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Bronwen or Bronwyn - correct spelling?

24 replies

expectingno2 · 24/10/2008 19:56

New member here so be kind to me. Anyone have any thoughts on the correct spelling - me and DP can't agree on it.

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edam · 24/10/2008 19:57

IIRC 'wen' is female, 'wyn' is male. So Bronwen would be the female version of the name. Bit like Lesley/Leslie in English.

LittleMonkeysMummy · 24/10/2008 19:57

I always thought it was spelt with a y but now you have me wondering too!!

Cauldronfrau · 24/10/2008 20:17

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GrimmaTheNome · 24/10/2008 20:19

So should all the (male) Owens really be Owyns?

Cauldronfrau · 24/10/2008 20:22

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Liffey · 24/10/2008 20:24

Bronwen for a girl isn't it??

I love Olwen. I'm not Welsh but I would have used it.

Owen is Eoghain in Ireland!!! Well, sometimes it is. People use Owen too.

GrimmaTheNome · 24/10/2008 20:27

Ah... a quick wiki shows me that the Welsh hero was indeed Owain Glyndwr, who was anglicised by Shakespear into an Owen ... wonder if the bard was deliberately emasculating him... doesn't explain why I've come across plenty of Owens and never seen the correct spelling till today!

edam · 24/10/2008 20:47

Because you don't live in Wales? Ds has a Welsh name but we chose an Anglicised spelling (and pronunciation) to make things easier, as we live in England.

We've bumped into one or two other kids with his name but never found anyone with the Welsh spelling - because we don't live there. Think of David/Dafydd, Evan/Ifan, Hugh/Huw.

edam · 24/10/2008 20:48

Mind you, I do sometimes regret not giving him the full-strength version! The manager of the baby room at nursery was Welsh and used to call him the Welsh version sometimes. Very sweet.

puppydavies · 24/10/2008 20:51

i love all the -wen names. aelwen's my total fave but a bit too lord of the rings now i fear. anwen is also lovely.

SoMuchToBats · 24/10/2008 21:07

It is definitely Bronwen !

I know of two Bronwyns, and I have to resist the urge to say to their parents "Why have you called your dd a name that is not a name?"

Califrau - I knew you would be on this thread!

Cauldronfrau · 24/10/2008 21:08

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GrimmaTheNome · 24/10/2008 21:12

Was King David an anglicized welshman then

SoMuchToBats · 24/10/2008 21:14

He was probably a Dovid (Israei equivalent)

By the way Grimma, my ds is currently reading the boOks in which you feature!

SoMuchToBats · 24/10/2008 21:19

Ooohh, sorry for lack of l in Israeli and capital O in boOks!

jammydodger · 24/10/2008 22:59

DH's sister is Bronwyn, she's Irish...is a lovely name.

edam · 24/10/2008 23:24

Grimma

I never said ALL Davids were Welsh, just that David is much more common in England than Dafydd. Or Dewi.

Frenchi · 14/09/2010 06:52

I'm from the US and my name is Bronwyn, I love it. I don't care if it's the "england" way, I'd much rather the "Y" than the "E", much prettier and feminine looking on paper :) and I've been writing it for 24 years :)

smother · 14/09/2010 13:13

don't know how to spell it, but just wanted to add that it is a beautiful beautiful name! would be v tempted to use it myself.

Kathleen123 · 14/09/2010 14:16

I've only ever seen Bronwen. I live in North Wales.

ozmetric · 14/09/2010 15:14

Bronwen

domesticsluttery · 14/09/2010 15:19

My sister is called Bronwen.

The only Bronwyn I have ever met was Australian, so I always assumed that it was the Australian spelling?

Just to put you off the name though it does mean Weasel in Welsh. Not that I spent years teasing my sister about it, of course...

CardiCorgi · 14/09/2010 15:28

It also means "white breast". I used to find that even more embarrassing, but it doesn't bother me any more.

Bronwen is the Welsh spelling. One possible explanation for the "y" spelling being popular in the United States is that it was mis-spelt in this way on the credits of the 1941 film adaptation of "How Green Was My Valley".

domesticsluttery · 14/09/2010 15:32

Oh yes, I may have mentioned white breasts to her once or twice too...

I have the advantage of being called pretty (Delyth) Grin

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