Welsh name for a boy?

[Pittapatta]

I'm having a boy in January and live in Wales. I would like to pick a Welsh boys name. I was thinking off Llion. What do you think?

I am really torn as I love Osian too. Easier to pronounce 'osh-an'. If people were to pick between the two?

I should say I'm Welsh and was born here but I am not a Welsh speaker (learning) not is my family. But my child will learn Welsh. I'm soooo indecisive! I wish naming babies was easier

I know several non Welsh speaking Welsh people who would pronounce Osian as 'osh-un' and Seren as 'Serrun' and Macsen as 'Mac-sun' for example.

So at what point do you accept that there is going to be some variation in pronunciation due to people’s own regional accents?

My name is Helen. Depending on who is speaking, I get hel-enn, hel-un, and hel-in. When I lived in France my name was universally pronounced Hélène. I don’t consider any of those pronunciations to be wrong.

There are a lot of Welsh people who wouldn’t pass the MN Welsh Test.

@pittapatta will your children learn welsh as fluent speakers? My children learn welsh because it's compulsory but we live below the landsker line so in my opinion definitely not Welsh at all. I always say we are British. My nan people were convinced she was cornish because of her accent, she had never been there in her life. This is my opinion though and I've never come across anyone else who shares it.

OP says she lives in a Welsh-speaking area.

@Mama1993, 'utter tosh'?
Those are real examples.

Only the full names are made up as I wouldn't want to out the individuals concerned.

[quote OohKittens]@pittapatta will your children learn welsh as fluent speakers? My children learn welsh because it's compulsory but we live below the landsker line so in my opinion definitely not Welsh at all. I always say we are British. My nan people were convinced she was cornish because of her accent, she had never been there in her life. This is my opinion though and I've never come across anyone else who shares it.[/quote]
Sorry do you mean you don't think people are Welsh if they don't live in Welsh speaking communities and speak fluent Welsh..?

Yes I plan for my child to learn Welsh fluently through school. However I am not fluent and have family in Wales and England

I learnt a bit at school

No to ll outside Wales, really.

He'll just never have his name pronounced correctly.

I did say this was my opinion only and that nobody else I have met shares this opinion. I see myself and my children as British, I didn't mention anyone else and I never would.

Non-welsh speakers will just have to learn a new name- not a big deal.
You can't teach some people. You just can't.
I worked with a Rhian and she was Ree-un or Ree-anne, depending on who said it.
I worked with a Geraint and he got called Gurunt, Jur-aint and Grant.

Always amazes me how we have to anglicise everything to suit English names/sake of ease for certain people
You don't have to anglicise names, but you will have people mispronouncing and misspelling them.

OP if you are in a Welsh speaking area then go for it! To me the most important thing is that your son grows up knowing how to pronounce his own name and not have his experience of it very much shaped by everyone around him pretty much saying it wrong. That's why I'd say no to a hardcore Welsh name if you are living outside Wales.

But if you're not, and it's just a case of the English side of the family would have trouble with it - that's not a reason to discount it.

Llion is lovely.

Have you considered Talfryn? For some reason I think it has a similar slightly fey vibe to it. And Tal is a great, and strong, and very easy short form.

In fairness to Kittens, people have been drawing the same conclusion as her for hundreds of years. The phenomenon of linguistic and cultural differences in that particular corner of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire is really interesting. I remember reading an article a few years ago which showed that researchers had found significant differences in the genetic signatures of people from north and south Pembrokeshire.

@PuntoEBasta so true. North of the county is very different, plus on the map there's almost a clear line showing the villages and towns in the north having Welsh names compared to the south. If you look up the landsker line also it says how the accents are somewhat different and have similarities to parts of England. Nobody has ever asked me what part of Wales I'm from because my accent is neither here nor there. I definitely have a jumbled mix but not welsh at all. If you google little england beyond wales it really explains it.

Why worry if he gets called Léon, as my phone would like to spell it? Seriously, what harm does it do?

I'm of Welsh heritage but live in England and know no Welsh. My pronunciation is not too bad because of my grandparents and parents but I'm sure it's not perfect. I love Welsh names though and would try my very best to say them well. One of my all time favourite names is Taliesin and I wish I'd used it for my son who would really suit it.

What would make a good nickname for Llion? I can't think how to shorten it?

Lli rhymes with flea so that's a no

@Pittapatta I have a close friend who is a LLio & she’s often Lli. Never associated it with a flea!
Lli actually means flow & is often used as a name for the shore 🌊

@Pittapatta

What would make a good nickname for Llion? I can't think how to shorten it?

You can't, except to Lli. Which will end up as Lee with your relatives...

Ah Pitta, I would look at other names if you want a good short form.

I was thinking to use one as a middle name so Osian Llion or Llion Osian. Or maybe they are too similar to use both in a name?

I don't think they flow that well.

Love the boys name Gwilym.

How does each first name go with your surname?

It's not unusual for people to use only their first and middle name, or to be known by where they are from, so if he's one of several Osians (or other name), that could be what he gets called.

How about Siôr as a middle name for Llion.