Extreme Welsh Names

Yesterday, I featured some of my favorite Welsh names. These were mostly those Welsh names which aren’t too difficult for non-Welsh speakers to get their tongues around.

Today, however, I thought I’d take a look at some of Wales’ names which are — how shall we say? — not for the faint-hearted!

They may not be the easiest to pronounce, but they do demonstrate the great richness in myth, history and meaning of Welsh names. Many of them have their roots in the Dark Ages — and some even earlier still.

A few notes on pronunciation to start off with:

• ‘c’ is always hard like ‘k’
• ‘ch’ is like the German ‘ch’ of ‘ich’, and the Scottish ‘ch’ of ‘loch’
• ‘dd’ is like ‘th’ in ‘the’, ‘that’, ‘then’, etc
• ‘g’ is always hard, as in ‘gate’
• to pronounce ‘ll’ properly, you position your tongue as you would for an ‘l’, but then blow along the sides of your tongue. You should end up with a sort of clicky hiss. Probably the closest approximate sound in English is ‘cl’ — this is better than bottling out and just saying ‘l’ anyway!
• ‘ng’ is like the ‘ng’ at the end of ‘sing’, ‘ring’, ‘fling’ etc — same as the Spanish ñ
• ‘r’ is rolled like a Scottish ‘r’
• ‘rh’ is very breathy. Very hard to explain how to say in English; sort of like Welsh ‘r’ followed by an almost audible ‘h’
• ‘s’ always like ‘s’ in ‘soft’, never like a ‘z’ as in ‘his’
• ‘th’ is like ‘th’ in ‘thin, ‘think’, ‘thirst’, etc.

Clear as mud? Brave enough to try some? The worst offenders are flagged up in bold and red to help.

Off you go!

MERCHED (THE GIRLS):

Angharad (‘ang-ha-rad’) — combination of the intensive prefix an- + car ‘loved’, thus meaning ‘my very beloved’. An old and traditional name.

Blodeuwedd (‘blod-EYE-wedd‘) — blodau  ‘flowers’ + gwedd ‘image’. The name in myth of Lleu’s wife after she was turned into an owl; originally a maiden formed from flowers.

Briallen (bree-all-en) — Welsh ‘ll’, remember! Means ‘primrose’ in Welsh.

Buddug (bi-ddig) — Welsh form of Boudicca, and also treated as the Welsh version of Victoria.

Creuddylad (‘cray-DDUH-lad’) — craidd ‘heart’ + dyled ‘debt’. Welsh form of Cordelia, and probably the origin of the name.

Dyddgu (‘deedh-gee’) — dydd ‘day’ + cu ‘beloved’; medieval girl’s name.

Eurddolen (‘ayr-DDOL-en’) — aur ‘gold’ + dolen ‘link’; Welsh form of Goldilocks.

Goleuddydd (‘gol-ay-ddeedd‘) — golau ‘light’ + dydd ‘day’; figure from Welsh myth.

Gwawrddydd (‘gwour-ddeedd‘ — ‘gwour’ rhyming with ‘hour’) — gwawr ‘dawn’ + dydd ‘day’; an early saint.

Gwenllian (‘gwen-LLEE-an’) — trad old name.

Llio (‘llee-oh’) — short form of Gwenllian.

Marchell (‘march-ell‘) — ‘yellow horse’; name from myth.

Morfudd (‘mor-veedh‘) — môr ‘sea’ or mawr ‘great’ + budd ‘profit’ and ‘advantage’; trad old name.

Myfanwy (‘muh-VAN-wee’) — ‘my delicate/rare (one)’; quite well-known outside Wales because of the song.

Siwan (‘shoo-wan’ or ‘see-wan’) — Welsh form of Joan.

Tangwystl (‘tang-OO-ist-ul’) — ‘peace-pledge’; one of Brychan’s legendary daughters.

Undeg (‘een-dayg’) — ‘fair one’.

Ystwyth (‘ust-with‘) — ‘supple’; a Welsh river which gives its name to Aberystwyth.

DYNION (THE BOYS):

Bendigeidfran (‘BEN-di-GAYD-vran’) — translates as ‘Bran the Blessed’, a name by which the Welsh hero/God Bran is often known.

Brychan (‘bruh-chan’) — ‘little speckled one’, borne by a legendary figure of the 5th Century.

Brython (‘bruh-thon’) — ‘Briton’.

Cadwallon (‘kad-WALL-on’) — ‘battle- leader’; Modern Welsh form of the Iron Age tribal name Catuvellaunus.

Cunedda (‘kin-EDD-a’) — ‘good lord’; a legendary hero.

Cynddelw (‘kin-DDEH-loo’) — possibly ‘manner of a lord’; another ancient name, borne by a legendary chieftain.

Dafydd (‘dav-idh‘) — Welsh form of David.

Dyfnwallon (‘duv-en-WALL-on’) — ‘deep lord/lord of the Deep’; trad old name.

Euroswydd (‘ayr-OS-widh‘) — aur ‘gold’ + oswydd ‘enemy’; a figure from mythology.

Fflamddwyn (‘FLAM-ddoo-in’) — ‘flame-bearer’; trad old name.

Gerallt (‘geh-rallt’) — Welsh form of Gerald.

Gwalchmai (‘gwalch-my’) — either ‘May-hawk’ or ‘hawk-field’; the original Gawain (Gavin!).

Gwynllyw (‘gwin-LLEE-oo’) — ‘white/blessed/pure leader’. Name of an early saint and king.

Illtud (‘ill-teed’) — ‘many-people’; an early saint.

Llefelys (‘lleh-VEL-is’) — ‘sweet-voice’; mythological figure.

Llŷr (‘lleer’) — from a very old Celtic root meaning ‘sea’; figure from mythology.

Matholwch (‘math-OH-looch‘) — the name of an Irish king in Welsh mythology.

Meredudd (‘meh-REH-deedh‘) — original form of Meredith. NB: boy’s name :D.

Oswallt (‘os-wallt’) — Welsh form of Oswald.

Pryderi (‘pruh-DEH-ree’) — from a verb meaning ‘to take pains’. Figure from mythology.

Rhiwallon (‘rhee-WALL-on’) – ‘lord-ruler’; trad old name.

Rhydderch (‘rhidd-erch‘) — probably ‘exalted ruler’; trad old name.

Sulien (‘SEEL-ee-en’) — ‘sun-born’; very old name. Sulicena is an earlier feminine form found on a Roman era tombstone.

Wmffre (‘UM-freh’) — Welsh form of Humphrey.

Ynyr (‘un-eer’) — Another Welsh form of Honorius.

All together now, Gwlad, Gwald, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad!

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