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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Topic started by: landvaettir on Saturday 02 July 05 23:11 BST (UK)

Title: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: landvaettir on Saturday 02 July 05 23:11 BST (UK)
All we've got on my Grandma's brothers & sisters are 'nicknames'.. Grandma married my Grandpa in Ruthin, Wales after WWII and we've lost track of these people, we don't even have their 'real' first names..  :-\

Can someone help me out with what their birth names might have been. The spelling is just from word of mouth, i don't know how Grandma would have spelt them..

Dad thinks 'Nin' would have been something like Eilwen.. and 'Gwen' would have had a longer name.. 'Tydd' sounds like 'tidd' not Ted .. but i guess it could be just Ted (Edward), but Dad doesn't think so.

'Nin' (maybe Eilwen?) Edwards - b: Ruthin, Wales, UK
'Gwen' Edwards - b: Ruthin, Wales, UK
'Meriel' Edwards - b: Ruthin, Wales, UK
'Eirlys' Edwards - b: Ruthin, Wales, UK
'Tydd' Edwards - b: Ruthin, Wales, UK


Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks  :)
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: SS from The Rhondda on Saturday 02 July 05 23:43 BST (UK)
Some suggestions for you:

Gwen
Gwenllian, Gwynneth, Gwendoline

Tydd
Tydfil, Illtyd
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: Peterej on Saturday 02 July 05 23:54 BST (UK)
Nain (pronounced nine) is the Welsh equivalent of Grandmother
and
Taid (pronounced tide) is grandfather
don't suppose it helps but.....

peterej
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: davierj on Sunday 03 July 05 18:22 BST (UK)
Hi,
Probably Meriel and Eirlys are the correct names.   Gwen could also be a name in it's own right.   In addition it could be short for Gwenhwyvar, Gwenabwy, Gwenda, Gwener, Gwenledyr, Gweneth (Gwyneth) among others.   Probably just Gwen.
Cheers Dave
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: landvaettir on Sunday 03 July 05 23:00 BST (UK)
Thanks for the suggestions.

We're pretty confident with Meriel & Eirlys, still kind of stuck with Nin though.

Thanks

Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: davierj on Monday 04 July 05 00:28 BST (UK)
Hi,
Apparently Tydd is a variaton on Tudor, Tudyr or Tuder.  Tudor is the most usual.   I'm still working on Nin.   This is a real poser!
Cheers Dave
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: mwlsyn on Monday 04 July 05 22:44 BST (UK)
You could also try the Welsh spelling 'Tudur' for your Tydd.

By far the most common full name for Gwen would be Gwenllian as said above but it's always worth checking the others! Perhaps Gwenhwyfar is a more 'correct' spelling than Gwenhwyvar, but it's still an uncommon name.

I know of no name that's shortened to 'Nin': therefore I'm guessing it was a nickname unrelated to the actual name.

Good luck!
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: trystan on Monday 04 July 05 23:04 BST (UK)
Could Nin be Non ? (Non is a Welsh ladies name)
Are we sure it's not "Nain" (grandmother) as Peter suggested?
"Eilwen" would most probably be "Eirwen"

Tydd - in Welsh a similar sould means "come [here]". So to should somebody over you'd shout "tyd!" or "tyd yma!". But again, yes Tudyr sounds quite likely or even "Taid" for Grandad (again as Peter suggested).

Trystan
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: landvaettir on Tuesday 05 July 05 21:36 BST (UK)
 ;D
Thanks everyone.  :)  I think we've got it.

We found a pic of Nin with her name written as Eilwen.

And on the back of one of Tyd's photo's we found his name written as Tyd
And then on the front of another one it appears to be Clydwyn

So Tyd is short for Clydwyn. How common a name is Clydwyn?
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: davierj on Tuesday 05 July 05 22:12 BST (UK)
Hi,
 I've heard of Cledwyn but Clydwyn's a new one.   Pleased you've solved the problem.   Those family nicknames!
Cheers Dave
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: Cell on Wednesday 06 July 05 00:42 BST (UK)
Hi landvaettir,

 I hope you don't mind me joining in your thread and asking a question  of my own too. I'm currently going through a few unusual Welsh male names and pulling my hair out over them  ;D

  In answer to your question "How common a name is Clydwyn ". I've  personally never heard of  the name myself either. ( Your photo looks like  it reads "Clydwyn" to me too)

 I  took a look at the BMD's and censuses for you to see how "common" a name it is/was:

There only seem to be a couple  in the BMD ( although these are not complete listings so there will probably be quite a few more)

From 1837 to 1983  there are ten births  listed , middle names accounting for a couple of them.
The earliest being 1881 on the free BMD  (on free BMD site  there are 8 people all Christian names) - all in wales bar two who are in Cheshire Mersyside

