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Baby names

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

Original poster

Llewelyn

30 replies

Mandalin · 23/08/2008 05:21

We've named our latest boy (the 4th) Llewelyn.
Trouble is , most people in Australia seem to have never heard it before, they think it's a girl, a girl called Lou-Ellen!!!

We have to explain that it's Welsh, that it's ancient and the double 'l' is not a pretentious yuppy affectation (as in Siimon).

Would you recognise the name for what it is?

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LobstersLass · 14/09/2008 22:22

Bumperlicious, Twm has got a vowel in it.
In the Welsh language there a seven true vowels - a,e,i,o,u,w and y. The letter h is considered to be an occasional vowel too, like it is in English e.g. an hotel.

bandie · 08/09/2008 21:18

I love it. I wanted this name but other half would not have any of it.

I love it shortened to Llew which is lion.

It is so sweet but good for a great hulking brute too.

missjackson · 29/08/2008 20:15

We thought of this as a name but discarded it because of the whole pronounciation thing -- it was my grandfather's middle name so it would have been nice.

You could always call him Louie for short and forget about pronouncing it properly?

didoreth · 28/08/2008 07:09

I've just given this to ds as a middle name. English dp wasn't overly keen, but I wanted ds to have a family name from my family, as he has dp's surname. dp still can't pronounce it, even after repeated tuition, and maintains he is unable to spell it

3andnomore · 27/08/2008 22:15

lol
well, op may have realised that indeed she could not really explain proper pronpunciation...therefor keeping low profile

slayerette · 25/08/2008 16:27

Did you notice the OP never returned to this thread? We scared her off

pointydog · 24/08/2008 19:03

Do you get Laurence Llewellyn Bowen in Ozland? I'm trying to think of a ubiquitous reference point.

beanieb · 24/08/2008 19:00

I moved to Wales from England when I was 7 and it took me AGES to get the 'LL', also the Rh. now I get arsey when people do it wrong

Some of my friends still pronounce the Welsh for house, 'ty', as Tie rather than TEA, they just don't 'get' it

BananaSkin · 24/08/2008 19:00

I know one. He is Llewi for short (pronounced as in Louis) - would that help?

Califrau · 24/08/2008 18:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

3andnomore · 24/08/2008 14:28

if you could just seen me, sitting infront of the screen trying to get it out the right way, you would have been pissing yourself with laughter.....
I don't think I will ever be capable of saying it correctly ...might aswell we never called any of the boys that name, hehe....nothing worse then using a name but pronouncing it completely wrong.....
pethate of mine....have come across severeal Linus and Noels in germany with people completely pronouncing them wrong....Leenus and Noelle.....and things like that...makes me cringe

beanieb · 24/08/2008 11:59

3andnomore, there's no double LL in the last pat of the name.

What Califrau says is right. Put your tongue up behind your front top teeth then put your mouth into a grin and hiss like a snake or goose!

do that 'LL' then go EW but not (oooh) more like the 'eh' sound with a W on the end 'ehw' then EL then IN.

Califrau · 24/08/2008 03:22

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3andnomore · 23/08/2008 22:28

oh, and no taking the piss, or anything...genuinely interested

3andnomore · 23/08/2008 22:27

thlewehellin?

beanieb · 23/08/2008 21:16

Actually - the EW bit is more , erm, Gosh I can't describ it - Like Pepe le p'EW' .. it's so hard to explain!

beanieb · 23/08/2008 21:14

To pronounce it you need to know how to make the 'll' sound

then it's (ll)EW (as in 'new')-EL (as in 'Hell'-IN (erm as in 'in')

3andnomore · 23/08/2008 21:08

so, how is Llewelyn pronounced correctly?

It was actually a Lloyd that told me his surname was pronounced Cloyd....before he said that I wouldn't have thought at all about how to pronounce that double L

wahwah · 23/08/2008 21:02

It's a family name for me, but I know it is very difficult for non Welsh people to say properly (although Zulu and Ndebele people I have known say it perfectly) and for that reason I wouldn't use it, as we live in England.

I like your instructions, Kazbeth, but for some reason, people always seem to revert to the 'cl' sound. You should hear my BIL mangling Llanelli and thinking he's pronounced it perfectly! Bless.

beanieb · 23/08/2008 19:39

Am assuming you are pronouncing teh double LL correctly? It isn't 'cl'!

If you are prounouncing it Lew-El-in then you're pronpouncing it wrong and it's no wonder people think it's Lou-ellen!

3andnomore · 23/08/2008 19:36

now, that sounds rather complicated, kaz....

kazbeth · 23/08/2008 19:31

This reply has been deleted

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kazbeth · 23/08/2008 19:31

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3andnomore · 23/08/2008 10:17
Smile
Bumperlicious · 23/08/2008 10:07

It's kind of pronounced Toom, I just thought it was a great name, no vowels!