Welsh names are used in the country of wales in britain. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. The name arfon refers to the area opposite mon or anglesey. Apr 09, 2020 plural of um plural of onnorthern england same as er in standard english. Ive tried to use the english versions where those are the commonly used ones dunvegan rather than dun bheagan for example, but ive not attempted to translate the names that are always used in their gaelic form. I also believe that tapping into this potential makes us happy. If you want to pronounce the names accurately, the following is a good start. Tarddiad ac ystyr enwau cymraeg origin and meaning of. The second book of the first segment, salvation, takes place in cwmdu black valley and i thought about how the pronunciation of cwmdu could be illuminated for nonwelsh speakers. Combination of aeron and the suffix gwen meaning white, fair, blessed.
Another volume for every local historians bookshelf local historianthis revised edition of the dictionary of british placenames includes over 17,000 engaging and informative entries, tracing the development of the featured placenames from earliest times to the present day. Richard booth opened his first shop there in 1962, and by the 1970s hay had gained the nickname the town of books. Place names often need specialists to interpret their meanings. The a to z entries are complemented by a detailed introductory essay discussing the chronology and development of english, irish, welsh, and scottish place names, as well as an extensive bibliography, maps of britain showing old and new boundaries, and a glossary of common elements in place names. Rhyl this comes from the english word hill prefixed. I can testify that the pronunciation below for llangollen, for example, is exactly right.
Dictionary of the placenames of wales, by hywel wyn owen and richard. I remember a while ago finding this amazing word name generator, it was a lot more sophisticated than others id seen before. It is found in welsh, cornish and breton place names with aber are very common in wales. The name is still pronounced swansee today rather than swansea. The placenames of wales derive in most cases from the welsh language, but have also.
Welcome to the website of the welsh placename society. Bedw meaning birch trees or birch woods is a common name in wales while a place like ysgawen derives its name from the. The family connection was illustrated by the prefix of ap or ab a shortened version of the welsh word for son, mab or in the womans case ferch the welsh for daughter of. Welsh form of the latin name aemilianus, meaning possibly, rival. Both accessible and up to date, this dictionary is an ideal companion for anybody travelling around the british isles, as well as for researchers and students with an interest in toponomy, local. Tarddiad ac ystyr enwau cymraeg origin and meaning of welsh. The limited range of welsh surnames is due in large part to the ancient welsh patronymic naming system, whereby a child took on the fathers given name as a surname. You could choose if the word would sound germanic, latin, asian, etc. In welsh legend she was the mother of mabon the enchanter. But youll also find names whose origins lie in english, french, irish, flemish, latin, norse and british or brittonic the language that was spoken here 2,000 years ago and that developed into what we now call welsh. Using etymology the study of the origin of words a. However, the english may derive from the viking invasion. Promote the awareness, study and understanding of the placenames of wales.
Over time this evolved from taranis to the gaelic taran and eventually to the irish tuireann and the angloenglish taryn. The long form of the name is the longest place name in the united kingdom and one of the longest in the world at 58 characters 51 letters since ch and ll are digraphs, and are treated as single letters in the welsh language literally translated, the name means. Many purely english placenames, bestowed under the regime of the anglonorman lords in the middle ages, have fallen into disuse and been forgotten, welsh names having supplanted them in numerous instances. It would need four or five books to do the subject full justice. The river has lent its name to the country to the east in german, swedish, finnish, estonian, polish and slovene this is only the name of the river, with the name of the country taking a different form. Many of the mountains, lochs and burns and settlements in skye have gaelic names. This was about 26% of all the recorded welshs in the usa. Many english towns and cities also have welsh names some are names given by welsh traders others are translations of the english place name into welsh. Caractacus burke caratacus is the latin version of the old welsh name caradog, meaning beloved. Hayonwye often abbreviated to just hay is a small market town and community in the historic.
Hi, hopefully this is the right place to ask this question. There is a high level of personal names within the place names, presumably the names of local landowners at the time of naming. Its study is promoted by the welsh place name society. List of english words of welsh origin project gutenberg. Promote the awareness, study and understanding of the place names of wales. Consider the relationship between the place names of wales and the languages, landscape, history and culture of the country.
