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HelpRe: Welsh BAs
in reply to a message by Pie
There was a minor outbreak of Valmai girls in South Africa which ended, effectively, in the 1940s. Also, I think, in New Zealand and/or Australia. (Good Rugby World Cup name?) I asked about it on the Facts board some years ago and got zilch; do you know its origin, or anything about it?
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It almost definitely originated in Wales in 1899, but where it came from and why it proliferated globally is still a mystery to me. Here's the you/me/Sofia thread from last time: http://www.behindthename.com/bb/baby/3917645.
(I don't buy the Gwalchmai theory at all; they're far too different and not even of the same gender)
(I don't buy the Gwalchmai theory at all; they're far too different and not even of the same gender)
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I agree; but it's just possible at a stretch that some enthusiast took the Fal- bit of falcon and "reasoned" that, if a single F in Welsh makes a V sound, then Fal = Val = Valmai if for some reason one wants a springtime bird of prey. I've seen madder cod etymologies, though not many.
Was there an upsurge in emigration from Wales to the Colonies shortly after 1899? That would account for the dispersion of Valmai though of course the origin would remain shrouded in mystery.
Was there an upsurge in emigration from Wales to the Colonies shortly after 1899? That would account for the dispersion of Valmai though of course the origin would remain shrouded in mystery.
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