Angharad...

[lessonsintightropes]

Pretentious in the extreme if you are not Welsh? I just think it is very pretty. But wouldn't want to saddle potential DS or DD with something worrisome/cause for teasing.

I like it. It reminds me of Angharad Rees who was in Poldark. She was on the Morecambe and Wise show once and Eric Morecambe kept calling her wheelbarrow.

I love it and did consider it briefly, but decided that yes, you probably need to be Welsh. However, I don't think it would be a cause for teasing etc.

Me too Bun. I can't think of any other famous Angharads. She was lovely though.

Very lovely, but a bit odd if you don't have any Welsh connections as it's such an obviously Welsh name, and I don't think it's become as mainstream outside Wales as, for example, some Irish names (eg you wouldn't look pretentious using Caitlin or Niamh if you weren't Irish, these days).

Not pretentious. You'd only be accused of that if someone thought you were pretending to be Welsh which is unlikely.

It's not unheard of outside Wales, so won't raise eyebrows. They let them cross the border these days, and some have even settled in England.

really pretty name in Wales........but if you live in england won't everyone pronounce it Anger-ad?

I don't think you need to be Welsh to use it any more than you need to be French to use Isabelle,Irish to use Orla or Arabic to use Layla.

It's lovely and really not that hard to pronounce.

I have known a few Angharads. They all call themselves Annie or Harry instead because they don't like their names.

These are all women my age (34) so it may be a generational thing.

it might not be that hard to pronounce as such,but......

I'm not Welsh so forgive me! It's Ang-HA-rad (ish, allowing for little Welsh fiddly bits) isn't it? The emphasis on the HA.

Using the actress as an example, I always heard her called something like ANG-ha-rud by the masses. Which doesn't sound as nice by a long stretch.

Now you can tell me I'm talking bollocks :o

Lovely, makes me think of Poldark and Demelza.

yes a soft g sound and stress on the middle syllable.....

Beautiful beautiful its my DD middle name she has another Welsh name and everyone said I should have used it as her first name all my DCs have VERY Welsh names and we live smack bang in the middle of England

You don't really hear the 'g'. More like An-HA-rad. I'm not Welsh, but married to a Welsh speaker (in exile in England), and we considered this for one of our daughters. Went with Anwen in the end :-)

And all 3 of mine have very Welsh names living in England. Everyone learns how to pronounce them... My 3yo determinedly corrects anyone who pronounces his name wrong... They all 3 have English middle names in case they want to use them later in life.

The thing with Welsh names is they're just not often heard outside of Wales. Which is a shame because there are some lovely ones. And generally speaking aren't as hard to pronounce or spell as Gaelic names. Yet everybody copes with Niamh,Aoife etc (lovely names both)

Gintastic we must both think that Welsh names are the best!

I have a lovely friend called Angharad. I've always thought it a beautiful name.

gin what are your dc's names?

I'm trying to persuade my dp that Eirlys should at least get middle name spot if we ever have a daughter. Aneurin will be involved if we ever have a son.

Alisvola a friend of mine's DD has Eirlys for a middle name - it's beautiful.

Aneurin is lovely I've got a Ieuan

sorry but of all the lovely Welsh names out there you are going to choose Eirlys and Aneurin?? have never heard these names ever apart from in the personal announcement page of the local paper (not the births)

You've never heard of Aneurin! The man who gave us the NHS

i know who Nye Bevin was but as a name for a boy these days???