Category Archives: name

Eifion


Origin of the Name Eifion

The name Eifion is an uncommon Welsh name that is beginning to gain popularity in recent years. While more often seen as a surname, Eifion is a traditional Welsh boys’ name. It is most well known because of the district of Eifionydd, an area in Wales located near Pwllheli. This district was named for the grandson of King Cunedda, Eifion.

The Meaning of Eifion

The meaning of Eifion is Welsh surname.

Popularity of Eifion

Eifion is one of the more uncommon Welsh baby names that people are beginning to use more. Eifion was not in the list of the 100 most popular Welsh boys’ names in 2016.

Famous People Named Eifion

  • William Eifion Jones – A Welsh marine botanist known for his study of marine algae.
  • Eifion Wyn Williams – A former profession Welsh Footballer who got signed up by Cardiff City when he was spotted playing local football in Hengoed.
  • Eifion Lewis-Roberts – A Welsh international rugby union player for the Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership.

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Arwyn

Meaning and Popularity of the Name Arwyn

The popularity of Arwyn is not as great as many male names, as it did not make it to the list of 100 most popular names for babies in 2015 in Wales. It is a simple name, and the meaning of Arwyn is muse. It is an older name, and one that has been given to many notable people through the years.

Famous People with the Name Arwyn

Professor Arwyn Tomos Jones is one such notable person, and

Arwyn Colles the name of hills on Saturn's Moon Titan
Arwyn Colles the name of hills on Saturn’s Moon Titan

Arwyn Colles is an area of hills on Titan, which is Saturn’s largest moon. One Welsh actor has the name Arwyn Davies, and Baron Arwyn is another famous individual with the name. So, while it is not one of the most popular names, it is one that has been used often enough for everyone to recognise it. The name is a special one, and it is a Welsh and English name that has been used for years. It has been given to many notable people, and the hills on Titan, and that makes it all the more special.

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Hedd

Meaning and History of the Name Hedd

The name Hedd is a Welsh name that, when translated, means “blessed peace” and the meaning of Hedd is derived from a bardic name and refers to the sun’s rays penetrating the mists in the valleys of Meirionydd.

Bardic names were pseudonyms used in Wales, Cornwall or Brittany and were commonly used by poets, and other artists, during traditional meetings called Eisteddfod, around the 12th century. Although assigning a bardic names sounds very archaic, it was a common practice that was used to differentiate those with similar names.

A Welsh-language poet, Ellis Humphrey Evans, adopted the Pen name

The Welsh Poet Hedd Wyn
The Welsh Poet Hedd Wyn

in 1910 at the young age of 20. He was conscripted to fight against the Germans in the 1st World War at the battle of Passchendaele and unfortunately he was killed on the first day of battle. In 1917 Hedd was posthumously awarded the bard’s chair at the National Eisteddfod.

The Popularity of Hedd

Hedd is not a popular name in Wales at the moment and the name didn’t make the top 100 baby boys’ names in 2016.

Unlike today, when names are derived from patronymic or matronymic origins and delineate lineage, the 18th century was a time of pseudonyms. In layman’s terms, bardic names equated to assigning a nickname to individuals with the same God-given name. For example, John Jones, a Welsh poet, and architect chose to use his bardic name Talhaiarn, as a means to distinguish himself from contemporaries with the same name. So, although Hedd Wyn is not necessarily a God-given name it is steeped in history, and worthy of conversation.

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Cedwyn

History and Origin of the Name Cedwyn

St Cedwyn's_Parish Church
St Cedwyn’s_Parish Church named after St Cedwyn.

If you prefer names with certain history and fame, the name Cedwyn, comes from a Saint Cedwyn from Wales(the Church Llangedwyn in Montgomeryshire). The history books said, he was the son of the fifth century Saint and princess Saint Madryn.

