Gwendolen () is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

, in general use only since the 19th century. It has come to be the standard English form of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

'' Guendoloena'', which was first used by

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiograph ...

as the name of a legendary British queen in his ''

History of the Kings of Britain ''Historia regum Britanniae'' (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called ''De gestis Britonum'' (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. I ...

'' (). He reused the name in his '' Life of Merlin'' (c. 1150) for a different character, the wife of the titular magician " Merlinus", a counsellor to

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

; the metre shows that Geoffrey pronounced it as a pentasyllable, ''Guĕndŏlŏēnă'', with the "gu" pronounced . Dr. Arthur Hutson suggests that "Guendoloena" arose from a misreading of the

old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic ...

masculine name '' Guendoleu''; Geoffrey may have mistaken the final ''U'' for an ''N'', then Latinized *''Guendolen'' as a feminine name to arrive at Guendoloena. In the ''Vita Merlini'', however, Geoffrey Latinizes the masculine name of

Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio (died c. 573) or Gwenddolau was a Brythonic king who ruled in Arfderydd (now Arthuret). This is in what is now south-west Scotland and north-west England in the area around Hadrian's Wall and Carlisle during the sub-Roman p ...

as ''Guennolous''. Spelled ''

Gwendoloena Guinevere ( ; cy, Gwenhwyfar ; br, Gwenivar, kw, Gwynnever), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First men ...

'', the name reoccurs in the anonymous Latin romance ''

De Ortu Waluuanii ''De Ortu Waluuanii Nepotis Arturi'' ( en, The Rise of Gawain, Nephew of Arthur) is an anonymous Medieval Latin chivalric romance dating to the 12th or 13th century. It describes the birth, boyhood deeds, and early adventures of King Arthur's neph ...

'' belonging to Arthur's queen

Guinevere Guinevere ( ; cy, Gwenhwyfar ; br, Gwenivar, kw, Gwynnever), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First ment ...

. It did not become a common English given name until the 19th century. ''

Gwendoline Gwendoline is a feminine given name, a variant of Gwendolen. Notable people called Gwendoline *Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo (1879–1955), a British interior decorator * Gwendoline Butler (born 1922), an English writer of mystery fiction * Gwen ...

'' was in use in England by the 1860s (an early example being Lady Gwendoline Anson, born c. 1837, a daughter of the 1st Earl of Lichfield),Sheard, K. M. (2011), , p. 262, . and ''

Gwendolen Gwendolen () is a feminine given name, in general use only since the 19th century. It has come to be the standard English form of Latin '' Guendoloena'', which was first used by Geoffrey of Monmouth as the name of a legendary British queen in hi ...

'' appeared in ''

Daniel Deronda ''Daniel Deronda'' is a novel written by Mary Ann Evans under the pen name of George Eliot, first published in eight parts (books) February to September 1876. It was the last novel she completed and the only one set in the Victorian society ...

'', written by

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wro ...

and published in serialized form 1874–6.

Notable bearers

People

* Gwendolen Margaret Carter (1906–1991), Canadian scholar of African affairs * Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" John (1876–1939), Welsh painter *

Gwendolen Fer Gwendolen () is a feminine given name, in general use only since the 19th century. It has come to be the standard English form of Latin '' Guendoloena'', which was first used by Geoffrey of Monmouth as the name of a legendary British queen in hi ...

(born 1986), french Equestrian rider *

Gwendolen Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk Gwendolen Mary Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, 12th Lady Herries of Terregles (née Constable-Maxwell; 11 January 1877 – 28 August 1945) was the eldest child of Marmaduke Constable-Maxwell, 11th Lord Herries of Terregles and his wife, A ...

(1877–1945), British duchess *

Gwendolen Guinness, Countess of Iveagh Gwendolen Florence Mary Guinness, Countess of Iveagh (''née'' Onslow; 22 July 1881 – 16 February 1966) was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat and Conservative politician. She was, by marriage, a member of the Guinness brewing dynasty. Early life Sh ...

(1881–1966), Conservative politician in the United Kingdom * Gwendolen "Len" Howard (1894–1973), British naturalist and musician *

Joyce Gwendolen Quin Joyce Gwendolen Quin, Baroness Quin, (born 26 November 1944) is a British Labour Party politician. She served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Gateshead East and Washington West and for its predecessor Gateshead East from 1987 to 2005. Ear ...

