The placename "Bwlchgwyn" has in the past been translated into English as "White Pass", perhaps referring to the white limestone cliffs in the area. It has also been suggested that the original name was "Bwlchgwynt" meaning "wind pass". The translation "pass", however, does not entirely fit with the Welsh word "bwlch" and its usual usage in placenames. Meaning hollow, dip, gap, aperture or notch, when "bwlch" is used elsewhere in Wales, it is used as a prefix in a word describing a steep ravine. Other examples are Bwlch-y-Saethau, Bwlch Tryfan, Bwlch Main and Bwlch Eryl Farchog. All are characterised by very steep-sided ravines. Bwlchgwyn has at its edge the deep-sided ravine of Nant-y-Ffrith, a prominent geographical feature.