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Baby names

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Original poster

Ellis & Cai proper welsh names or chavy?

191 replies

firefirejugdypantsonfire · 29/04/2018 15:25

I need a welsh boys name for DS3. My DH is welsh but never suggests anything. I'm English.

I want something shortish and that can be easily read by non welshies.

Are Cai & Ellis options or not really Welsh names ? Hmm

I quite like Euan / Ewan but is the welsh version Iuan ? As sure that would be said differently in welsh and in England ( where we live I guess it would end up as Ian)

In the family there is already Bryn, Gareth, Huw, Dylan, Rhys, Ianto

OP posts:
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MikeUniformMike · 12/05/2018 14:05

Non-welsh people often can't distinguish between welsh LL and CH, or will say THL. They will say Gwenllian as Gwenthly-Ann, Gwenly-un or Gwen Lillian, or better still insist that you have misspelt Gwendoline.
The written pronunciation is wrong but the audio version is good:

SirVixofVixHall · 11/05/2018 22:06

I assumed that they would see it like Mia, rather than like Maya. Goodness knows what would be make of Mallt, Llyr, or illtyd !!

Gwenhwyfar · 11/05/2018 21:51

Sir, I know an Eleri, non Welsh speakers call her Ellory like the surname. Nia, non Welsh speakers would say Nye-uh. Gwenllian they couldn't pronounce at all.

RideOn · 11/05/2018 20:33

Maybe baby Gareth has arrived! Good luck OP!

MikeUniformMike · 11/05/2018 18:10

There are some gorgeous welsh names aren't there.

tinytemper66 · 11/05/2018 16:48

Iolo

BestIsWest · 11/05/2018 16:14

I love Esyllt. If I had my time again, DD would be Esyllt.

PeggySchuylar · 11/05/2018 16:09

Gareth is a good suggestion.

Have we lost the OP?

Interesting thread though.

Love Gwenllian because Gwen is pretty much foolproof.

SirVixofVixHall · 11/05/2018 15:21

Nia ? How funny, I would have thought that was one of the names best suited to life outside Wales, but then sometimes Sian seems to cause problems. I know an Eleri, she gets the e turned into a long “air”.
I love Gwenllian, it has such gravitas.

RideOn · 11/05/2018 14:49

I'm not keen on Cai sorry

Evan or Gareth why has no-one suggested Gareth!?

Or Elis, Wyn or Elgan

I like Hedd and Llyr but not sure they would work as well outside Wales.

MikeUniformMike · 11/05/2018 14:31

I knew you weren't - Mallt or Gwenllian for DS3. I like names like Lleu, Esyllt, Elliw, Mair, Llio but IRL even names like Eleri and Nia have been too difficult for non-welsh speakers.

TroysMammy · 11/05/2018 14:31

Sion, Welsh version of Sean/Shaun

TroysMammy · 11/05/2018 14:29

Taliesyn.

SirVixofVixHall · 11/05/2018 14:21

Yes I know, I wasn’t suggesting them for the op, more continuing a convo about Welsh names that non welsh people can’t say.

MikeUniformMike · 11/05/2018 13:28

OP lives in England. Llŷr, Gwenllïan and Mallt are lovely but don't travel well.

SirVixofVixHall · 11/05/2018 10:40

We know a Llyr, a Gwenllian, and a Mallt. I really love the refusal to worry about whether English people will be able to pronounce them. Different if you actually live in England though.

MikeUniformMike · 11/05/2018 09:01

At least Llion will be misprounced as Lee-on, which isn't bad.
It's quite nice - makes me think of somebody jolly.
Please think twice before naming your children something like Euryn or Lleucu.

Dobbythesockelf · 11/05/2018 08:49

I'm English but have lived in north Wales for the last decade. English people really do struggle with pronouncing Welsh names so that is something to consider. I like Cai and I've met a few toddlers round here with it as a name.
I'm pregnant and we are having a boy, we have an English first name picked out but his middle name is going to be Llion. I'm fully expecting complaints from my English family about how they can't say It, my dd's middle name is ffion and they moaned about that which is a lot simpler haha.

LillianGish · 11/05/2018 08:36

Rhodri - watched the drama Keeping Faith with an adorable baby Rhodri.

MikeUniformMike · 11/05/2018 08:34

Iwan sounds like YOO-ann or EU-ann.

Frazzled2207 · 11/05/2018 08:22

Welsh speaker here

Elis - def just the one l
Ioan - YO-Ann, really like this
Iwan - not quite like Euan. More like EE-wan (not EE- wun!)
Another one on our list was Steffan (welsh version of Stephen pron as you see it - again is Steff-ann not Steff-un)
I think Cai is ok too

MikeUniformMike · 11/05/2018 08:10

Is Cai arabic? There isn't a C in Arabic?
Names like Luc and Marc are also French. Luc would not work in England - it would probably get said as Leek, Luck, Look or Luke.

BertieBotts · 10/05/2018 18:18

A few Welsh names are also arabic, Idris is as well.

MarilynDroege · 10/05/2018 18:09

Cai - isn't that an Islamic name?godfinder.org/index.html?q=Cai

MikeUniformMike · 09/05/2018 21:42

Siôn doesn't work outside Wales. He'd get called Sigh-un, Shaun or Sean. Tomos?

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