Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

What Welsh girls names are fashionable?

69 replies

RoseApp · 11/04/2026 20:22

Friend still looking for a Welsh girls name. She doesn’t live in Wales but is of Welsh heritage.

Is Ffion still an acceptable name in Wales?

I’ve said that in see posts in here saying some names are very old lady

what Welsh field manners are fashionable at the moment?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
BeastAngelMadwoman · 11/04/2026 20:24

I’m Welsh and living in Wales and the most popular Welsh girls name I’ve noticed in recent years is definitely Mabli

Pugglywuggly · 11/04/2026 20:25

Mabli, Anwen, Bronwen, Seren, Cadi for little girls. I know several adult Ffions.

RoseApp · 11/04/2026 21:05

I really like Cadi.

OP posts:
CywIarBach · 11/04/2026 21:30

My 12 year old is a Ffion but have noticed there aren’t as many little girls called Ffion now. I also really loved Eleri and Mali (Welsh version of Molly) before we decided on Ffion.

ThePoetsWife · 12/04/2026 06:59

Rhiannon

thebeautifulsky · 12/04/2026 08:34

Alys
Gwen
Eira (snow)
Lowri
Enfys (rainbow)
Nia
Mari
Seren (star)

Givinguponmyhair · 12/04/2026 08:37

The vast majority of people on these islands "have Welsh heritage".
Is she actually Welsh?

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 12/04/2026 08:38

Bronwen

MissyB1 · 12/04/2026 08:41

I don’t know if it’s fashionable but I love Teagan, it has Welsh and Irish origins.

YSianiFlewog · 12/04/2026 08:42

Most popular Welsh girl names in Wales

  1. Mali
  2. Erin
  3. Mabli
  4. Seren
  5. Cadi
  6. Alys
  7. Eira
  8. Lili
  9. Nansi
10. Elsi

Other Welsh names in the top 100 included Ffion, Efa, Anwen and Lowri.

From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5e4pknwk7o

A baby sleeping

Mali and Arthur named top Welsh baby names of 2024 - ONS

The latest ONS list showed Welsh names Mali and Arthur remained popular for babies born in 2024.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5e4pknwk7o

HairyToity · 12/04/2026 08:43

Elin and Mair

HairyToity · 12/04/2026 08:44

Heard Lili and Betsan (shortened to Betsi) recently.

YSianiFlewog · 12/04/2026 08:45

Little girls in my village are called Catrin, Tesni, Lowri, Mabli, Gwenno, Elsi, Cadi, Elan, Ani, all lovely names.

HairyToity · 12/04/2026 08:46

...and Efa (this was a new one on me).

NamingNoNames · 12/04/2026 12:19

Is she a Welsh speaker? Some of the names listed are probably used for children whose parents don't but might be of Welsh heritage.

Where is your friend living? This affects things like the likelihood of the name being misspelt and mispronounced.

Is Ffion still an acceptable name in Wales? It's perfectly acceptable but I'd link it to someone in the 35+ age group. I'd put Elin and Nia in the same category.
Anwen and Bronwen 80-year olds'.
Rhiannon - not used much since the 1940s by Welsh speakers. The Ree-annun mispronunciation isn't great.

Mair not used much since about 1960 but it's very nice. The downside is that it gets mispronounced as 'My-uh'. Mari (marry) might be easier.

These are current:
Mali - Molly, pronounced 'mally'
Erin - not really Welsh
Mabli - Mabel, pronounced 'mabbly'
Seren - Welsh word for star, pronounced SER-enn
Cadi - Katy, pronounced 'caddy'
Alys - Alice, pronounced 'Al-iss'
Eira - Welsh word for snow. The diphthong is tricky.
Lili - Lily.
Nansi - Nancy.
Elsi - Elsie

Efa's not on the list but it is popular. Pronounced Evvah.
Eleri seems missing from the list, but it gets mispronounced. It's Eh-LERR-ih (rhymes with berry not hairy).

