Ellis & Cai proper welsh names or chavy?

[firefirejugdypantsonfire]

I need a welsh boys name for DS3. My DH is welsh but never suggests anything. I'm English.

I want something shortish and that can be easily read by non welshies.

Are Cai & Ellis options or not really Welsh names ?

I quite like Euan / Ewan but is the welsh version Iuan ? As sure that would be said differently in welsh and in England ( where we live I guess it would end up as Ian)

In the family there is already Bryn, Gareth, Huw, Dylan, Rhys, Ianto

Oh and ieuan is different again lol

@SuitedandBooted great explanation

DH is also Welsh and we are in England. DS1 has one of the names you've suggested. DS2 is Taran.

Osian is a great name too.

Iolo and Ianto are great; I suspect you wouldn't go with either of those. Careful with Alun as I knew a few English Aluns who pronounce it the same as Alan. Just no.

Cai is a traditional welsh name, Elis with 1 L would be the welsh spelling. I like both a lot.

Where do you live mike? I ask because in my neck of the woods Gwilym would be seen as very old fashioned and Dylan much more popular.
OP, I would pronounce Iwan as Ew-an as opposed to Yew-an...iwan Rheon says it that way too if you want to hear it said.
And whoever said Ieuan is yoy-an....no.

Owain pronounced....Owine.
Lloyd
Dafydd pronounced....Davith
Lewis
Tomos
Glyn

Yeah Alun will spend a life in england as Alan. When it should be A-lin.

Idris
Rhys

Don't like either of those. Cai is dreadful.
Another vote for Evan.

Aneurin? Nye as a short nickname to go with the others.

Your other two are very straightforward to say, and short - I'd go for Wyn. Great, and not too popular, slightly old fashioned but in a good way.

Also easy to say:

Mabon
Idris
Gruff/Griff, if you don't mind a kind of Welshy-but-not name. It fits with your others though.

I really like Talfryn (Tal-vrin), and Tal is a really easy to say short form.

Orian
Bran
Geraint
Gethin

cai in england is associated with the rooneys, and ioan will often be mispronounced in england.

I'm from N. Wales. Gwilym was old fashioned and fairly uncommon until around the turn of the millennium but now it seems fresh and cute. Dylan (pron. Dull-an) was hugely popular in the 1960s and 70s. It became popular as Dill-un later.
I think of Dylan as being a bit like Darren - nice but dated, but the Dillun pronunciation makes me think it's a naughty boy's name.

I like Alun, but not pronounced Alan. Alan/Allen is fine, but not Welsh.
An Alun would probably be over 45.

Welsh pronunciation is easy if you speak Welsh, but not otherwise.

Eu as in Ieuan is tricky. I'd approximate the pronunciation to Yeh-yan. Ioan is easier because of that nice actor who used to be Gareth Wyn in Pobol-y-Cwm.

Wyn and Bryn as siblings - No. Wyn is nice but was unbelievably popular as a middle name for boys and girls in the 1960s and 70s.

Keir isn't Welsh. It's Gaelic. Scottish or Irish.

Osian is pronounced Osh-an (an to rhyme with can, tan). It is the Welsh version of the Irish Oisin

Dewi is difficult if you don't speak welsh. It will be said as Dow-ee. I'd say it was dated but maybe it's come back around again. David would be acceptable though although welsh speakers would probably go for Dafydd or Dewi, or Dai or Dei/Deio.

Taran - I wouldn't. It's welsh for thunderclap.

Bran needs a circumflex on the a. It's pronounced like Bra but with an n on the end, and not like bran the stuff in All-bran. It means Crow. I wouldn't use it and definitely not if I already had a Bryn.

I don't know the name Orian but a quick search suggested it's a girl's name and not Welsh.

I wouldn't use Geraint. It's nice but I'd expect a Geraint to be in his 50s. A Geraint in England will get called Jer-ain't, Grant or Guh-runt.

Dafydd pronounced....Davith

Nooo please don't have a child, call them Dafydd and pronounce it with a "th" at the end 😯

I’m a big fan of Iago but appreciate that it’s a name forever associated with a wrong ‘un.

Mike

Where are you with the pronunciation of Aneirin? My mother is fluent in Welsh, her father was first language Welsh (from North Wales in his case which will have influenced her though educated in South Wales Welsh speaking schools). Both adamant it is ah-nay-rin and Nye as nickname only exists because of English mangling when Aneirin Bevan was in power.

Both adamant it is ah-nay-rin

They’re right.

TittyGightly

I thought so but I’ve never met an Aneirin in S.Wales to compare regional accents vs standard pronunciation.

I do think Aneirin pronounced ah-nay-rin is a great name.

Emrys and Emlyn are old men's names.

I must te

I must disagree. My friend has the cutest toddler called Emrys.

Might be coming back into fashion, but it's just very 'old man' for me. I can see Gwilym more easily as a child's name.