Ceridwen

A mythological Welsh name with an intriguing sound, Ceridwen appears in several Welsh legends, in which she is an an enchantress and the owner of the cauldron of poetic inspiration. She is also associated with the great bard, Taliesin, with one 16th-century tale recounting that when her servant consumed a potion of wisdom, intended for Ceridwen's son, Ceridwen swallows the servant, who is then reborn through her as the bard.

Sometimes interpreted as the goddess of rebirth, transformation, inspiration, and poetry. in modern times, there are several theories on the etymology of the name. One is that it comes from cyrrid meaning "bent, crooked", combined with either ben or gwen meaning "woman" and "white, fair, blessed" respectively. In this case, the name could take on a darker, witchy-er feel.

Alternatively, it may come from credd meaning "poetry", mixed with either gwen or awen, which offer two lovely meanings: "fair as a poem" or "poetic inspiration". Other scholars have additionally proposed that the first element may come from craid meaning "passionate, fierce, powerful" or from credu meaning "belief", thereby interpreting the name as "powerful woman" or "woman to be believed in".

Ceridwen has been predominantly used in its native Wales, but is sometimes seen in England too. .

Pronounced kuh-RID-wen.

As of October 2026, Ceridwen ranked #16776 in US births in 2016 SSA.