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Baby names

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Original poster

Welsh name ideas

65 replies

tax19 · 28/04/2023 07:45

Hi there

We are expecting our first baby soon. We live in wales and though I am English DH is welsh (not welsh speaking) and thought as baby would be born in wales be nice to have a welsh name. However, we want something we can pronounce and spell.

We are having a surprise and set with the girls name Elinor.

We have told family we like the boys name Huw but have had mixed reactions. Anymore welsh boy names ideas that are easy to pronounce.

Thank you!

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DacwMamYnDwad · 02/05/2023 19:55

@Maryslargelamb , I have a feeling that your DC2 would be glad you weren't.
Rhosyn is the word for rose. It's not really a name, and definitely not for a boy.

Elinor is not really Welsh but is used.

Maryslargelamb · 02/05/2023 19:44

Rhodri, Gwilym, Rhosyn. Idris.

I LOVE Welsh names! Really wish I’d been in Wales when naming my second!

mexicanandafewdrinks · 02/05/2023 19:43

gavin
davy
jone

DacwMamYnDwad · 02/05/2023 19:16

@Polzair - Emyr, Ifor, Aneurin, LlÅ·r are nice names but they won't work if you don't speak Welsh. OP is english. Aneurin is OK if you can tolerate the Un-eye-rin pronunciation.

toomanyselves · 02/05/2023 18:48

Owen

Polzair · 02/05/2023 18:47

*nickname

Polzair · 02/05/2023 18:46

Emyr
Ivor/Ifor
Aneurin, could adopt 'Nye' as a nm too.
LlÅ·r

DacwMamYnDwad · 01/05/2023 20:21

... Huw is a lovely name and also not much of a risk of mispronunciation!
Hoo and Hugh spring to mind. I've heard both.

@Scotskynon , RH is like R+H said at the same time. The Y has no english equivalent - you make your tongue into a horseshoe shape and say ee, the S is s.

The Y sound varies on the word - Y is like a non-rhotic Er, in a name like Glyn or Bryn it's more like the letter I (i) in english bit or bin

Hywel is more like Huh-well, but the stress is on the Hyw, not the Hy.
Similarly the stress in Iwan is on the Iw, not the I.

Most of the names will get mispronounced or misspelt but some worse than others. Arthur and Tomos will probably be said as the english equivalents.

Usplusone · 01/05/2023 19:32

Stick to your gut - Huw is a lovely name and also not much of a risk of mispronunciation!

I'm like you and wanted a Welsh name that my English family could correctly pronounce.
Fwiw we have an Emrys. Only one person has pronounced it wrong, and has gone on too long to correct! A couple of people checked at the start and no other problems.

Other easy to pronounce Welsh boys names: Emlyn, Idris, Arthur, Tomos, Macsen, Hari, Elis, Tristan
Have caution with Iwan (pronounced ee-wan) and Dylan (pronounced dull-an) as both often anglicised - depending on if this bothers you or not. Also may be different pronunciation in North Wales.
We know several Osians, Tomos's and Macsens. The older names are also making a comeback like in England - met a couple other Emrys's despite previously only associating with old men.

Davestwattymissus · 01/05/2023 19:18

Hywel?

KnickerlessParsons · 01/05/2023 19:14

My favourite Welsh boys' names are Meredydd, Gruffydd, Meirion and Taliesin.

Beachywave · 01/05/2023 19:09

I went to school with a Huw and he was super popular (south west England), I'm early 30s 😊

PickledScrump · 29/04/2023 20:01

@Scotskynon Rh is a letter in the Welsh alphabet. Rhys is said more like Rhis. Shorter middle sound

Scotskynon · 29/04/2023 19:43

PickledScrump · 28/04/2023 11:03

My favourite boys name is Emrys. Easy to spell and say. I also like Rhys but it’ll end up always pronounced like Reece and I really don’t like that. Idris is nice and simple too.

Just curious how else do you pronounce rhys?

Cotswoldmama · 29/04/2023 19:04

Also love love love Elinor!

Cotswoldmama · 29/04/2023 19:03

I love Auryn, I'm not Welsh but it was on my list because I love it some much. My son is called Eben and someone told me that the welsh version is Ebon, which is also nice.

Tellmeagain · 29/04/2023 18:57

We wanted a Welsh name and I loved Elinor! We had boys so didn't get to use it but did use some of the names from this thread. Everyone will get used to the name so go with whatever you feel is the right choice.

SiouxsieSiouxStiletto · 29/04/2023 18:32

Ah that's great. You've chosen such lovely names and it sounds as though he'll be a real cutie Wink

Original poster
tax19 · 29/04/2023 17:05

SiouxsieSiouxStiletto · 29/04/2023 07:29

My BF listened to her family and changed the name of her DS and regretted it for years. I'd stick with Huw. Huw Elis is lovely Wink

That's motivated us to stick with Huw.
Huw Elis Smile

OP posts:
SiouxsieSiouxStiletto · 29/04/2023 07:29

My BF listened to her family and changed the name of her DS and regretted it for years. I'd stick with Huw. Huw Elis is lovely Wink

DacwMamYnDwad · 28/04/2023 13:54

I think Mascen andOsain are typos.
Macsen is nice but currently popular when it was previously not really used. Doesn't sound great when said as Maxun
Idris was hardly used until fairly recently, and Idris/Idriss (islamic) is also suddenly popular.
Osian - great but I know so many of them
Gethin - I also know a lot of these and they are not babies.

dwightschrutebeets · 28/04/2023 13:35

Love Huw

Aled
Dewi
Mascen
Osain

DacwMamYnDwad · 28/04/2023 12:03

Huw Elis Surname is nice. I think Huw was quite popular in the second half of the 20th century, but it's not as middle aged as Dylan, which is very 1960s/70s - Dylan Wyn even more so.

The reason why I asked where you are was more to do with whether or not the name would be popular/old-fashioned/tricky in the area.

My suggestion would be to go for something like David Gwilym or David Gwyn if right on the border, to avoid spelling & pronunciation issues, or to use an anglicised name like Evan, Vaughan, Owen or Lloyd.

Original poster
tax19 · 28/04/2023 11:45

Thank you!
I do like Elis
It's nice and simple
But even then I'm thinking

Huw Elis sounds lovely.
Now thinking we should stick with our gut even with the old man comments

OP posts:
Muchtoomuchtodo · 28/04/2023 11:19

off the top of my head these are the names that we come across most often

Morgan
Elian
Osian - though I heard it pronounced oh sharn by someone English the other day
Emrys - looks easy but I’d be worried about people saying Em Rees
Emlyn
Elis
Owen
iwan
deri
Evan - not strictly Welsh but there’s quite a lot about!
Joseff
Aled
Huw is a fab name but it’s not pronounced the same as Hugh
Jac
Harri / Hari
Lewis
Arwel
Marc
Cai
Gethin
Glyn
Owain
Stef
Steffan
Tomos

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