Your immediate thoughts on Anwen?

[CoalCraft]

Just that really - Have you heard it before? What do you associate it with, if anything? Do you like it?

Would ALS really appreciate knowing what region you're from if you don't mind sharing.

Thank you!

I think it's pretty.
First thought was "Welsh".
No other connotations for me. I'm not a LotR fan.

The only Anwen I've ever met was when I was about 10 (I'm in my 40s now) when I shared a room with her on a holiday camp in Wales and we stayed in touch for a while after. I'm from SE England and never come across the name apart from that. I think it's a lovely name.

I love it! It's my daughter's middle name, I am Welsh but live abroad and have issues with the pronunciation of my very Welsh name here so decided against them as first names for my kids!

Oh and regarding the 'distraction' factor of a name, I actually think it's a great talking point! Explaining the pronunciation can get a bit annoying (but Anwen is one of the easier ones!) it's a real conversation starter and makes life interesting just from my personal experience!

@CroydianSlip

I like it, and like Arianwen even more.

I'm as boringly English as they come but I LOVED The Snow Spider trilogy as a child and have had a soft spot for Welsh names from there.

My childhood best friend’s mum wrote the snow spider!! Such great books!!!

We use it and have welsh heritage but aren’t welsh.

I know a teenage Anwen, but only one. I’m welsh but living in England.

I have a welsh name but have issues with its pronunciation in England. When I was pregnant, I liked welsh names that wouldn’t have pronunciation issues. Number one girls name for me was Catrin, I absolutely love it.

Hmm, I'd hope Anwen would be easy enough to pronounce?

Amusingly "And when" is what my phone autocorrected it to at first I don't mind that much though; most names have some foible or another.

I went to school with a girl called Anwen - that was South Wales, lovely name!

I like it, I only know of one girl called Anwen and she’s from Wales.

I wouldn’t worry too much if the name screams ‘I’m from X’. Mine is always associated with 2 countries - one of them my home country - and as an adult I actually like saying ‘yes, it’s an Italian/Greek/Ukrainian name’ or whatever. It reflects my heritage and I enjoy that, and people just go ‘oh, that’s nice’ instead of wondering why on earth my parents saddled me with that name (they didn’t, they gave me a perfectly normal local name). I’ve lived all over the word and people ask how it’s pronounced once and that’s the end of it.

Absolute first impression flashing through my mind after chatting with you in the park and registering baby Anwen: I'd think that, unless you were obviously Welsh, you were perhaps into Celtic history and mythology, re-enactments and Tolkien. I'd hope it was an actual name and not a 'sound-alike'.
Thankfully, this thread has educated me as to the provenance of the name. It's very pretty.

I'm very English. I haven't heard the name before. I think it's lovely. I assume the emphasis is on the 'An' part. I thought Welsh because of similarly to Olwen.

@CroydianSlip

I like it, and like Arianwen even more.

I'm as boringly English as they come but I LOVED The Snow Spider trilogy as a child and have had a soft spot for Welsh names from there.

Me too!

I love it. I would assume a Welsh family but not give it more thought than that.

South Wales. I’ve known a few baby Anwens over the past few years. I like it.

It's my sister's name, I think it's lovely.

I'm not keen but it's a perfectly sensible and know name. Go for it.

I'm
In the East midlands.

Half English, half Welsh. In England, Welsh learner.

I'd assume you were Welsh but it's not as obviously Welsh as a name like Siôr or Gwenllian.

I have a Welsh name, most people don't realise it's Welsh - I've been mistaken as being from many other countries and cultures from Spanish to Iranian.

Whenever anyone is familiar with the name, or recognises it as Welsh I have a nice conversation about my Welsh heritage - inevitably the person is Welsh themselves, once lived in Wales or has a Welsh relative or partner. I wouldn't worry about people thinking 'that's a Welsh name' - great conversation starter 😃

Anwen is easy to spell and say. It's short enough to keep as it is but you have some good nickname options too - Ann, Anni, Wenna. A relative of mine has a 'wen' name and gets 'win' instead of 'wen' a lot. So some people may mispronounce as 'Anwin' but that is easy to correct.

Love it, I'm near Wales. Definitely a Welsh name.

It reminds me of Olwen which I also love.

I’m afraid I agree with you OP, it proclaims Welsh to me, however such a pretty name and one that most English like me would probably be hesitant to use for fear of being accused of appropriation.
Bit of a bind, isn’t it! Be proud of your heritage and grab the chance to use such a great name if you love it. Good luck

I didn't realise it was Welsh.
A pretty name to my ear.

I would definitely assume Welsh. I've never heard of an English Anwen. Is it a girls name? I assumed male and it feels quite masculine to me

I know a few, all over 70.

Nice name it was my best friend in school's name. I always think it sounds girly, I know a few of them, most are Welsh speakers.

Love it. I’d presume Welsh parents. I wish I’d been brave enough to go for one of the many beautiful Welsh name. Being English living in South Wales I just felt like I couldn’t.

I know a couple and an Arianwen (which is also beautiful) and a Rhianwen. All primary school age.

I like it.
Yes, I've heard it before, but I onlt know one person with the name (she'd be mid 50s now).
I'm born and bred in the Midlands, BUT of Welsh parents and the person I knew was the dd of Welsh parents too.
Yes, it "screams" Welsh, BUT it is easy to pronounce for English only speakers and easy to spell, so I think it is lovely.