If I was Welsh I would name my daughter Carys...

[twowasthemagicnumber]

To be honest if I'd even been there on holiday I'd consider it. But we have no Welsh connections at all, so I just can't do it (I know the arguments about just picking a name you like, but my other DC have culturally relevant names, and I'd like one for this baby as well).

I'm sure I'll have another boy anyway (in which case he will be Fergus), but if anyone feels like humouring me and suggesting English or Scottish (either would be fine in our family) girls' names which we might like, given that we can't bring ourselves to use Carys, I'd be very grateful.

Scottish girls names i like are

Eilidh
Mirren
Agnes
Heather
Morven
Kirsty
Iona

I saw a Senga working in M&S a few weeks ago, had never seen one in real life before!

Girls

Mirren
Morven
Mhairi
Mairi
Isla
Iona
Ailish
Elspeth
Mairead
Cora

Cara? Sometimes used just as it is, but also as a diminutive of the Gaelic Cairistìona (carishteeona).

Go for it! I'm Welsh, DH is English and DS has an Irish name (DH's mum's family were originally Irish but it's tenuous; we had a friend with the name and just loved it).

Carys is beautiful; Cerys too.

It's a nice name. Who cares what anyone thinks. Karis Jagger carries it well

I love Carys. I called my dd Carys, and I am not from wales. Think if you like the name nothing else matters.

scottish girl's names are tricky....which is why I have 2 DS with strong Scottish names and a DD with a typically English rose name (DH is English)

But...if you like Carys, then use it.

People ask questions about names to make polite conversation, but ultimately they don't really care how you came to your decision.

A lot of people you meet won't know the first thing about Wales, where it is, that it isn't a part of Scotland, or Ireland, or somewhere close to Iceland, etc. So give whatever name you like.

Thanks for the replies. I wonder if I am over thinking this. We do love Carys as a name. To my ears it sounds very obviously Welsh, but I'm happy to be told that it's in mainstream use (anyone like to suggest some equivalents? Is it e.g. a 'Caitlin' or 'Fiona' type name, i.e. Irish / Scottish but I wouldn't automatically assume that someone called Caitlin was Irish / Scottish?).

Lacka yes I agree that Scottish girl's names are tricky. My boys too have strong, very Scottish names, and I felt that we had lots to pick from. I am not feeling that way with girls names (and didn't the last 2 times either - had either DS been a DD we would have used Alice, but it has now been 'taken'!).

We do like Mairi though, and Catriona may also be a contender, although it's on the frilly side for us.

Nowadays it's really not that Welsh, no. As Welsh as Flora is Scottish, perhaps.

Thanks Countess, that's the right answer . I do love Flora too actually, but it's also 'taken' (by a friend whose DSs have the same names as my DSs - although we didn't know them when we named the boys - it would just be too odd to use her girl's name too!).

I definitely wouldn't assume that someone called Carys was Welsh. I know a few Carys' & Karis' and they are all Scottish (probably because I live in Scotland :o ) and I don't think any of them have Welsh parents.

Seems like you now have a little shortlist so you can choose when the baby is born maybe?

We liked names beginning with a "k" sound or "m" sound as they went well (we think) with our McK surname so that helped to narrow it down for us.

What about Caitir? That's a pretty Scottish name

Cerys is lovely. My friends dd is Cerys, wish I'd have chosen it first.
I also really liked Niamh but would be forever spelling it out and it's not phonetic so possibly difficult for dd to write.

I have a Rhys and I'm not Welsh, though I grew up there so it may be slightly different.

If you love the name, go for it - Celtic connections n'all

Or what about Coira/Cora?

People outside of the British Isles have very odd notions of what constitutes Irish, Welsh, Scottish, etc., names anyway.

I know a Cuban woman who wanted to give her DDs Irish names and chose Lauren and Michaela .

So Carys could easily pass as Scottish or conceivably Irish, French, Danish or anything else you fancied..

It's a beautiful name and if you love it then use it. You would be kicking yourself if you didn't and still loved it years down the road.

A lot of Americans and Australians are convinced that 'Megan' is Irish , and I wouldn't say Carys is more obviously Welsh than Megan.

Just go for it. My DDs have Scottish names and my DH hasn't even visited Scotland. Doesn't bother us, they're gorgeous names.