Welsh origin baby names that northerners can say and spell!

If it's Buddug, yes, it's lovely.
People do move beyond where they are from.

I'm just pointing out the pitfalls. It is not your name they get wrong.

Do you think I'm saying it's fine for no reason? Not sure why you don't believe me when I say it's not a problem.

This is the internet but in real life most people are kind and try to get other people's names right.

People also move beyond where they're from. I meet people from all over the world in my job and hear new names all the time. I personally think it's lovely.

Let's assume my name was the perfectly normal Eirian and I got called
Erriun
Irey Ann
Aryan
How on earth do I say that? (and less polite versions)
What?
Say it again.
...

every single sodding time I go for an appointment or meet someone new.

(I'm not Eirian, but I know one whose DP of many years calls her Erriun.)

Do you think I am saying it for no reason?

“A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” – Dale Carnegie.

Not if they get it wrong.

Soon get sick of it? Nope, not in my experience. As I said, I actually have a daughter with one of the Welsh names you mentioned. People at the hospital do ask how to pronounce it when we go there. But everyone at the GP surgery knows how to pronounce it now. I also have an unusual name and have to tell people how to spell it.

It's really fine.

My DH has a very common name and people still mispronounce it or misspell it all the time, so you can never be sure. That's just life.

I'd have no trouble with Saoirse but I wouldn't want to be having to tell everyone how to say my name.
If you had a day with countless appointments, and your name was mispronounced every time, you'd soon get sick of it.

One of those "cringe" names MikeUniformMike mentioned is actually the name of my DD. Everyone gets it after they're told it once. Not an issue. And she has a friend called Saoirse!

Calling a son Ellis with the double L but wanting it to be pronounced like Elis is OK but does make it feel a lot less Welsh. Elis is fine, nobody will pronounce it wrong, seriously.

Oh and Idris, I love Idris but DH less so...

Ellis is fine. It's a nice name.

What about
Sian
Cerys
Bethan
Rhian
Rhiannon

Gareth
Geraint
Owain
Evan
Rhys

Not suere if all of these suggested are welsh,. Elis is ok if you want a gender neutral name. (I have known boys and girls called
Elis.) Love Gyneth, and Erin is pretty.

Celyn
Sioned
Eleri
Ariana
Mali
Mabli
Manon
Catrin
Llinos
Betsan
Eilir
Delun

Aneurin
Ianto
Iestyn
Iolo
Ioan
Jac
Tomos
Ceri
Llewellyn
Madoc
Twm

Both are fine.
Elis should be OK because of Elis James but he will be Ellis, Els, Elsie.

Some odd person will call him Elise or Eli.
Personally I would use Ellis, because it's more conventional. Elis is very popular in Welsh Wales right now.

Carys should be ok but you might get a Careys or Carees pronunciation and a few misspellings Cerys, Caris, Karis, Carris etc.

Nothing too bad.
I'm not keen on Carys, because it was very popular in the 1960s, a bit like Karen was at that time. Carys and Karen are still nice names but to me seem a bit middle aged.

I love the name Rhys but it sounds very different in Welsh and sounds a bit ch*y in an English accent

I always liked Dilys for a girl. It means "genuine".

My best friends ds is called Gwion (Gwi for short) and they lives in Wiltshire and has never had any problem with pronunciation.

Similar criteria to you.

We used Ellis as it was the more common spelling in both England and Wales (according to ONS). Only time we have had mispronunciations was on holiday in the states and they thought I was calling him Alice!

Our other names on the list were:
Gethin, Huw, Griff
Eira, Nia, Eirlys

Elis is very popular in Wales. I could never get why Neils always get called Nelly but they do.

Elsi is the welsh spelling of Elsie.

Biblical names are often pronounced phonetically in Welsh.
Joseph is pronounced Joss-eph, Jacob is Jack-ob, Lois is Loyce and so on. Ruth is sometimes pronounced Rewth. Some of the biblical names are different - James is Iago, Andrew Andreas, John Ioan.

Run a name past me and I can probably guess how it will get mangled.

The mangling works both ways. You get welsh people who hardly ever speak english. Certain vowel sounds aren't used in Welsh.
Tracey in some regions is said as Tressy.

You could ask someone from both sides of the family to read your shortlist out loud, so that you could hear the right way and the mangled way.

I'm not sure that Tesni would sound nice in a broad yorkshire accent . Wouldn't it be Tez-neh.

Tesni - tessny not tesny

What happens is that people will think I'm not even going to try or they will attempt to say it.

When they ask you if you are Bud-ug Clee-ookoo Prid-urtch you will cringe, and it will happen again and again all your life, regardless of how lovely the name Buddug Lleucu Prydderch is in a welsh voice.

And you might love the name Urien but it won't be you being called Urine by your schoolmates.

Llio is nice but will be Leo, Clio, Thlio, Lilo...

Rhys and Ffion were my first thoughts 😊

Cerys
Siân
Catrin
Alys
Deryn
Elin

Jac
Owain
Ifan
Siôn
Geraint
Cai

Sorry to derail btw. Elis and Carys are both lovely names.