A lot of the little girl's I know have names not on the list, but they're not ones i think would work outside Wales.

Chersfrozenface · 12/04/2026 12:26

MissyB1 · 12/04/2026 08:41

I don’t know if it’s fashionable but I love Teagan, it has Welsh and Irish origins.

I'll let Irish people comment on that aspect but Teagan really isn't a Welsh name.

Well, I suppose you could spell it Tegan, which is pronounced Teh-gan in Welsh not Tee-gun - if you genuinely wanted your daughter to be called Toy / Plaything.

HairyToity · 12/04/2026 12:28

I've remembered another recent one - Teleri.

ToadRage · 12/04/2026 12:31

I have a Welsh friend whose daughter are called Ffion and Carys. I love the name Ffion, I like Sioned as well.

NamingNoNames · 12/04/2026 12:32

... Teagan really isn't a Welsh name.
Well, I suppose you could spell it Tegan, which is pronounced Teh-gan in Welsh not Tee-gun - if you genuinely wanted your daughter to be called Toy / Plaything.

I absolutely agree. Tegan is the Welsh word for toy.

NamingNoNames · 12/04/2026 12:33

ToadRage · 12/04/2026 12:31

I have a Welsh friend whose daughter are called Ffion and Carys. I love the name Ffion, I like Sioned as well.

Is she in her 80s? Those are names that were everywhere in the 1960s.

TheChosenTwo · 12/04/2026 12:34

ToadRage · 12/04/2026 12:31

I have a Welsh friend whose daughter are called Ffion and Carys. I love the name Ffion, I like Sioned as well.

Maybe we know the same friend!
I like the name Ffion; it’s pretty and graceful without being infantile and cutesy. I only know a couple (don’t like anywhere near Wales though!).
Some of the names mentioned are really lovely although I’m not sure I’m pronouncing them in my head as they should be said out loud…

ToadRage · 12/04/2026 12:37

NamingNoNames · 12/04/2026 12:33

Is she in her 80s? Those are names that were everywhere in the 1960s.

No she is only a year or two older than me (39). Her children are still children.

HuckleberryJam · 12/04/2026 12:40

Fflur. The one I know is 18. I dont know if it's fashionable or not

NamingNoNames · 12/04/2026 13:22

HuckleberryJam · 12/04/2026 12:40

Fflur. The one I know is 18. I dont know if it's fashionable or not

Edited

Fflur is one that's used as a middle name. Typically, first and middle names are 2-syllable 1-syllable. Elin Fflur, Ffion Haf, Alaw Mai etc. The same middle names get overused in an age group

If the first name is 1-syllable then the 2nd middle name is longer. I know a lot of women who are something like Angharad or something Eleri.

@ToadRage , If she's in a Welsh-speaking community the names are dated.
They are like something like Karen and Rachel in terms of fashion.

latetothefisting · 12/04/2026 14:10

I would largely agree with @NamingNoNames ' version but maybe not as far back - there was a 20 year old Elin on the traitors last year and I know a Rhiannon in her 60s, etc.

I would say Ffion, Angharad, Rhian and Carys/Cerys are a bit old fashioned now - I'm in my 30s and there were a few of all of those in my class. About the same era as Louise/Emma/Amy/Rebecca/Gemma in english names!

Seren was very popular about 10 years ago so might be just going over the curve into 'era dated' by now. Eira round about the same time although not as well known.

Mali/Mabli etc. very current, and, I actually think Bronwen and Anwen are as well - in the same way that english 'old lady names' have now come full circle back in fashion.

Then the more unusual ones are unlikely to really date at all, just because there aren't enough of them to be linked to any specific era.

If she's not actually living in wales her first focus should be how it will be pronounced - if everybody she meets is going to call her Ryan is Rhian even her name 😁 Most of the popular ones probably are popular because they are pretty much say as you see, even with english phonetics,