Gwyneth

This interesting and unusual name is of Welsh origin and is a regional name from North West Wales, from the ancient principality known as "Gwynedd", a name which originated with the name of its prince or overlord, Owain Gwynedd (see below). The name occurs in Latin documents in the form "Venedotea", which translates as the "Land of Vennii", a tribal name of uncertain etymology although thought to be Celtic. The popular female given name Gwyneth is also found as Gwynedd, and is thought to be a variant of the Welsh word for "wheat", gwenith, used in the sense of, "the pick of the bunch". However it is unlikely that the surname Gwynedd, or the variant spellings Gwinnett, Gwioneth or Gwyneth have "gwenith" as their source. Recorded in Pontesbury Shropshire 1552, is the christening of Sibella Gwinnett and the marriage of Anna Gwinnett and Richardus Deyos. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Owain Gwynedd, (Lord), which was dated circa 1150, Gwynedd, North Wales, during the reign of King Stephen, known as "Count of Blois", 1135 - 1154. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.