Welsh names

[AderynOren]

We are Welsh and looking for some lovely names for either sex. We aren't totally set on using a Welsh name but the right one may sway us

My favourite is Catrin

@AderynOren

Macsen has an interesting history and legend behind it: www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2018/09/name-of-the-week-macsen.html

Alys is gorgeous. Fflur also gorgeous, but harder for non-Welsh speakers to pronounce. If you like Fflur, how about Ffion?

As Mike says, correcting your name gets tiresome. I usually give up after 2 or 3 attempts and accept my fate. Also, people can be very funny about being corrected. I had an unpleasant teacher who told me it was rude for children to correct how adults pronounce their name when I politely corrected her in class (first register). So I always feel awkward doing it! I can live with the mispronunciation but my Mam hates it. A colleague in my last job made the mistake of getting it wrong in the Cardiff office and was treated to a lecture on Welsh grammar

@MikeUniformMike - if said name has an English equivalent beginning with the same letter that was popular in the 80s then you're right Mam thought she had nailed 'Welsh name which will work in England', bless her.

@mamansnet - never heard of Glain before, but I like it. Tesni is gorgeous, I love the meaning as well.

I like Eleri. DH used to struggle not to say 'Ellerry' until DuoLingo introduced him to Eleri Lingo. Meleri reminds me of Malaria (by sight, not sound, also I have a strange mind so it's probably just me). Teleri is nice, but I worry her nickname would be Telly or TV (I knew a girl at school with a similar ish name this happened to).

I went to school with a Teleri, never shortened, thankfully.

The Welsh name will be a second/middle name so it really can be anything as it won't be used regularly. My DS's middle name is Llywelyn, nobody ever says it but I'm so proud that he has it and my in-laws have even learned how to pronounce it correctly!

The first name will be something that works in French and English, ideally with the same spelling. I didn't want DS to have to live with a Mathieu/Matthew type situation where it's always but his name is quite rare over here and people mispronounce it a lot, despite DH wrongly telling me it was well known in France. That said, it is a beautiful name (very outing!) and I don't regret it.

@MikeUniformMike thanks for the Breton tip but I find all Breton names awful! DH's family are Breton, but the middle name has to be cast-iron Welsh. DS will play rugby for Wales one day after all

Gwenllian
Eleri
Lleucu
Angharad
Gwawr

Gruffydd
Gwydion
Talfryn
Llewelyn
Pryderi
Taliesin
Islwyn

@AderynOren I've got a Welsh Names for Children book by Heini Gruffudd that I picked up in Caernarfon, any Welsh bookshops near you that might stock it? Or Amazon, obvs (trying to support local shops first!)

I saw a girl wearing a Manon name tag in a supermarket in Brittany and it is welsh too. I really like that name for a girl.

The Heini Gruffudd book is fine. Many of the web sites for welsh baby names are dodgy.

Isn't Avalon Afallon in Welsh? Aflan to me (first language Welsh) just means something disgustingly dirty.

Glain means bead.

The filler middle name I forgot to mention was Mai. (My) Overused.

Can't say what I thought it was Caff. My guess it is that it is not in your user name but not that different. Your comment changed my mind. If you are from where you say you are from, you would probably be traceable so won't post it just in case. What a nice teacher. That is a great example of what happens. cf. I used to live in Denbighshire, and on spelling it would be told ' I know how to spell Denby ' - er yes but Denby is not only wrong , it looks very much like Derby. Postcodes weren't always around.

Breton names look a bit too alike to Welsh that they might look wrong. I don't know many bretons but their kids have nice names - admittedly the names had me puzzled initially.

Maman - you could do that welsh thing of middle name as known as name when in Wales, so that they are Firstname Llywelyn (love this name) and Firstname Glain (subst name of choice) when with Taid and Nain.

My favourites are

Twm
Lowri

(I think @CaffiSaliMali might be a Lowri!)

@DingoDing I think @caffisalimali may be a Sian 

Oh yes @MikeUniformMike I forgot about Mai! That's a pretty one but as you said, perhaps more of a filler name.

One self proclaimed Welsh name site has "Amser" down for a girl oh dear! Imagine "amser cartref" and off she trots!

A colleague at work recently had a baby girl and named her Aniera which I think is beautiful

Aniera sounds like a South American guerrilla. Aneira is a name but I suspect it is Ann+Eira, so could be a bit naff. See pp about transposed vowels.

I don't get the current love of Eira. It's a pretty name but suspect it is the Eva, Ava, Ivy, Ida, Evie, Edie, Ellie, Ella, Erin... trend. Same goes for Elin. Samey but with mispronouncing opportunities. I know many Elins, and it's an old name. Elen seems fresher.

Amser isn't a name and would be nicknamed Hamster.

Elain (EL-ine) mentioned upthread is Fawn - a young deer.

@17caterpillars, not Taliesman. Was that autocorrect for Taliesin?

I've always loved the name Celt 🤗

Amser Amser gwely...

I've seen some shockers on baby name sites before, like Olwyn (wheel) and Ffanci. British Baby Names is a good site, well researched.

I think Eira is popular as it fits in with the Eva Ava Ella etc. trends. My DH liked the name when I first mentioned it to him but has since expressed concern that it's too similar to the trendy names. For me, I like that it's short and snappy and can't be shortened to anything and the letter E is my favourite letter. I also like that it's popular in Wales. I think a lot of Welsh names look pretty and ethereal written down - Eira, Esyllt and Eirlys are good examples of that.

My DH really likes Seren. I can live with it, see it more as a middle name (for example Morwenna Seren). My Welsh family will hate it, so it's almost worth using just for that

Caff, if that is your mission, call her Cariad.

I’m not Welsh, but I love most Welsh names!

I have an Ellis (boy), but I love Cerys and Seren for girls 😍

I only have one suggestion as I love it, think it's due a revival in young Wales.

Beti.

Ha, Mike - I don't want to finish them off

I'm really pleased we chose Alys. Only had one issue with spelling so far when I said Alys with a 'y' when we went bowling and they typed in Alyce was in Wales too.

Here's a link to a page with some truly shocking allegedly welsh names:
www.wales101.com/welsh-baby-girls-names

Many are not names, not welsh or are just ridiculous. Some are misspelt and some have transposed letters.

Some are listed as boys' names when they are girls' names and vice versa.

I wish I'd called DD Saeth. @CaffiSaliMali. How cool a name is that?

Saeth is pretty cool

Some of those are spectacular adds disgleirio to list