Welsh BAs
Not many this month:
(m) Jacob Llewelyn, parents Osian & Sian, brother Tomos
(f) Gwenllian Haf, parents Sioned & Neil
(m) Sion Ellis, parents Anna & Paul, brothers Gethin & Ben
(m) Math Iolen, parents Elin & Hedd, brother Cian, grandparents Cynrig & Carys
(f) Carlota, parents Ceri & Gethin
(m) Tomos Hedd, parents Thomas & Angharad, sibs Alaw Haf & Efan Sion, grandparents Ifor & Valmai
Not in the database:
Math was a wizard king in the Mabinogion.
Iolen is pronounced YO-len and is really unusual - meaning unknown.
Hedd (heth) is the Welsh word for peace
Cynrig (CUNrig) is the name of a river and means 'stream from the heights'
Valmai seems to have been invented around 1899 in Wales and had a little popularity spike between then and the 1950s - I see it a lot in obituaries. It's a bit of a mystery. Nobody seems to know where it came from originally, and V is not a letter in Welsh.
(m) Jacob Llewelyn, parents Osian & Sian, brother Tomos
(f) Gwenllian Haf, parents Sioned & Neil
(m) Sion Ellis, parents Anna & Paul, brothers Gethin & Ben
(m) Math Iolen, parents Elin & Hedd, brother Cian, grandparents Cynrig & Carys
(f) Carlota, parents Ceri & Gethin
(m) Tomos Hedd, parents Thomas & Angharad, sibs Alaw Haf & Efan Sion, grandparents Ifor & Valmai
Not in the database:
Math was a wizard king in the Mabinogion.
Iolen is pronounced YO-len and is really unusual - meaning unknown.
Hedd (heth) is the Welsh word for peace
Cynrig (CUNrig) is the name of a river and means 'stream from the heights'
Valmai seems to have been invented around 1899 in Wales and had a little popularity spike between then and the 1950s - I see it a lot in obituaries. It's a bit of a mystery. Nobody seems to know where it came from originally, and V is not a letter in Welsh.
This message was edited 9/9/2010, 2:52 AM
Replies
Oh, I LOVE Welsh names! They are so beautiful!
I especially like this:
Sian
Gwenllian Haf
Sioned
Elin
Carlota - is this commonly used in Wales
Angharad
Alaw Haf
Efan Sion
I especially like this:
Sian
Gwenllian Haf
Sioned
Elin
Carlota - is this commonly used in Wales
Angharad
Alaw Haf
Efan Sion
Carlota is not common in Wales - she's the only one I've ever seen and I was quite surprised by it, especially with two Welsh parents. Maybe they had a fantastic Spanish honeymoon, or something. :)
The mystery about Valmai is intriguing, and I have to admit I find the name really pretty.
Math Iolen is really neat. I really like that one!
Valmai used to be used in South Africa as well, also for no apparent reason! It doesn't run in families, but suddenly it pops up. I know a woman in her late 60s who is Valerie but whose parents seriously considered naming her Valmai (which they pronounced Valmay. I take it Valmai would have a -my sound rather than a -may?) instead, though they were both Afrikaans and must have just liked the "sound" (or the look) of it. And I know of an Afrikaans girl who must be 20 by now who was named Valmy. That looks French-geographical, but in Afrikaans the y makes an -ay sound, and her name sounds like Valmay. I've also seem Valmae. It's also been noted in New Zealand, if I recall. And it is a puzzlement!
Yup, it's a -my sound in Welsh - like Dai. There are Valmays and Valmaes and Falmais here too, but nowhere near as many and Valmai was the first version to appear, so I'm assuming it was the original. The first three were born in 1899, and nearly 600 of them in the following 40 years - quite a lot for an unusual name. They were mostly born in Wales, but there are quite a few elsewhere too. I keep thinking it must have been in a popular song, or something - but popular enough to spawn Valmais thousands of miles away, and yet completely unheard of now? Maybe not.
Gwalchmai? Male and medieval? The plot thickens! Good catch - thank you!
Glad to help;-)
I've no idea how reliable the info is, but from what I gathered on other sites, no one really knows where it came form. Since it spread like that there must have been some public story/person/event that prompted it and brought it to attention.
I've no idea how reliable the info is, but from what I gathered on other sites, no one really knows where it came form. Since it spread like that there must have been some public story/person/event that prompted it and brought it to attention.