Trees and plants also gave their name to welsh towns and communities. The a to z entries are complemented by a detailed introductory essay discussing the chronology and development of english, irish, welsh, and scottish placenames, as well as an extensive bibliography, maps of britain showing old and new boundaries, and a glossary of common elements in placenames. The name of this island is perhaps related to welsh afal meaning apple, a fruit that was often linked with paradise. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible enough to be used by anyone. The surname aldeman was first found in essex, suffolk and yorkshire at aldham. Cadogan, sir cadogan is a welsh name meaning terrible and fierce in battle. Welsh placenames and their meanings by davies, dewi and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The name comes from having lived in an enclosed place, means dweller at the old enclosure or dwelling. Included placenames range from the familiar to the obscure, among them beer, findlater, broadbottom, and. Examples of this have been pointed out to me be by mr. Pronouncing welsh words and place names sarah woodbury. Sometimes the language used in the formation of a place name is unclear. The celts adopted the welsh name for their god of thunder taranis thunder, via the protocelt toranos still thunder which also influenced the name of the norse thunder god, thor.
Welsh name of uncertain etymology, possibly from haf, meaning summer. In all cases, the place name meant the old homestead, or homestead of a man. Dictionary of british place names oxford reference. Welsh placename society protecting the place names of wales. Most of wales place names are in the welsh language, known in welsh as cymraeg. Mair welsh for mary the various forms of the word are cognate with english land and lawn. Youtube, youtube channel, video marketing, youtuber, igtv, erika vieira, video, instagram electratone. Bedw meaning birch trees or birch woods is a common name in wales. Mary llanfair of the pool pwll of the white hazels gwyn gyll near lit. Finally, there are a number of places, where the english and welsh names have, or may appear to have, totally different origins.
Views on its etymology differ but it may have been either the original name for the river aire or referred to the local populace whose name contained the element lat cf romanobritish latenses. Buy welsh place names and their meanings bilingual by dewi davies isbn. Translate place name in welsh with contextual examples. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. The skye guide what does that place name mean in english. Red wharf bay the second word derives from warth, meaning a shore or strand. Bagman a bagman is a person who collects money, as for racketeers bagshot a town in surrey, england, this name is thought to be derived from a tribe bacca and the anglosaxon word for the place of sheatte, meaning the place of baccas tribe. A village in anglesey in north wales, known for having the longest place name in the united kingdom. English toponymy, scottish toponymy, welsh toponyms, list of generic forms in place names in the united kingdom and ireland, danelaw, list of roman place names in britain, hebrides, avon, bran, toponymy in great britain, toponymical list of. The national library of wales has made available welsh newspapers online, a searchable database of welsh newspapers in both english and welsh from 1804 to 1919.
The list of historic place names will be an index of names given to, or held by, geographical locations identified from sources that predate the first world war. In mythology, this is the name of a sea god, son of aranrhod, and twin brother to lleu llaw gyffes. In a more restricted sense, the term toponymy refers to an inventory of toponyms, while the discipline researching such names is referred to as toponomastics. Other place names are hybrids of celtic and anglosaxon elements. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. What seems to confuse things is a much earlier attestation to an english place name in the anglo saxon chronicle. After two weeks, it was really getting better, but i am by no means an expert.
The origins of the family name rees and their place in history ebook. In the north and east, there are many place names of norse origin. During my trip to wales last spring, i finally had the chance to really see how bad my welsh pronunciation was. Rcahmw search our records list of historic place names. The most welsh families were found in the usa in 1880. Llywarch hen 534608 was a prince and poet of the kingdom of rheged, and accounted one of the four great bards of early welsh poetry, along with aneirin, taliesin and myrddin. Consider the relationship between the placenames of wales and the languages, landscape, history and culture of the country. Modron f welsh mythology from matrona, the name of a gaulish mother goddess, which derives from the indoeuropean root mater meaning mother. This name fits the fiesty knight whose portrait hangs on the seventh floor, very close to the south tower. The name of the island paradise to which king arthur was brought after his death. Bag could also mean badger, so the meaning could be the place of the badger, creating a reference to hufflepuff.
The site has become a favorite resource of teachers of reading, spelling, and english as a second language. Welsh place names are part of what makes wales different, but where did they come from and what is their. So, for example, aberystwyth, blaenau ffestiniog, bangor, machynlleth and llandudno all have the same spelling in welsh and english, although it is also often the case that many english people do not. Because i believe everyone is born with an innate desire to create. Henffordd hereford, rhydychen oxford literally translates as oxenford, llanllieni leominster, yr amwythig. Since the 1980s in america morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of morgan le fay or the fame of actress morgan fairchild 1950. Mar 04, 2015 trees and plants also gave their name to welsh towns and communities. Celtic etymology reading list scottish placename society. Yarden, and it is derived from yarad meaning descend or flow down.
