Welsh name experts help!!

I know a Male Celyn (North Wales) and a female Celyn (South Wales).

I only know one Celyn. He is a male aged about 90. Always assumed it was a boys name - North Wales very Welsh speaking area

The direct translation of Celyn is Holly. If you’d name a boy Holly go ahead and call him Celyn. It’s exactly the same name.

Aneurin to anyone unfamiliar with the name looks like An urine.

I'm in South Wales and know two Celyns, both teenagers - one girl and one boy. It's more of a female name to me, probably because we have a Holly in the family.

Oh my word, Celyn was going to be our name for DC1 back in 2016 but he came out a boy and we only know Celyn as a girls name (both of us Welsh speakers from Pembs & Carms), I didn't realise it is also used for boys, we could have used it!!

My great grandmother was the last Welsh speaker in my family. She chose not to speak Welsh to her children as she feared it would affect their educational chances. Her children became teachers, nurses, miners and mining engineers and Welsh speaking stopped in that family

Oh Cankles that's really sad. It shows how important it is that we keep the Welsh language and Welsh names alive.

I'm learning as an adult having failed to learn Welsh as a child (I grew up in England with an English father so we spoke English at home). It would have been easier to learn as a child but we are where we are.

The one thing I've always been proud of is my Welsh name though. Even though people add rogue letters and mispronounce it I have liked having that connection to my heritage.

Hopefully DH will agree to Welsh names for our DC!

For me, Celyn is a middle aged man's name as it enjoyed brief popularity amongst local Welsh nationalists as a way of honouring and remembering the drowning of Capel Celyn. I only know one young Celyn (a boy), whose family are activists associated with Llais.

I know one man with the name but wouldn’t think anything bad about a girl being called Celyn.

Mind you, I am born and bred south east Wales so we do some damage to Welsh name usage and pronunciation .

But it’s our culture too even if we go a bit off piste.

My great grandmother was the last Welsh speaker in my family. She chose not to speak Welsh to her children as she feared it would affect their educational chances. Her children became teachers, nurses, miners and mining engineers and Welsh speaking stopped in that family.

West Wales here, fluent Welsh speaker... it does mean holly, which in English is very much a girl's name, but I have seen it used for either. It is traditionally a boys name though.

OP I'm due in January too and our list (incase you are interested is...
Iona
Non
Dwynwen
Betsi
Betsan
Siwan
Nerys
Ffion
Wynne

Aneurin
Bleddyn
Ewan/Iwan
Geraint
Gethin
Gruffydd
Heddwyn
Llewelyn
Osian

For me, Celyn is a boys name - even though I know it’s used for both.

And for what it’s worth - it’s only a matter of time before mike appears on welsh name threads dragging the mood down. Almost come to expect it now.

I think we're all well used to Mike's direct-to-the-point-of-bluntness but correcting the OP's Welsh was a rather unpleasant power play.

Right back at you. If you want to be treated with kindness then spread a bit of it around yourself. As I said, I don't think you are deliberately being unpleasant but your posting style is.

Only ever known one Celyn, a boy.

Is your real name Nesta Vipers?

Both here in South East Wales.

Yeah you made your thoughts on olwyn clear enough on the other thread - really laboured the point to the poster with a deceased grandmother with that name. Thank goodness hey? She can now travel back in time and remonstrate with her great grandparents.

Seh-lin not Seh-lih.

@MikeUniformMike Rhiannon gave birth to twin colts named Haf and Gef, they grew up into princes, split Wales up and ruled it for a year and a day then turned into a pair of swans, married and one gave birth to a pig so then they all flew off to Lydney or something. ..

@RWeatherwax Gef?

I comment on things like will a name work outside welsh Wales, and on how names are ruined by being anglicised.

The spats I get into are things like Olwyn isn't a girl's name or Llinos won't work if you aren't in a welsh area. I'm not saying those things for no reason.

I usually say if you like it, use it.

I jumped on this thread because I read "I would pronounce it like Ceh-lin". Had I read that I'd probably think OP meant something like Saylin Kay-lin or Seh-lih, and I might have thought that I quite like that and I'll call my baby it.

If I then posted on here that I was "planning on calling DC Celyn - it's welsh and pronounced Saylin", probably half the replies would gush that it was lovely, and the other half saying I should say it as Kellin.

Yeah you do kind of ruin the vibe of every welsh name thread Mike. I don't think it's intentional actually. It's clearly an area you are very interested in and passionate about but I don't think you realise how condescending you are. You're not always right - you often mistake your opinions for facts.

I went to school with a female Celyn so it’s a girls name to me from SW Wales (Carms).