Meaning & Origin
Gwendolynn is a girl's baby name of Welsh origin, a variant spelling of Gwendolyn, from the Welsh Gwendolen, composed of gwen (white, fair, blessed) and dolen (ring, bow), meaning 'white ring' or 'blessed circle.'
Gwendolynn adds a double-n to the standard Gwendolyn, giving it an extra flourish of femininity. Gwendolyn has a distinctly Celtic character — it appears in Arthurian legend as the wife of Merlin, and in Welsh mythology as a figure of supernatural grace. Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1950), made the name synonymous with literary brilliance and moral clarity.