Borrowed from welsh llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Welsh place names place names in wales wales cottages. They are also common on the east coast of scotland, where they are assumed to be of pictish origin. Drawing upon existing place name research, the list will incorporate the various forms and spellings used to record structures or places over time. You could type in your own root and it would generate a new word that sounded similar. Grace is derived from gratia, the latin word for grace. The placenames of wales derive in most cases from the welsh language, but have also been. Pennsylvania had the highest population of welsh families in 1840. From welsh ab einws meaning son of einws, a diminutive of einion. Welcome to the website of the welsh place name society.
Most of us will recognize combe pronounced coom, since it is. Therefore with a knowledge of modern welsh you can often guess the location of a village, or the character of a mountain from its name. Toponymy itself is a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds. In 1840 there were 147 welsh families living in pennsylvania. The welsh family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. Map of place names makes wales look like it is game of thrones. This book contains a very comprehensive collection of welsh placenames, covering both better known towns and very small settlements.
Buy welsh origins of scottish placenames first edition by william oxenham isbn. The modern english word wales has its origin in the prehistoric nordic iron age the history of the word welsh takes us far back into the past, c. It was used as a virtue name, in reference to divine gracethe love. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Buy welsh place names explained compact wales by myrddin ap dafydd isbn. Max forster keltisches wortgut im englischen, 1921, cited by j. Bethgelert, the 16th century spelling, is the first time the name appears to be linked with llywelyns famous hound, gelert canine babysitter extraordinaire. The place names of wales derive in most cases from the welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the romans, anglosaxons, vikings, anglonormans and modern english. If you would like to explore this topic further, here are some suggested books by. Resource directory baby names first name sites surname sites etymology genealogy reference sites forums pregnancy sites parenting sites miscellaneous submit a site.
Smith 1961 supports the notion of it origins as a river name with subsequent progression to a. Its strength is in the range of the words that may be encountered, allowing the reader to become familiar with welsh word patterns, particularly the conjunctions of words, and thereby leading to an understanding of how the language works. One of the most powerful celtic people they met was called. Welsh name derived from the word haf, meaning summer. Caught up in the chaos of life, we tend to forget those things that made us happy as a child, or we dismiss them as frivolous pasttimes in light of so many more important tasks at hand. Toponymy in wales reveals significant features of the countrys history and geography, as well as the development of the welsh language. The word toponymy is derived from the greek words topos place and onoma name. In the majority of cases in wales, the welsh and english names for a place are identical, almost always because the welsh name is used. I have some welsh ancestry and an old welsh dictionary which lists pryfydd as verminkiller.
Town name generator generate real and fantasy town names. Etymological map of welsh place names makes the country look like it is game of thrones. Llyfrgell genedlaethol cymru, national library of wales welsh journals y brython. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The castle at caernarfon meaning in welsh the fortress in arfon, which was formerly anglicised as carnarvon or caernarvon. From the old welsh masculine name morcant, which was possibly derived from welsh mor sea and cant circle. Check out our collection of 14 towns and villages in wales with names bound to befuddle unsuspecting english tourists. Here, they encountered, displaced and assimilated celtic tribes.
It existed as gracia in the middle ages but was not in common use until the puritans adopted it along with other christian attribute names in the sixteenth century. The often mutated name of the relevant saint or location follows the element. Derived either from welsh aeron meaning berry or else from the name of the river aeron in wales. Formerly the name of a district rather than a place. Welsh form of the latin name ambrosius, meaning immortal enid. The welsh word celli lenited to gelli has a range of meanings including wooded areas of various. The online etymology dictionary is the internets goto source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of english words, phrases, and idioms. I remember a while ago finding this amazing wordname generator, it was a lot more sophisticated than others id seen before. I read elsewhere that the older meaning was rabbithunter.
Welsh name composed of the elements dy great and llanw sea, hence great sea. Meaning history comments for the name taryn behind the name. This longer form of the name was invented for promotional purposes in the 1860s. Cassandra the daughter of priam, king of troy, cassandra was a prophetess who foresaw the. Welsh place names are often based on words that describe a landmark or feature of the countryside. In celtic mythology, this is the name of the father of rhiannon. It is also important to name towns in fictional books and games with a name that describes the town, whether that be dark and gloomy or in a bright positive light. It is acknowledged that hibernia the term used for ireland by julius caesar himself derives from ierne or ierna, which the historian strabo preferred to use. The origins of the family name lewis and their place in history ebook. The biblical eber or heber grandson of arphaxad gets his name from this irish tribe or race. Welsh place names and their meanings by davies dewi abebooks.