Cen is the sixth letter of the Runic alphabet. It has the following forms in the various runic systems:
- Eldar Futhark: *Kaunan or *Kenaz
- Anglo-Frisian: Cen
- Marcomannic: Khen
- Younger Futhark: Kaun
Cen means “torch,” though the Old English survives today only in the word “beacon,” however, khen and khaun mean “ulcer,” which means the Cen rune is another with a bit of a split personality and some big differences in the rune poems.
Although in modern interpretations, cen is frequently linked with the dialectic word ken “to know,” the two words have separate etymologies.
It is uncertain whether *kaunan itself meant “ulcer” or “torch”; though the alternative *kenaz does seem to have meant “torch.”
The Norse ones, for instance, which interpret it with the meaning “ulcer,” focus on how illness and disease kills children.
Meanwhile the Anglo-Saxon ones, which interpret it with the meaning “torch,” dwell on its positive associations with light, fire and illumination.
Quite a contrast!
Modern rune-users concentrate on the “torch” interpretation for its positive associations, and the “ulcer” one for the negative. Thus it symbolisizes the spark of life, inspiration, and creativity, as well as the illumination and enlightenment brought by knowledge and wisdom.
Drawn reversed, its principal meaning is disease.
All the forms of Cen, strike me as having name potential, although with their meanings, I think I’d steer clear of Khen and Kaun. Cen makes an interesting variant on Ken, though as with many other runes, it is distinctly “short.” But there are plenty of “long” names to tick the box, if that box needs ticking, such as Kendall, Kendra, Kennedy, Kenneth and Kenzie.
And there are also lots of names which reflect Cen’s meaning. Here is just a small selection:
- Abner — Hebrew “the father is (a) light”
- Aidan
- Áine — An Irish Goddess, whose name probably means “light” and “heat”
- Amitabh — Sanskrit amitābha “infinite light”
- Argia — Basque for “light”
- Aydın — Turkish name meaning “well-lighted” and “enlightened.”
- Blaze
- Brand
- Cahaya — Indonesian/Malaysian name meaning “light.”
- Candle
- Ember
- Fire
- Firefly
- Firelight
- Flame
- Flare
- Galadriel — an elven queen in Lord of the Rings, whose name combines galad “light” and “radiance” + riel “garlanded maiden” in Tolkien’s invented language of Sindarin
- Goleuddydd — Old Welsh name combining golau “light” + dydd “day”
- Haru — Japanese name meaning “sunlight” or “spring” depending on the kanji
- Helena — although Helena’s true meaning is uncertain, it has been associated with the Greek helenê “torch” since ancient times. It opens the door to all Helena’s associated names too: Helen, Ellen, Eleanor, Elinor, Nell, Elena, Elin, Lena, etc.
- Jyoti — Indian name, from the Sanskrit for “light” and “fire”
- Lampedo — an Amazonian queen; Greek lampas “torch,” “beacon”
- Light
- Lucetta — a diminutive of Latin lux “light”
- Lucidity
- Lucius — Roman first name, from Latin lux “light”
- Lucy — English form of Lucia, the feminine form of LUCIUS. There’s also Lucia’s diminutive: Lucilla
- Lux — Latin for light
- Luz — Spanish for light
- Melchior — Hebrew: “king of light”
- Mitsuko — Japanese name, combining mitsu “light,” “ray,” “brilliance,” etc. + ko “child”
- Ner — Hebrew: “light”
- Noor — Arabic: “light”
- Pasiphaë — Greek pas “all” + phaos “light”
- Phanes — from Greek phainô “to bring light”
- Phoebe — from Greek phoibos “bright” and “radiant”
- Photine — from Greek phôs “light”
- Prabhakar — Indian name, from Sanskrit prabhā “light,” “radiance” + kara “ray.”
- Prakash — Indian name, from Sanskrit prakāśa “bright,” “clear,” “shining,” “light,” “splendor,” and “enlightened”
- Ray
- Roshan — Persian roshan “light”
- Solas — Irish solas “light,” “flame,” and “beacon”
- Sorcha — Irish sorcha “light,” “bright” and “clear”
- Sparkle
- Svetlana – Russian name from svet “light”
- Ugnė — Lithuanian name meaning “light,” “fire,” “glitter.”
- Valo — Finnish for “light”
Nook of Names
