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My sisters name is Celyn...which is pronounced cel-in. It means "Holly " in the welsh language. I like it and i think that it should be on your web site!
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The name Celyn is a lovely name for a girl - but traditionally it's a boy's name in Wales (although not a common one) as well as a place name. Just as the name Meredith (in Welsh it's spelled Meredudd) is a boy's name in Wales, but is nowadays more commonly used for girls. And since Celyn is also a noun meaning holly, which is in English a girl's name, there is a logic to it.
My son is called Celyn (yes - it's correctly pronounced Kelin) and suffers from the rise to fame of Celine Dion -- people assume it's the same given name, especially as we live in Canada!
In Welsh the letter C is always pronounced K, and there is no letter K in the Welsh alphabet. Welsh often has the appearance of having no vowels (we're too poor to afford them!) but in fact the letter Y is also a vowel, which makes for interesting editions of Sesame Street!
And there is another Welsh name that in English looks like it should be pronounced like Celyn - it's 'Cellan' and is both a boy's name and a place name. Trust me - the pronunciation is not the same, but the sound represented by "ll" in Welsh does not occur in English so I don't know how to explain it!
One last thing, the name Celyn is a bit of a mystery -- it appears as a mans name in the Welsh medieval tale 'Culwch and Olwen' (see The Mabinogion) but I've been told that the use of the word celyn for holly is a more modern practice - ie the word was used for a name before it became used as a noun. I have no idea what they used to call holly in mediaeval Wales!
With regards to the request for flower and place names in Welsh - that would be rather a long list and difficult to pronounce!! Some flower names used as girls names include
My son is called Celyn (yes - it's correctly pronounced Kelin) and suffers from the rise to fame of Celine Dion -- people assume it's the same given name, especially as we live in Canada!
In Welsh the letter C is always pronounced K, and there is no letter K in the Welsh alphabet. Welsh often has the appearance of having no vowels (we're too poor to afford them!) but in fact the letter Y is also a vowel, which makes for interesting editions of Sesame Street!
And there is another Welsh name that in English looks like it should be pronounced like Celyn - it's 'Cellan' and is both a boy's name and a place name. Trust me - the pronunciation is not the same, but the sound represented by "ll" in Welsh does not occur in English so I don't know how to explain it!
One last thing, the name Celyn is a bit of a mystery -- it appears as a mans name in the Welsh medieval tale 'Culwch and Olwen' (see The Mabinogion) but I've been told that the use of the word celyn for holly is a more modern practice - ie the word was used for a name before it became used as a noun. I have no idea what they used to call holly in mediaeval Wales!
With regards to the request for flower and place names in Welsh - that would be rather a long list and difficult to pronounce!! Some flower names used as girls names include
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There’s more than one way to pronounce it but, my name is pronounced Kay-Lynn
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Was just looking for the meaning of my godchilds name "Holly".
Thanks inadvance
Ger.
Thanks inadvance
Ger.
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I've just called my son Cellan. Do you know what it means as a boy's name? I can only find reference to it as a place name.
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Need your Welsh expertise...
Perhaps you can help with this, Charlotte . I used to have a list of plant and flower names in Welsh, but I seem to have misplaced it. Cara 's posting about the name "Celyn" has reminded me of that list. Any chance you might be able to grace our message board with a list of those lovely Welsh plant and flower names, like "Celyn"? :)
-- Nanaea
Perhaps you can help with this, Charlotte . I used to have a list of plant and flower names in Welsh, but I seem to have misplaced it. Cara 's posting about the name "Celyn" has reminded me of that list. Any chance you might be able to grace our message board with a list of those lovely Welsh plant and flower names, like "Celyn"? :)
-- Nanaea
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