Gwen

A single pale syllable, like chalk on slate. Gwen comes from the Welsh gwen, meaning white, fair, or blessed—a word that threads through Arthurian legend via Guinevere and surfaces in a dozen compound names: Gwyneth, Gwendolen, Bronwen. On its own it feels pared back and modern, the kind of name a poet might choose for its economy. Gwen Stefani lent it pop-star swagger in the nineties; Marvel's Gwen Stacy gave it a second, sharper life. The soft opening and cut-off ending make it feel both gentle and decisive. A name that says enough and then stops.