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Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

'Trendy' Welsh girls' names

32 replies

MoominMeggy · 10/12/2021 12:39

Which Welsh names seem to be popular at the moment? There are so many beautiful Welsh names, but I'm interested to know which ones are actually being used, both in Wales and outside. Thanks.

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User65412 · 10/12/2021 12:41

Carys
Cerys
Anwen
Gwen (loads little Gwens about near me!)

Strangevipers · 10/12/2021 12:45

Rhiannon

Rhian

Sian

Enfys

Lowry

groovergirl · 10/12/2021 12:49

Eleri seems to be on the rise.
Rhiannon will always have its admirers thanks to Fleetwood Mac.
I know a Myfanwy and an Angharad, but they are properly grown up.

WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly · 10/12/2021 12:53

Lois
Efa
Mabli
Nel

Macsen
Cai

toastofthetown · 10/12/2021 12:56

If you are interested in the data, the ONS publish separate top 100 data for Wales and England. On the page below you can scroll down to the "Datasets related to live births" section and there will be one data set for boys and one for girls for 2020. On Table 3 for each there is the top 100 names in Wales. As Wales is a small country the top 100 goes down to names given to 32 boys and 25 girls, which gives a pretty broad picture of the names used in Wales at the moment.
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths

PyjamaMamma · 10/12/2021 13:24

Mali
Seren
Eira
Bethan
Megan
Elsi
Nia
Ffion

Welsh names popular among my DD’s year group, not sure if still relevant, mind - she’s 12. Some are friends’ younger siblings. I suppose it depends if you’re looking for popular names or looking for names to avoid Grin. We’re in South Wales, I’ve never met a child Eleri, Rhiannon, Myfanwy or Angharad (youngest I know probably mid-20s and goes by her middle name) - I’m not saying they don’t exist, and they might even be popular with younger age groups, but the ones I’ve met are definitely older.

DraigFach · 10/12/2021 13:25

My daughter's go to Welsh school.

There's an abundance of Gwen's and the myriad versions. Mali, Seren, Ffion, Carys and Nia seem to be popular across all age groups still although I really don't understand the affection for Seren

Eleri seems to be climbing, but isn't overused yet. Even in Welsh medium school though most names are commonly used by English speakers rather than Welsh speakers so there's only a handful of Welsh named children in each year in our experience...although we're in South East Wales so that's probably why.

My favourite that I heard called out recently was Arianwen, but that's the first time I've heard that name in years.

DraigFach · 10/12/2021 13:26

Please excuse the apostrophe error 🤦🏻‍♀️

CalonGaled · 10/12/2021 13:29

@MoominMeggy, you won't get an accurate list here, you'll get people's favourites.

If you look at a list for Wales only a few of the top 100 names will be Welsh names.

Some of the names will be Welsh names popular with non-welsh speaking parents. and these won't necessarily be trendy with the welsh parents, because they will have already been used by relatives

PyjamaMamma · 10/12/2021 13:38

Forgot to say, Megan is by far the most popular in DD’s year group at school, including English names. I think there’s about 8 of them (one for each form Grin).

CalonGaled · 10/12/2021 13:52

Here's a list of the names most used last year:

  1. Mali (92)
  2. Erin (78)
  3. Ffion (70)
  4. Alys (62)
  5. Seren (57)
  6. Eira (38)
  7. Cadi (37)
  8. Lowri (37)
  9. Nia (39)
10. Lili (34)

My extended family has no little girls with those names - they have gone for names like Mabli, Mallt, Lleucu, Llio etc

CaffiSaliMali · 10/12/2021 13:54

Welsh names in the Welsh top 100:

www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2021/10/top-100-most-popular-names-in-england-and-wales-2020.html

Harri
Osian
Dylan
Elis
Jac
Tomos
Morgan
Cai
Macsen
Ioan
Owen
Rhys

Mali
Alys
Ffion
Seren
Eira
Megan
Lili
Cadi
Nansi
Efa
Eleri
Elsi
Nia
Elin
Lowri

Trends similar to the rest of the UK in terms of short, vowel heavy names being popular.

CaffiSaliMali · 10/12/2021 14:04

We have 5 of the top 100 names in our family, although the age range is teenage - late 50s.

We also have names like Eifion, Alwen, Olwen, Huw, Gwendolen, Cerys, Mari and Goronwy which don't feature in the top 100 (relatives not yet told enough for their names to be Granny chic).

I'm surprised Mabli and Mari aren't more popular. Similarly Tesni and Teleri and Meleri, especially as Eleri is there.

Also surprised that Idris isn't more popular now.

CalonGaled · 10/12/2021 14:57

I like Goronwy. Not much used and usually known as Gron

Twizbe · 10/12/2021 15:04

I have a Cerys. In the year she was born there were only 19 others born in England and Wales. I think Carys has been more popular.

That's said, I'm hearing it suggested on here more often.

knightsinwhitesatin · 10/12/2021 15:09

I’m in England with welsh roots and have a 3 year old Eira

sageandbasil · 10/12/2021 19:09

I've just had a little girl and called her Mabli. I'm Welsh but live in England. I know loads of Welsh Mias, Nias, Serens, Efas and loads of Alys's

WeasilyPleased · 10/12/2021 23:09

We've just decided on Nerys. Not common but easy to say and spell.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 10/12/2021 23:13

[quote toastofthetown]If you are interested in the data, the ONS publish separate top 100 data for Wales and England. On the page below you can scroll down to the "Datasets related to live births" section and there will be one data set for boys and one for girls for 2020. On Table 3 for each there is the top 100 names in Wales. As Wales is a small country the top 100 goes down to names given to 32 boys and 25 girls, which gives a pretty broad picture of the names used in Wales at the moment.
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths[/quote]
I have tried to follow your explanation but can’t find Table 3 and can’t find the list of names in Wales, only England and Wales.

Can anybody explain it again as I don’t seem able to follow. Thanks.

PyjamaMamma · 10/12/2021 23:44

@MolkosTeenageAngst - if you go on the link below, they have spreadsheets with all the baby name stats. So if you open the spreadsheet for 2020, on the top you will see tabs for the different tables, table 3 is top 100 names in Wales.

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalesbabynamesstatisticsgirls

cafedesreves · 11/12/2021 00:10

I'm English but have never met or heard of a Mali. Very pretty name!

KloppsTeeth · 11/12/2021 00:49

@WeasilyPleased

We've just decided on Nerys. Not common but easy to say and spell.
I love Nerys. One of my childhood friends was called Nerys.
Snugglybuggly · 11/12/2021 00:57

Blodwyn

Chimchar · 11/12/2021 01:11

Martha (said the Welsh way with a kind of rolled R and a short 'tha'. )
Becca
Awen
Ela
Nansi

Twizbe · 11/12/2021 08:47

@WeasilyPleased

We've just decided on Nerys. Not common but easy to say and spell.
I love the name Nerys. We debated between Cerys and Nerys. In the end my DH love of Cerys Matthews won the argument lol.