a figure whose fate is both magnificent and tragic. The raven symbolism links the name to prophecy, wisdom, and the boundary between life and death. Characters named Bran tend to be larger than life — physically imposing, royally generous, and possessed of a long view of history that grants them both wisdom and a certain detachment from ordinary human concerns.
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Famous characters named Bran
Bran the Blessed
The Mabinogion — Traditional Welsh Mythology
The giant king of Britain who goes to war with Ireland to rescue his sister Branwen and whose severed head continues to speak, prophesy, and feast for eighty-seven years.
Bran mac Febail
The Voyage of Bran — Traditional Irish Mythology
The Irish hero who sails to the Land of Women and otherworldly islands of the western sea in one of the earliest Celtic voyage tales.
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Related names
Taliesin
Welsh · “Derived from the Welsh elements "tal" meaning "brow" or "head" and "iesin" meaning "shining" or "radiant" — together meaning "shining brow". This was the name of the great semi-legendary 6th-century Welsh bard who is credited with the earliest surviving Welsh poetry. Taliesin appears in Welsh legend as a shape-shifting prophet born of the enchantress Ceridwen's cauldron after consuming drops of her potion of wisdom.”
Gawain
Welsh · “Derived from the Welsh name "Gwalchmei", meaning "hawk of May" or "hawk of the plain", from "gwalch" (hawk) and "mei" (May) or "mei" (field). Alternatively derived from a Brythonic form meaning "white hawk". Sir Gawain is one of the most important knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, nephew to King Arthur and known for his legendary courtesy, honour, and prowess in arms.”
Emrys
Welsh · “Welsh form of the Late Latin "Ambrosius", from the Greek "ambrosios" meaning "immortal" or "divine", from "ambrotos" (immortal). Emrys is most famous as the Welsh name of the legendary wizard Merlin, who appears as "Myrddin Emrys" in Welsh tradition — the prophetic magician who serves as counsellor to Uther Pendragon and Arthur. The name carries associations with prophecy, hidden knowledge, and sacred power.”
Bedwyr
Welsh · “Derived from Welsh elements, possibly from "bedw" meaning "birch" and "gwyrr" meaning "man" — together meaning "birch man". Bedwyr was one of the original companions of King Arthur in early Welsh tradition — the one-handed warrior who was Arthur's most loyal champion long before the French romances invented Lancelot. In the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, Bedwyr is described as the swiftest and most faithful of Arthur's men.”
Tristan
French · “Tristan is a French masculine given name of Celtic origin, possibly from the Pictish/Brythonic name Drust or Drustanus, meaning "tumult, noise" — or connected to the Latin tristis meaning "sad". The medieval legend of Tristan and Iseult, one of the great love stories of Western literature, made the name synonymous with passionate, doomed love. The name spread across France, Brittany, and the Celtic regions through Arthurian romance tradition.”
More Welsh names
Bedwyr
“Derived from Welsh elements, possibly from "bedw" meaning "birch" and "gwyrr" meaning "man" — together meaning "birch man". Bedwyr was one of the original companions of King Arthur in early Welsh tradition — the one-handed warrior who was Arthur's most loyal champion long before the French romances invented Lancelot. In the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, Bedwyr is described as the swiftest and most faithful of Arthur's men.”
Branwen
“Derived from the Old Welsh elements "bran" meaning "raven" and "gwen" meaning "white" or "blessed" — together meaning "white raven" or "blessed raven". In the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen is the daughter of Llŷr, described as one of the three chief ladies of the island of Britain, whose forced marriage to the Irish king Matholwch and subsequent mistreatment trigger a catastrophic war between Britain and Ireland.”
Rhiannon
“Possibly derived from the Old Celtic title "Rigantona" meaning "great queen" or "divine queen", from "rigan" (queen) and a divine suffix. In Welsh mythology, Rhiannon is one of the most important figures of the Mabinogi — a sovereign goddess associated with horses, birds, and the Otherworld who endures unjust punishment with superhuman patience before being vindicated.”
Celyn
“Derived from the Welsh word "celyn" meaning "holly". The holly tree has deep significance in Celtic tradition as an evergreen plant that flourishes in winter, representing protection, endurance, and the persistence of life through the dark season. The name appears in early Welsh genealogical tradition and belongs to the nature-name category common in Welsh personal naming.”
Creirwy
“Welsh name meaning "jewel of the egg" or "dear token", from "crair" (relic, jewel, dear thing) and "wy" (egg or water). In Welsh mythology, Creirwy is the daughter of Ceridwen and Tegid Foel — described as the most beautiful girl in the world, in deliberate contrast to her brother Morfran, who was the ugliest boy. She appears in the Hanes Taliesin as one of the few named children of the enchantress Ceridwen.”
Arvel
“Arvel is a Welsh masculine name derived from the Welsh arvel or arfol, related to words meaning "wept over" or "greatly lamented," with associations to mourning and memory in Welsh tradition. It is a rare name found primarily in Wales and among Welsh diaspora communities.”
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