Famous People with the name Cedwyn

The name Cedwyn is not very popular, but very masculine, as the famous actor Cedwyn Joel from the movie The Gospel According to Matthew. Also the football player from Huddersfield Town, Cedwyn Scott. Welsh names can be related to the history and times of King Arthur, a Celtic name and a tale of love, magic and war.

Summary

There are welsh names with different meanings, some of them come from the Latin Language and from different tales, times and history. Like Merlin the magician of Camelot.

The name Cedwyn comes from a Saint, and it is more traditional. But there are many popular Welsh names like: Owen, Dylan, or Morgan. Welsh language is very different and the sound and spelling of the name is very original.

You can choose between an original, traditional, or the most popular Welsh names and you will find a match name for your baby boy.

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Cadoc

Information on the Name Cadoc

The name Cadoc is a traditional Welsh boy’s name with an historic past as you are about to discover.

Another spelling of the name is “Cadog.”

Meaning of Cadoc

Cadoc comes from the Welsh word “cad” and means “battle” or “battle glory.”

Popularity of Cadoc

Cadoc is not a very common name. According to the Office for National Statistics, it has never been in the top 100 baby names in the United Kingdom.

Famous People Named Cadoc

Saint Cadoc 5th century Abbot of Llancarfan (South Wales)
Saint Cadoc, a 5th century Abbot of Llancarfan (Cowbridge ,South Wales)
  • In King Arthur’s legends, Cadoc is one of the keepers of the Holy Grail. In other Arthurian stories, a man named Cadoc helps some of King Arthur’s enemies.
  • Saint Cadoc is the patron saint of deafness, glandular disorders, and famine victims. He was martyred in 580 A.D. His feast day is 21 September.
  • Saint Cadoc’s is a Catholic church in Cardiff.
  • Cadoc is Eragon’s first horse in the Inheritance Cycle book series by Christopher Paolini. It is also the name of Eragon’s grandfather.
  • Cadoc Reen is a character in the game Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning.

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Brân

The History of the Name Bran

Castell Dinas Bran near Llangollen
Castell Dinas Bran near Llangollen

“Bran” is one of those names everyone has heard but sees relatively little use. The meaning of Brân is “raven or crow” and is more likely found in place names such as Dinas Bran, or Crow Castle, in Wales. While it is a good, solid name, the popularity of Brân always seems to be just outside the baby name lists, but is seen a lot in fantasy novels and stories, usually attached to a man known for his physical strength.

In Welsh legend Bran the Blessed, also known as Bendigeid Vran, was the son of the god Lyr but without any worshippers of his own. He was a semi-humanized giant whose particular portfolio was regeneration. Later Welsh legends describe him as a king of Britain who was slain while invading Ireland, and he is linked to the Castell Dinas Bran.

Famous People Called Brân

The Brân name is currently best known from the “Game of Thrones” series on HBO, as the crippled psychic son of Ned Stark. There are a number of different famous Brans, such as Bran Ferren, who is responsible for the visual effects of “Little Shop of Horrors” and Bran Van Burkleo who did the soundtrack of “Y Tu Mama Tambien”. The Brân name has a long history, and will hopefully see more use.

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Brychan

Meaning of the Name Brychan

The meaning of Brychan in Wales is speckled or spotted.

Popularity

The popularity of Brychan has been low in recent years, it did not even make the top 100 most popular boys names in 2015, according to the most recent government statistics and realistically you don’t hear many people with the name Brychan even in Wales.

History and Famous People with the Brychan

Even though it may not be very popular now, the name Brychan has a lot of history in Wales. There have been many famous people by that name throughout Welsh history.

The name Brychan most famously belongs to a legendary 5th century king, King Brychan. According to a 12th century poet he fought against King Arthur when King Gwynllyw abducted his daughter St. Gwladys.

Another meaning of Brychan is the saint who gave his name to Brecon, a market town in mid-Wales. Some sources suggest that the king and the saint had been the same person, even though traditional literature clearly implies a difference between the two.

A famous Brychan from more recent years would be the actor Brychan Llyr who appeared in Hinterland and Tywallt Inc/Pouring Ink.

