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Original poster

Welsh nature names for girls

68 replies

Palmatree · 03/07/2021 11:38

I'm looking for Welsh nature names for girls, probably to use as a middle name. I know of -

Ffion - Foxglove
Eira - Snow
Eirlys - Snowdrop

Are there any others? Thanks.

OP posts:
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TatianaBis · 03/07/2021 11:58

How is Eirlys pronounced?

Muchtoomuchtodo · 03/07/2021 12:00

Celyn -holly
Seren - star

Muchtoomuchtodo · 03/07/2021 12:02

Have a look here for more - and how to pronounce them.
Some are beautiful
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/fun-stuff/24-beautiful-welsh-girls-names-9663823.amp

Original poster
Palmatree · 03/07/2021 12:08

@TatianaBis

How is Eirlys pronounced?
I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on that. I believe 'Ei' in Welsh is more of an 'Ay' sound, so perhaps 'Ayr-liss', although I've heard it pronunced 'Ire-Liss'. I know Eira seems to have different pronunciations depending on region - I would say Ay-ra is more 'correct', but my family in south Wales would say I-ra.
OP posts:
Fivemoreminutes1 · 03/07/2021 12:39

Lowri
Iola
Megan
Fflur
Enfys
Liliwen
Briallen

MartyHart · 03/07/2021 12:42

Aneira, also snow

DacwMamYnDwad · 03/07/2021 15:53

Eira is Ay-rah. The Ay sound is short, not like the Ay in Layla or Taylor, but more like in Monday or Stay.

Eirlys is Ayrr-lis.

Liliwen is awful - Lill-EW-en. Lili is better.

CaffiSaliMali · 03/07/2021 20:23

What Dacw said on pronunciation. You can hear Eira pronounced here: www.bbc.co.uk/wales/livinginwales/sites/howdoisay/names/index.shtml?e

Tesni means 'the warmth from the sun' so it's sort of a nature name? It's pronounced TESS-nee.

Enfys - rainbow
Seren - star
Lowri - Welsh for Laura which means 'crown of Laurel leaves'
Haf - summer, popular middle name
Lili - Welsh spelling of Lily
Alwen - from the river, it is dated though.

forpeeetssake · 03/07/2021 20:25

Celyn = Holly
Enfys = Rainbow
Fflur = Flower

PeigiSu · 03/07/2021 20:37

Gwawr - Dawn
Eos- Nightingale

user1493494961 · 03/07/2021 21:05

Grug- Heather

Saisong · 03/07/2021 21:08

I love all these names!

Can offer Heulwen, which means Sunshine
Perhaps Mai (May)

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 04/07/2021 02:02

How about Gwyneira or Eirwen? - means white snow/snow white

DacwMamYnDwad · 04/07/2021 11:35

Eirwen is the name of an 85 yr-old.

Gweneira is a better spelling, and I wouldn't like to have Snow White as a middle name.

TragicKingdom · 04/07/2021 11:43

I've always loved Medi, it means September

DacwMamYnDwad · 04/07/2021 12:03

Medi is nice, and if it's a summer birthday you could have Haf, but it's a bit of a run-of-the-mill middle name, as is Mai.

A local river name could be used - for example, Alwen or Menai .

Alaw (Melody) isn't a nature name, but is nice.

Gwennol (seagull)
Gwenith (wheat)
Hedydd (lark)
Bronwen (weasel)
Llinos (linnet)

Not welsh, but connected - Sabrina

DacwMamYnDwad · 04/07/2021 12:28

[quote Muchtoomuchtodo]Have a look here for more - and how to pronounce them.
Some are beautiful
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/fun-stuff/24-beautiful-welsh-girls-names-9663823.amp[/quote]
The suggested pronunciations are not very helpful, and some are incorrect.

Gwawr is like Wow but with a G at the start and a rr at the end, not goo-aoor.

Awel (breeze) is OU-el. Ou as in Out

Heulwen doesn't have a non-Welsh equivalent sound. It's somewhere between HEL-wen and HIL-wen.

Pieceofpurplesky · 04/07/2021 14:06

I know it means silver but I love Eirian

KirstenBlest · 04/07/2021 14:14

Eirian doesn't mean silver - it means bright

Original poster
Palmatree · 04/07/2021 14:50

@DacwMamYnDwad

Medi is nice, and if it's a summer birthday you could have Haf, but it's a bit of a run-of-the-mill middle name, as is Mai.

A local river name could be used - for example, Alwen or Menai .

Alaw (Melody) isn't a nature name, but is nice.

Gwennol (seagull)
Gwenith (wheat)
Hedydd (lark)
Bronwen (weasel)
Llinos (linnet)

Not welsh, but connected - Sabrina

I actually really like Sabrina, especially as I grew up near the River Severn. I also like Cerys and Rhiannon.
OP posts:
DacwMamYnDwad · 04/07/2021 15:10

You could use Hafren as a middle name, but Sabrina is more colourful. Hafwen is simila in sound - Summer+wen - but is a bit dated

Mona could be an Anglesey-related middle name.

You can use a boy's name as a middle name - it was popular a few decades ago, usually the father's name or the welsh form of a family surname (e.g. Siân Llwyd Jones might have a father called Lloyd or Lloyd might be the mother's maiden name. Llwyd/Lloyd means Grey)

Not nature but nice - Hedd (Peace)

DacwMamYnDwad · 04/07/2021 15:11

Should have said Hedd is a boy's name. It would be OK as a middle name.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 04/07/2021 19:15

@DacwMamYnDwad

Eirwen is the name of an 85 yr-old.

Gweneira is a better spelling, and I wouldn't like to have Snow White as a middle name.

I understand that about Eirwen (I live in Wales myself), although to me it sounds more retro chic like all the Evelyn's, Florence's, Clara's and Margot's etc in England. But Gwyneira is a much more well known/popular spelling than Gweneira (more than quadruple the numbers) so despite what the Welsh language rules are I'd be concerned Gweneira would be misspelt.
Pieceofpurplesky · 04/07/2021 19:27

Kirsten I will tell my aunt she has had the meaning of her name wrong all her life. Oh and a quick Google tells me bright/shiny/silver

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 04/07/2021 19:34

@Pieceofpurplesky

Kirsten I will tell my aunt she has had the meaning of her name wrong all her life. Oh and a quick Google tells me bright/shiny/silver
Agreed, I've always been told Eirian "means" all three - bright/shining/silver. It's a really pretty name imo, although all the ones I've met personally have been 40 plus.