Gwaine

Variation of Gawain, Popular Culture, Welsh

"may hawk"

Gwaine Origin and Meaning

The name Gwaine is a boy's name of Welsh origin meaning "may hawk".

Unusual yet familiar in sound, the name Gwaine appeared in the BBC TV series Merlin, in which the character was an adaptation of Gawain, one of King Arthur's loyal knights in the Arthurian legends. Also the hero of the anonymous poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Kinght, the name possibly derives from the Welsh Gwalchmai, meaning "may hawk".

While Gawain is typically said with two syllables (gah-WAYN or sometimes ga-WIN), Gwaine is said with one, much more like Wayne or Gwen, which might lend it a more approachable air.