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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Welsh names for a girl

95 replies

Zanzan1 · 06/10/2019 18:47

Hi I'm looking for a Welsh girls name but would like to hear from people living in England what works and what doesn't. We live in England at the moment and I am wary of my DD having to put up with people struggling.

I really like Essyllt but know this might be a problem. Would like something a bit more unusual.

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MikeUniformMike · 07/10/2019 14:57

It's not a Welsh name. Elin is an old Welsh name and very popular. That's probably a take on it.
Elin is pronounces EL-in with the i like the i in big, not like the i in it.

notso · 07/10/2019 14:53

The one I know is most definitely Elyn with a y mikeuniformmike

MikeUniformMike · 07/10/2019 13:41

notso it's Elin not Elyn.

A lot of the names suggested are dated. They are names that would have been very popular in the 1950s and 1960s. (Eirian, Eleri, Carys, Rhian...). I doubt that welsh speakers would use these names for their babies nowadays.

Most of the suggestions are difficult to get right if you don't speak Welsh.

ia in a name is usually a "ya" sound. not a ee-a one.
Eirian is EHR-yan, Marian is MARR-yan, Cerian is CERR-yan, Arianwen is Arr-YAN-wen, Cariad is CARR-yad etc.

welshmumofboys · 07/10/2019 12:10

Off the top of my head the names I love are Fflur, Loti, Lili and Mali.

Milicentbystander72 · 07/10/2019 12:03

I'm Welsh (but now live in England). My family are all still there. My Dsis has beautiful Welsh names for all her children. I opted for an English name for my dd.
Anyway my favs are -

Mali (I believe a Welsh form of Molly)
Rhian
Catrin
Delyth
Eira

FizzyGreenWater · 07/10/2019 11:57

Mabli just says sheepdog to me but I know a couple now! Pretty name tho.

FizzyGreenWater · 07/10/2019 11:56

Stick to the easy ones.

Elin
Manon
Carys

I like Medi, Mali and Nia too. And Heledd, though old fashioned now and maybe tricksy.

But no Llinos or Buddug or Morfydd please - or a sticky end awaits over the bridge.

notso · 07/10/2019 11:04

Knowing some Welsh (tipyn bach!) I don't like any of the names like Seren, Eira, Cariad, Deryn.
Star, Snow, Love or Bird are not great English names I don't know why people are keen use them in another language.

Most of the Welsh speakers I know have called their children names like Maggi, Anni, Elyn, Alys, Mabli, Lowri. Names that work well in English although Lowri is often not pronounced properly.

ithinkmycatistryingtokillme · 07/10/2019 10:43

Eirian
Mair

ChangedMyNameYetAgain · 07/10/2019 10:37

How about Annest?

NoSquirrels · 07/10/2019 10:32

I think if you live outside of Wales, many, many of the beautiful names on this thread will be absolutely murdered in pronunciation (I love Eirlys, but avoided for this reason) or will be difficult to remember the spelling for non-Welsh. Also you may end up with some nicknames you don't much like!

I'd go with PP's advice that shorter is better, and to avoid the 'll'. so many Welsh names are beautiful but the pronuciation and stresses on the syllables are not instinctive - as this thread shows!

MikeUniformMike · 07/10/2019 10:24

I also like Siwan, but there are at least two ways of pronouncing it in Welsh.
SHOO-ann or like Iwan with an S at the start.
I know welsh people who have avoided it for this reason.
I would say it S-Iwan.

MikeUniformMike · 07/10/2019 10:20

OP, There is so much to comment on.
The name is Esyllt. Only one s. Lovely but the ll will cause problems.

june2007, Olwyn isn't a name, it's the word for wheel. The girl's name is Olwen. Rhiannon has two ns. Rhianna is made up and Rhianne is wrong on all levels.

I love Non too.

OpiesOldLady Celyn
Briallau - made up
Eilir - boy's name
Delyn - borough in NE wales
Gwendolyn - anglicised version of Gwendolen (the stress is on dol not Gwen)
Bronwyn - it is Bronwen

gillybombilly I've never seen the name Eres. I have heard of Aeres.
Rhedyn is just the welsh word for bracken. Aderyn is the welsh word for bird. They are not names.
Gwylan was a character in a very popular welsh novel. It is the word for seagull.

beanaseireann · 07/10/2019 08:34

Carys
Eleri
Seren.
All are beautiful names.

user1493494961 · 07/10/2019 08:26

I only know male Eilirs. Betsan is lovely and I recently met a lovely baby Loti. Also like Mabli or Siwan,

suze28 · 06/10/2019 21:01

We have a Carys Bethan
Also lovely are Seren and Cariad

Loveislandaddict · 06/10/2019 20:41

Ceri
Cerys
Rhiannon
Sian
Fionn
Bethan
Nerys
Lowri

123Dancewithme · 06/10/2019 20:34

Tesni

sakura06 · 06/10/2019 20:32

Nia and Anwen are good suggestions that are easy to pronounce. Megan is quite common outside Wales too.

Catrin
Bethan
Elen
Alaw
Siwan

sakura06 · 06/10/2019 20:29

Glesni and Esyllt are both nice. Esyllt will be hard for people to pronounce though. Please don't go with Gwylan though as it's the Welsh word for 'seagull'.

Original poster
Zanzan1 · 06/10/2019 20:18

Thanks everyone. Also on our list were Glesni and Gwylan.

OP posts:
Rtmhwales · 06/10/2019 20:17

Eira. If DS had been DD, he'd have been an Eira.

givememarmite · 06/10/2019 20:10

I'm an Angharad and I had huge problems with my name when I went to university in England...made me really hate it for a while (love it again now though!)

There are some beautiful Welsh names but if you don't live in Wales I would definitely go with a shorter one with a not so complicated spelling.

Elin
Seren
Carys
Rhian
Betsan
Beti
Efa
Dilys
Anwen
Haf
Nia

LeekMunchingSheepShagger · 06/10/2019 20:04

Celyn
Mali
Cadi
Carys
Eira

BestIsWest · 06/10/2019 20:03

Esyllt is my favourite. Lovely.