Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Help with Welsh Baby Boy Names - Final three

121 replies

MintGreenLife · 13/06/2021 21:28

Due in 7 weeks and know we are having a boy. DH is Welsh so going for a Welsh name, and we both have Celtic names anyway.

Shortlist is:

Ellis
Ifor
Harri

For ages I was fairly certain we were going to go for Ellis, but now I’m worrying I say it with a slight lisp, even though I don’t have a lisp! I love Ifor but only reservation is our surname, which when put together with Ifor ends up being the name of a trailer brand...but then maybe not that many people would be familiar with it?! Harri is sweet but I think perhaps too popular for our liking when you think most people will assume it’s Harry/there may we’ll be lots of Harry’s his age. Thoughts?!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Merchymor · 14/06/2021 16:32

[quote CalonGaled]@Merchymor. I'm imagining you saying toes as toss Grin

There isn't really more than one way of saying most names. Variations are usually due to accent.

A bit like a friend from Manchester says Chloe as Claw-eh, but a colleague from the Home Counties, says it as Clowey. I had to ask how Claweh was spelt.[/quote]
Yes, I guess it's down to accent - as I said in my post above.

If it helps I would say the o in Ianto like the o in 'un cam ar y tro '

Merchymor · 14/06/2021 16:28

@MintGreenLife

I suppose with different areas pronouncing different names different ways maybe pronunciation doesn't come into play quite as much! Of course want to be sure we are pronouncing the names a correct way...even if there's more than one correct way. I think because of our surname, and with Harri being a popular sounding name, Elis is back to being the frontrunner :)
Even if there are slight variations the stress is the same and letter sounds are the same or very similar.

The accents may vary though.

CalonGaled · 14/06/2021 16:26

@Merchymor. I'm imagining you saying toes as toss Grin

There isn't really more than one way of saying most names. Variations are usually due to accent.

A bit like a friend from Manchester says Chloe as Claw-eh, but a colleague from the Home Counties, says it as Clowey. I had to ask how Claweh was spelt.

Original poster
MintGreenLife · 14/06/2021 16:04

I suppose with different areas pronouncing different names different ways maybe pronunciation doesn't come into play quite as much! Of course want to be sure we are pronouncing the names a correct way...even if there's more than one correct way. I think because of our surname, and with Harri being a popular sounding name, Elis is back to being the frontrunner :)

OP posts:
Merchymor · 14/06/2021 15:12

@CalonGaled

Yes it is Merchymor. It wasn't on OP's list anyway.
Nope, where I'm from it's a different pronunciation (I don't say it with a w on the end though?).

Maybe we mean the same thing but have a different way of expressing it.

Either way I'm not wrong and neither are you, just depends where you're from.

towerofhanoi · 14/06/2021 14:17

We are an English/Welsh couple in England with an Elis. We also considered Osian, Ioan and Ianto. I wouldn't worry about any pronunciation issues too much.

CalonGaled · 14/06/2021 14:05

You don't get the oe/oh sound in Welsh.There's a short o - like in top, and the flat long o like in bon (base) or Siôn. The little w sound you get in toe, no, know etc isn't there.

I was put off Gethin as the person who suggested it said it as Geffen.
Ifan is YV-ann (Y like in yak, yurt, yvette)

hollygoflightly · 14/06/2021 13:48

I love Evan, Rhodri and Wyn - out of your three I would say Elis or Harri are my faves. My daughter has an English name spelt the Welsh way and I couldn't give a hoot if people think we're being 'different' - nope, we're being Welsh! Wink

ChiefClerkDrumknott · 14/06/2021 13:38

CalonGaled That’s how I’ve always hear it pronounced 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m a Welsh speaker living in S.E. Wales so perhaps it’s different in other parts of the country?

I know it’s not on OP’s list, I’m just offering my favourite names as alternatives as others have, in case there’s one she likes

CalonGaled · 14/06/2021 13:22

Yes it is Merchymor. It wasn't on OP's list anyway.

Merchymor · 14/06/2021 12:12

@CalonGaled

Ianto isn't Yan-toe. The -to bit is like the to in top.

Fair enough, OP, but some names are harder than others. Llyr is nice.

Re: Ianto In North Wales maybe. Not where I'm from.

Just to complicate things further....

CalonGaled · 14/06/2021 11:13

Ianto isn't Yan-toe. The -to bit is like the to in top.

Fair enough, OP, but some names are harder than others. Llyr is nice.

Original poster
MintGreenLife · 14/06/2021 10:26

@ChiefClerkDrumknott that's exactly why I'm hesitant about using Ifor! Such a shame! Oh those are all lovely names x

OP posts:
ChiefClerkDrumknott · 14/06/2021 10:14

Elis is my pick out of the three.

I like Ifor and wouldn’t associate it with the trailer brand, unless your surname is Williams Grin Although I do know a man called this and I’m very familiar with the brand (have owned a couple). I only hear people say the full name when referring to the trailers.

My favourite Welsh boy’s names are Taliesin, Aneurin (An-ei-rin) and Ianto (Yan-toe)

Original poster
MintGreenLife · 14/06/2021 10:03

Thanks everyone for your in put, lotto think about!

@CalonGaled DH and me both have difficult to pronounce/spell names, especially me, and it's never been an issue for me to be honest. YES everyone says it wrong to start with, I just have to correct them which isn't too much faff. I like having an unusual name and would prefer to have my name and have to put people right, than have something very common, but that's just me.

OP posts:
orangejuicer · 14/06/2021 09:29

Is Gethin having a resurgence? That one is straightforward.

CalonGaled · 14/06/2021 09:05

Many of the pronunciations suggested on here are either not quite right or anglicised, or plain wrong.

If you have to ask how to say a name, the person with that name is likely to go through that a lot. Add to that the misspellings.

Ifor is nice but will be Ivor or Iffor. Something like Glyn or Wyn would be safe.

Chilldonaldchill · 14/06/2021 07:40

As someone with Welsh parents living in England, Ifor is lovely but everyone here says Eye-fer (and the trailer brand is well known I'm afraid although it wouldn't necessarily put me off).
I would assume a Hari/Harri was of Indian origin though again that's not off-putting but I suspect in England there are many more from that background than Welsh.
Elis is nice though I suspect some people would assume it was a female name.
I adore Iestyn and Taliesin, both of which were vetoed by my other half.

NoSquirrels · 14/06/2021 06:58

when put together with Ifor ends up being the name of a trailer brand

Ooh, don’t do it - not if you’re rural!

devildeepbluesea · 14/06/2021 06:39

@charliecatpaws Teifion would be pronounced
Tay-vee-on.

I second Taliesin, I love it. Tal-yes-in. Tal for short. If I had a boy tomorrow he'd be Taliesin

Hairyfairy01 · 14/06/2021 06:33

Elis has to be with one l to be welsh. Ifor is to easy for English people to mispronounce. In this part of wales Hari is spelt with only one r as well.
How about Dion, Gwion, cai, Cian, dylan, Iwan, Gethin, jac, tomos, dewi. You need to be 100 % sure you are pronouncing the name right. I'm sure there was a thread once about some parents who called their son osian (wanting a welsh name) and only realised they were pronouncing it completely 'wrong' years later.

Charliecatpaws · 14/06/2021 02:05

Sorry that should be Taeffion I missed out the i

Charliecatpaws · 14/06/2021 02:02

Teifion is one of my favourite names pronounced Taeffon

Iecydda · 14/06/2021 01:54

@SuperCaliFragalistic Exactly the same two here (see my original post!!!) Smile

Lalliella · 14/06/2021 00:01

The trailer brand is most definitely common in England too sorry.

How about Gethin?