(born 1944), Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom * Gwendolen Mary "Gwen" Raverat (1885–1957), English wood engraver * F. Gwendolen Rees (1906–1994), British zoologist and parasitologist *

Ella Gwendolen Rees Williams Jean Rhys, ( ; born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams; 24 August 1890 – 14 May 1979) was a British novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she mainly resided in England, where she was sent for he ...

(1890–1979), novelist from Dominica *

Guendalina Sastri Pasqualina "Lina" Sastri is an Italian actress and singer. Life and career Born in Naples, Lina Sastri started acting in amateur dramatics at very young age. She made her professional debut with the theatrical company Teatro Libero, and had her ...

(born 1953), Italian actress and singer *

Gwendoline Christie Gwendoline Tracey Philippa Christie (born 28 October 1978) is an English actress who is best known for portraying Brienne of Tarth in the HBO fantasy-drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2019). She is also widely known for her role the Firs ...

(born 1978), English actress and model

Fictional characters

, mythical queen of the Britons *Guendoloena (Gwendolen),

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

's wife in the '' Life of Merlin'' *Guendolen, the fairy

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

of King Arthur and mother of Gyneth in Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

's work ''

The Bridal of Triermain ''The Bridal of Triermain'' is a narrative poem in three cantos by Walter Scott, published anonymously in 1813. It is written in a flexible metre of four and three stress lines. Set in Cumberland, it recounts the exploits of a knight as he seeks ...

'' (1813) *Gwendolen,

loathly lady The loathly lady ( cy, dynes gas, Motif D732 in Stith Thompson's motif index), is a tale type commonly used in medieval literature, most famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Wife of Bath's Tale''. The motif is that of a woman who appears unattr ...

Reginald Heber Reginald Heber (21 April 1783 – 3 April 1826) was an English Anglican bishop, man of letters and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served as Bishop of Calcutta until his death at the age of 42. The son of a rich lando ...

's ''Fragments of The Masque of Gwendolen'' (written 1816, published 1830) *

Gwendolen Harleth Gwendolen Harleth, later Gwendolen Grandcourt, is a central character in George Eliot's novel '' Daniel Deronda'' (1876). She acts as a foil to Mirah Lapidoth. Biography Gwendolen Harleth is beautiful and wilful, desired by many men, a fact which ...

, heroine in ''

'' (1876), the last novel

completed *

Gwendolen Fairfax ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

, a major character in

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's comedy ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' (1895) *Gwendolen, a tragic, snobbish novelist in

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

's 1896 short story '' The Figure in the Carpet'' *Gwendolen, the mistress of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

and Prince Henry II in

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an ad ...

's play ''

Becket ''Becket or The Honour of God'' (french: Becket ou l'honneur de Dieu) is a 1959 play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's assassination in 117 ...

'' (1959) *Gwendolen Chant, antagonist in

Diana Wynne Jones Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011) was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote fantasy and speculative fiction novels for children and young adults. Although usually d ...

' fantasy novel '' Charmed Life'' (1977) *

Gwendolyn Tennyson Gwendolyn "Gwen" Tennyson, occasionally known as Lucky Girl, is a fictional character (arts), character that appears in the Ben 10, ''Ben 10'' franchise. The paternal Cousin, first cousin and Best friends forever, best friend of Title character, t ...

, supporting protagonist in the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

animated show, ''

Ben 10 ''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device rese ...

'' *Gwendolen, a dragon in The Last Dragon Chronicles *Gwendolyn, a hero character from ''Bloons TD 6''

Other

* SS ''Gwendolen'', a British steamship launched in 1899 and named for Lady Gwendolen Cecil, daughter of

Lord Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

* 10870 Gwendolen, a main-belt asteroid named for the discoverer's mother, educator Mary Gwendolen Ellery Read Aikman (1903–1994) *''

'', a 1989 novel by Buchi Emecheta

References

Footnotes Citations {{given name Welsh feminine given names English feminine given names

Notable bearers

People

Fictional characters

Other

See also

References