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Hefin

Origin of the Name Hefin

The name Hefin is a boy or man’s given name that can also be a last name. The Hefin clan was just one of eight elfin, who came Gielinor from Tarddiad during early part of the ice age. Guthix and Seren were the God and Goddess of the elves who both managed to convince the Hefin clan they would be better off in Gielinor.

Meaning of Hefin

Hefin is a Welsh masculine name that means summer.

Popularity of Hefin

The popularity of Hefin was at its greatest in 1997, in Wales, when it reached the 1761 level. It seemed to gradually drop off in the last years of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. In the past 10 years, it is starting to pick up steam.

In 2013, only three boys were named Hefin in Wales.

Pronunciation of Hefin

There are many pronunciations for Hefin. One pronunciation sounds like ‘half fin’. Another Hefin pronunciation is ‘her fahn’. A third Hefin pronunciation is ‘hef in’.

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Gerallt

Origin of the Name Gerallt

The name Gerallt, a Welsh form of Gerald, was brought to Britain by the Normands.

The name Gerallt died out in the middle ages, although Ireland continued to use the name. In Wales and England the name revived in the 19th century. Half as many people, 31 percent, have used Gerallt as a surname.

Meaning of Gerallt

Gerallt is a variation of the name Gerald and is from the Germanic origin. The meaning of Gerallt is a masculine name that means ruler of the spear.

Popularity of Gerallt

The popularity of Gerallt had experienced many major highs and lows. The resurgence of popularity in England during the late 1880s was short-lived when it began to plummet.

Less than five boys are now named Gerallt. More than 5O percent of the population of the UK don’t consider this a good name. In fact, Gerallt ranks 106,399 in United Kingdom popular names.

Famous People Named Gerallt

Gerallt Lloyd Owen was a writer and Welsh language poet who was born in 1944 in Wales. He is known for writing the book Avon about childhood. Owen won the 1992 Wales Book of the year. He also won the 2002 Glyndmwar Award for Literature.

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Gwilym

Origin of the Boy’s Name Gwilym

The name Gwilym is of Welsh descent, originating from the European country of Wales.

The Gwilym name is a first name given to predominantly males but serves as a last name to both the male and female gender as in the case of the Welsh singer and composer Meinir Gwilym.

Meaning of the Name

The meaning of Gwilym is “Protector” or one who holds resolute and absolute protection. i.e Gwilym Goncwerwr, or as the English call him, William the Conqueror.

How to pronounce the name Gwilym?

Gwilym pronunciation is usually pronounced with 2 syllables, i.e ‘gwil-lim’.

Popularity

While the global popularity of Gwilym is by no means widespread, as names like “John” or “Peter”, in fact, in 2021, the name “Gwilym” was listed outside the 100 most popular baby names in Wales (ONS). This name was not in the top 100 baby names in Wales and England since records began in 1904.

While the name Gwilym is rather unpopular and fairly rare, its French and English variants are quite popular themselves. The French name “Guillaume”, and the English name “William”, the variations of Gwilym, are both popular names in both their respective countries and around the world.

Famous People with the Name Gwilym

Dr William Rees given the name Gwilym Hiraethog
Dr William Rees was given the name Gwilym Hiraethog

There are a few highly esteemed and well-accomplished individuals with the name Gwilym.

  • Gwilym Hugh Lewis, Wing Commander, and British flying ace during World War 1,
  • Gwilym Simcock, a British pianist and jazz/classical music composer, whom the Evening Standard, a prominent London newspaper, listed as one of the 1000 Most Influential People in London, and the renowned, Bristol-born,
  • Gwilym Lee is an award-winning actor, who won both the 2008, and the 2011 Ian Charleson Award for his performance in Oedipus (2008), and King Lear (2010).
  • Gwilym Hiraethog was a Welsh poet who was famous in the 19th century. He set up the Welsh language journal Yr Amserau.

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