Thoughts on Taliesin?

I'm Welsh, frm a Welsh-speaking family and a very frequent visitor to Taliesin arts centre, and I hear 3 1/2 syllables, if that helps at all! In my Swansea accent it's somewhere in between ee-ess and yess - the ee is so fast that it's almost not there but it is slightly more distinct than in yess. The pronounciation on 'Child of our Time' was completely wrong. He was lovely though.

Betsy Coyd, Abba-sock, Barla, Roothin, Clan-dud-know, Bly-now, Clanfurfeckin, ...
No matter if you correct them, they will persist or roll their eyes and imitate you mockingly.

Me too. Clan-dud-no makes me feel nauseous. 🤢😂

Ystalyfera as ‘You’re Still Our Vera’ and Ystradgynlais as ‘Why strangle Us’ are two of my favourites. A whole other thread there!

@KirstenBlest You must be in the same area as me. I've heard Cefn y Bedd as Ten in a bed! All the place names you mentioned are a source of much teeth grinding. What about the Classic Betwys Y Coed as Betsy Co Ed Arrrgh just no!

There are places in Wales that I wouldn't live in because of how unpleasant the names sound anglicised. Rhuddlan, for example, gets said as Rudland, Bagillt as Bagult, Caergwrle as Kagurly, Cefnybedd as Kevney Beth, and Rhuallt as Roo-alt. Ychafi to all of them, but the places are fine, and the Welsh names mainly pleasant.

This is how I feel too. People are often asked to spell their names out even if they have a very common one, especially one with multiple spellings like Rebecca/Rebekah. People not being able to spell or pronounce it isn’t a good enough reason to not use it. Many people in Wales have a Welsh address. We would never think to not move somewhere because other people would be able to say or spell the address.

People can learn new things.

I thought it was a village in Ceredigion?

Don't try to work around the stupidity of people you assume your DS will encounter. I've heard people garble names like William and John. Where does the pandering stop? Shoukd everyone be called Jim, Tim, Tom, Ann, Jan, Dan, Sam, Pam?

It's a recognisable name and anyone with a tither of wit, as they say in Ireland, will manage it fine.

Lovely choice for a middle name as long as the first name isn't something like Gary or Brian or Nigel.

Was it not Parys who died by suicide?

Absolutely love it.

My son's friend known as Tal is Taliesin. Strong with so much history and heritage here in Wales. It's beautiful.

I'm sure it will provoke a bit of a "well no one will be able to pronounce it" from England based MNetters. But hey. You only need telling once.

It's a fabulous name.

My old headmaster in primary was called Taliesin, always knew him as Tal.

A lovely man, and on that basis you should use the name!!

Sadly the lovely lad who appeared in A Child of Our Time committed suicide.
I love the name and remember him when I hear it.

My fantasy twin boys are named Taliesin and Macsen. 😂

I love it.

it's a middle name, so won't be used much.

And I don’t find that people always take kindly to being corrected, however politely!
I agree. You get rolled eyes, and a mock pronumciation of the name (e.g. 'Ew Shiv-AUN!' when you've pointed out that it isn't Shivonne/Shobun/Si-o-ban)

I think a lot of it is down to confidence. I would love to have the confidence to be able to say, each and every time someone doesn’t pronounce my name properly, what the correct pronunciation is. Not rudely, just politely, it so that they do eventually get it right. I think sometimes children find this easier than adults!

But I don’t have that confidence. And I don’t find that people always take kindly to being corrected, however politely!

I love it. I am Welsh, with a Welsh name, but now live in England. I am forever spelling my (short and very common in wales) name out and people more often than not get the pronunciation wrong. I do correct them, but they continue to do it and there’s only so many times that I feel I can correct them without feeling embarrassed. Also, I never shorten my name, but many people (ILs, I’m looking at you) shorten my name to make the pronunciation easier for them. Again, there’s only so many times that I can correct without feeling embarrassed, so I have to put up with my shortened name because people can’t/won’t say my full name properly.

This is why I didn’t choose Welsh names that seemed east to me to pronounce. I didn’t want my Dc to have the issues I’ve had!

So, much as I absolutely love love love Taliesin, i wouldn’t use it.

It's lovely, I really like it. If it's a middle name I wouldn't worry too much about people spelling it.

Does your DS have a Welsh name?

I wouldn't pick something overly different in style e.g. Llŷr-Siôr and Oliver. Oliver may feel he got a less interesting name without reflecting his heritage or Llŷr-Siôr may feel you regretted his name and so went the opposite way with his little brother.

Whereas Harri and Oliver wouldn't be as noticable.

Children's names don't have to match as such but I would avoid names that clash.

I have a Taliesin (Tal/Tali for short). Tal-YES-in is the closest I can get to how we pronounce it, but it doesn’t annoy me of people say Tal-ee-ESS-un. It most certainly isn’t Tal-eye-uh-sin like on Child of our Time.

We’ve had no issues with pronunciation (born in England but subsequently we’ve moved back to Wales) but do generally have to spell it out.

I really like it, great history and meaning, "radiant brow". Is there a Welsh connection?

He was a 6th century poet @Marcipex .

I hear the Fower for Four sometimes where I live. I think Towel is pronounced Tahl around here