Gwyneth

Gwyneth begins in the Welsh hills as Gwynedd, the name of a kingdom and a county in the mountainous northwest, rooted in gwyn—white, fair, blessed. Carried into the given-name tradition, it keeps the flint and heather of its origin. The th at the close gives it an older-English softness, almost archaic, but the opening glides open with a lyric ease. Long associated with Welsh chapels and choir lofts, the name acquired a second life through Gwyneth Paltrow, who dragged it into American drawing rooms. It remains uncommon enough to feel chosen rather than inherited. A name with altitude.