Gwen is a diminutive of Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn originates in Welsh language and means "blessed bow". Gwendolyn was the name of a character in Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest. In its variant spelling this was also the name of a fictional queen in the Historia Regum Britanniae written by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Until today, Gwendolyn has remained a fairly popular feminine given name in the United States.