Taliesin - can I use it?

[Sonyo]

Always loved this name. I didn't go through with it for my first because of my family's opinions on it, but I'm due next spring with my third and last baby and would really love to use it if it's a boy.

The only issue is, I'm not Welsh, but I do have Welsh heritage, and my surname also starts with T (two syllables, ends in ie sound and has an S in there).

Do you know the meaning of the word?
you can call your baby whatever you want - I’m Welsh by the way - I’ve never come across this as a child’s name - maybe that’s the appeal?
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It’s for a boy but I agree I thought it was for a girl when I first read it

It's an ancient bard according to the ever reliable Wikipedia? "Shining brow." Needed a bit of powder?!

A beautiful name.

I love it .

I know a wonderful one in his 20s, Tal for short. Use it!

It's Tal-YESS-in. (tal like in tally)

Taliesin (/ˌtælˈjɛsɪn/ tal-YES-in, Welsh: [talˈjɛsɪn]; fl. 6th century AD)

Taliesin (studio) - Wikipedia

There is a Taliesin at my dd school but it’s a Welsh speaking school. He pronounces it Tal-yes-in. Gets Tal for short.

I love this name

That was my first thought too. I like Tally for short - but more for a girl.

Taliesin is a gorgeous name and appears in the Mabinogion so you can share stories about his name with him.

Tali / Tally is a great nickname, and if you have Welsh heritage, Welsh names are totally fair game IMO!

Do make sure you get the pronunciation right though - Tal-YES-in - as mentioned above.

My headmaster once upon a time was a Taliesin. Went by ‘Tal’

I know a baby boy Taliesin. One parent is Welsh. It's beautiful name.

My first thought was Taliban.

There was a Taliesin in one of those programmes following a group of different children for years (Child of Our Time or similar). Definitely a boy. I thought it was a nice name. I actually thought it was Cornish but they're both celtic so maybe a connection.
You don't need to be Welsh to use it.

@Worldgonecrazy It isn't Tally-yay-zin.

Welsh has a slightly different middle sound and somewhere between s and z
It doesn't.
S is 's' apart from in some words, where it's said as 'sh' (siarad, Sioned, etc)

Even those who’ve heard of the name can’t agree how to pronounce it. Don’t do that to your child OP.

I like it but probably wouldn’t bother outside of wales.

It will just be pronounced as Alison with a T on the front
Hope that's what you were aiming for

I’m Welsh, raising a DS in England. We chose not to give him a Welsh name as anything not completely boring would be too hard for most English people to pronounce.

Unles you are going to live in Wales I really Wouldn’t. If you aren’t Welsh that is hard to pronounce.

Your child will spend their life spelling it out to people. Isn’t life hard enough ?

@NewEnglandWeekend , those of us who speak Welsh agree. Welsh is phonetic, and it's /ˌtælˈjɛsɪn/ tal-YES-in, Welsh: [talˈjɛsɪn]; .

It isn't Tally-yesin or Tal-yay-zin. You don't get a z sound in Welsh.

People who are familiar with the name will know of it either from the bard or from FLW. The FLW is an americanised version.

Given that a few have said it's a girl's name and the dodgy pronunciations, you have a point.

@intrepidpanda , it doesn't sound like Talison.

I was brought up in Wales and that’s my experience of the way it’s pronounced.

Non Welsh people, not necessarily non Welsh speakers ( I don’t speak Welsh) will likely struggle with that middle syllable

There was a TV program in the 90s where they got kids to answer questions about parents (I think) and there was a boy called Taliesin. I’ve never forgotten the name as a result of that program.