Names That Mean White or Fair

An unusual floral -wen name which was the name of an 1878 opera by Welsh composer Joseph Parry.

Talwyn is a contemporary Cornish word name that can be pronounced with the emphasis on either syllable. With its fashionable -wyn ending, Talwyn could easily be used on an American-born baby.

Despite the light, pretty sound of Bella for a girl, the boys' name Bela has dark and mysterious undertones, thanks to Dracula actor Bela Lugosi. Béla is also the first name of composer Bartók.

Whitman, a namesake surname for poet Walt, would be much more suited to a boy, probably because of that "man" part. Whit or Witt makes an uplifting short form which can be used on its own.

Bleuenn is a name virtually unknown in the English-speaking world but trendy in its native France. Bleuenn's origins are in Brittany, in the north of France, and it's related to the Welsh Blodwen. Other spellings include Bleuen and Bleunwenn. This might give the perfect twist to a color name that feels too slight.

New Presidential name, if you're ready to move beyond Lincoln and Jefferson. At the turn of the last century, during the original McKinley's heyday, as a first name it almost reached the Top 100.

Kenyon is a very engaging British surname name, the middle y giving it a kind of southwestern canyonesque undertone.

Fresh choice, but with feminine lilt.

Nivea, or Nívea, is most commonly seen as a given name in Brazil, where it was derived from niveus, meaning "snow-white" in Latin. The German skincare brand NIVEA, founded in 1882, took its name from the same source.

This name is usually seen as a surname, but could be used as a first in the tradition of Cooper, Sawyer etc.

Elvi is one of those elusive names that fit in yet stand out. It's similar to currently trendy girl names such as Ellie and Evie but maintains distinction.

An Old Testament name used by the Puritans, less well known than female relatives Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah and as deserving of revival.

This presidential name is in style limbo today - or, some might say, in the the sweet spot of familiar but little-used.

French actress and film director Maïwenn Le Besco uses only her striking given name professionally; it’s a contraction of Mari (the Breton form of Marie) and Gwenn ("white, fair, blessed"). The name has been moderately popular in France since the early 1990s, and currently ranks at around #200.

Haitian-born rap superstar and humanitarian Wyclef ("Fugees") Jean has lent this name a powerful musical beat.

Derived from the Scottish Gaelic bàn, meaning "white, fair". It's also a name in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Elvish language, in which it means "beautiful".

A rare and beautiful member of the "Rose" family of names, Rosenwyn is a modern Cornish compound name meaning "white rose" or "fair rose". There is a popular Cornish folk song titled An Rosen Wyn, which may have inspired its use as a name.

Long before the current place-name craze, a pair of the more daring pop singers of the Age of Aquarius picked this name for their daughters. Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick used the conventional spelling, the Mamas and the Papas's Michelle Phillips went further afield with Chynna (of the group Wilson Phillips).

Extremely attractive color name chosen by some African-American families for its reference to the West African Ivory Coast; more commonly used for girls.