Welsh girl names - Help

[Cookalia]

We are really struggling with girl names.
It needs to be Welsh but work in Welsh speaking Wales and English speaking Wales and can't have a LL in it.

We have tended to like 'dated' names over current popular ones.

Megan, Bethan, Rhian, Carys etc are all nice but too run of mill.
Siân and Sioned also can't be used and nothing that begins with a T

I’m not sure what you’d like me to do with that information, Mike. I’d pass it on to Enyd’s parents but I believe they have been dead for forty years.

"Please pop over and tell my eighty-year-old, Welsh-speaking Great Aunt Enyd, Mike. I'm sure she'll be glad to be corrected."

The fact that your great aunt uses an alternative spelling doesn't mean there isn't a conventionally correct way of spelling a name.

Someone could call themselves Jon in English, but the name is still conventionally spelt John (when not short for Jonathan).

"Maybe Haf as a middle name"

Yes, if she's born in the summer.

@tywysoges

There’s a boy Deryn in DD’s class, is it unisex?

I suppose so. It's quite new (at least to me) as a name and I wouldn't use it myself because it literally makes me think of a bird and not a baby.

I’m beginning to think that any MNer looking for a Welsh name should just PM Mike and Gwenhwyfar directly.

Some names that might not have been suggested:
Lona
Siriol
Menai
Mona
Rona
Gwennol
Gwylan
Gaenor
Elen

Names like Meinir, Einir and Eirian will get mangled.
They'll get Meneer, Enneer and Erryun. Not pretty.

Biblical names are generally OK but they may vary in spelling and pronunciation.
Efa (Eve)
Esther
Ruth
Lois (pron. Loyce)
Deborah (Deb-OR-a)
Elisabeth
Sarai (Sarah) - not used but Sara is.
Rahel (Rachel)
Rebeca
...

Arianwen is pronounced Ar-YAN-wen not Arry Anwen.

@tiredanddangerous

I love Mali and Cadi.

I agree that these are nice. Along with Mabli they're pretty popular as girls' names at the moment. Cadi is a diminutive of Catrin of course.

@ZoyaTheDestroyer

I’m beginning to think that any MNer looking for a Welsh name should just PM Mike and Gwenhwyfar directly.

Well, I would suggest getting input from Welsh speakers if you want a Welsh (i.e. Welsh language) name. The other option is to consult books or websites to check the suggestions given here.

If you were looking for English names, you'd probably ask English speakers or consult books.

Whatever you do, don't suggest Dilys, as we've already been told that it's "not very nice".

Bad luck on the three lovely people I know called Dilys!

It was a gentle joke, Gwen.

Haf is a bit meh as a middle name, but I like it as a first name.
Only for summer-born girls though.
Same goes for Mai, but May-born.

@ZoyaTheDestroyer, I'm more than willing to offer an opinion on a name.

@AdaColeman, it is very dated.

Tegwyn
Bronwyn

More suggestions:
Alwen
Alwenna
Morwen
Morwenna (Cornish)
Alaw (Melody)

@ZoyaTheDestroyer

It was a gentle joke, Gwen.

I know what you were trying to do.

@AdaColeman

Whatever you do, don't suggest Dilys, as we've already been told that it's "not very nice". Bad luck on the three lovely people I know called Dilys!

I agree that it's a bit dates. Makes me think of a 60 year old piano teacher rather than a little baby, but I realise that names can come back into fashion. Elsi is also on this thread and I suppose that's one of the ones that's gone from being a 90-year-old's name to being a baby's.

I'd say 80 or 90-yr old's name. It's pronounced Dillis.

Most of the names I really love would get mangled, or will be misspelt.
You can't teach someone sounds that they can't say.
Examples are: Leusa, Llio, Lleucu, Mair (It's like Myra without the a. or My with a rr on the end)

If someone asked for French names and posters suggested Japanese and Greek ones, the poster who points out that's wrong wouldn't be seen as 'arsey' I don't think.

They would if they did it in an arsey way!

If it was a french thread and someone suggested Annette, Michelle, Sandrine and Jacqueline, and another poster said they were middle-aged or older women's names, they would be accused of being arsey.

If they suggested Junko, Jiaxin and Priya and another poster said they're not French, they'd be accused of being arsey

Stella McCartney's daughter is named Dilys, obviously no one had told Stella that it was an an unfashionable name!

@AdaColeman, she should have posted on here before naming her children. One of them has the middle name Olwyn.

Tegwyn is a boy's name.
Bronwyn isn't but is a misspelling of Bronwen.

Catrin? Its my favourite Welsh name.

My girls list is:
Alys
Eira
Mari
Morwenna (saint Morwenna was born in Wales and did her saintly deeds in Cornwall)
Tesni

My favourite Welsh girls name is Esyllt, but like you I'm avoiding the Ll.

Mair
Catrin
Cadi
Ffion
Nia
Nerys
Carys
Cerys
Eirys
Eirlys
Eiry
Elin
Eleri
Enfys
Sali
Mali
Nansi
Gwendolen

I once met a very lovely (and very Welsh) Bettrys (which she pronounced to rhyme with Tetris)