And there is one in the birth index 1984 to 2000

In the censuses I can only find  two people to have this name:
one in 1891 Carmarthenshire,  Clydwyn O Rees
one in 1901 Brecon, Clydwyn Hubert Jones
( without allowing for  other Clydwyn's  that may be there , but  have been mistranscibed)

I can't find the name on any of the name meaning sites I have  either, like  the "behind the name"  site , it's not in their database ( but neither is "my" below  Cedwyn  name, or Ceidio ). It  just gives a list of "sounds similar names"  Cledwyn is the only Welsh name  for Clydwyn it seems to  pull up  in the list  "names that sound similar". It may be related to it, or maybe not , I don't know.
( http://www.behindthename.com/)

It does seem to be a nice unusual name you have  there
  :)

.....................................................................................................................................


Could anyone tell me if they have ever heard of the name Cedryn? ( pronounced as it reads in Welsh , a  Ked - rin  sound in English)

My husband knew of a person ( an old welsh teacher) with this Christian name  years ago. in college in Wales, and I love the sound of this name. I'm thinking of naming a child this, but want to know the meaning behind it  just in case it means something horrible.

I can not find a meaning for it online or in my Welsh dictionaries , or where it has come from. And I  can't find it on any name sites. The nearest thing I have come up with so far is  the word Cedyrn , as in  Y Cedyrn - The strong( cadarn strong)

There seems to be just 3  Cedryn's in the later BMD's  (two middle names and one Christian name)  , none at all in any of the censuses . So it looks to me as if it may be a Modern-ish made up Welsh name, or  maybe a total all but lost name, but where would it have been derived from ? would it have come from the word cedyrn, cadarn - strong?


And  the  Christian name Cedwyn - does anyone know the meaning of this, what the word actually translates to/means? . white - " ? "  I can't find a translation anywhere with my searches.
 I gather he was a saint . St Cedwyn?  And there is a church called this too . Also Cedwyn was apparently one of King Arthur's knights? ( also found this ; St Cedwyn, which is most likely a further textual corruption of Ceidio)

Thanks for any help :)

Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: Llwyd on Wednesday 06 July 05 20:06 BST (UK)
You don't half find them don't you.I certainly haven't heard of Clydwyn/Cedryn and as for meanings........sometimes,however,some names don't have a meaning/translation into English.
The name Cedwyn,although somewhat rare,is a recognised Welsh name and there is in fact a place called Llangedwyn, which is situated some six miles,as the crow flies,south west of Oswestry,Salop.
The name translates to church of Cedwyn....the church in the village is dedicated to St Cedwyn.
I'm not sure about the Arthurian legend bit however.
Best of luck in your research.
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: auberginewellies on Saturday 23 September 06 23:18 BST (UK)
I've just started to look at this site after putting my father's first name Clydwyn into Google. I understand that there was a thread about this name in 2005. Is there anyone who has details of Clydwyn in the Rees or Evans families, possibly in Cardiganshire? I was told the family moved from Cardiganshire to the mining area around Merthyr.  I think it is a family first name as my father passed the name onto my brother.
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: davierj on Monday 25 September 06 10:53 BST (UK)
I like the Arthurian connection as of course he came from mid Wales and surrounded himself with Celtic knights (cymbrogi).   Could Cedwyn be the correct name for Cedric.   I think he was mentioned as one of the gang  :)
Cheers Dave
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: raydavid on Wednesday 25 April 07 06:16 BST (UK)
Clydwyn Edwards was my father and his nicknames
were "Clyd", "Tyd", "Tydden" etc. Your Grandma's name must have been Alwyn McCauley and grandfather Cameron who has recently passed away. We live in Cape Town, South Africa but we are in regular contact with the family in Wales and I can find most of the information you want or put you in touch. You must have an aunt called Diana who has been to Ruthin, N.Wales in about 1969 and stayed with her cousin Heather whom I spoke to about two weeks ago. I would love to get in touch with you and am at email address removed by moderator - please use the secure Rootschat personal message system to exchange email addresses - thankyou
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: AngelSeren on Monday 26 December 11 00:06 GMT (UK)
Hi there, I've no idea how to use this site! Just registered as I know the people you are looking for!!! In fact I'm married to the decendent of Eirlys Window (welsh for snowdrop) and known to us as 'Grandma Window'! I also knew 'Aunt Nin' well :-) I met Murriel a couple of times and also knew 'Uncle John'. Obviously 'Uncle' Tydd moved to Canada, but he did come to my wedding. I'm not quite sure how you're related. But if you're still around do drop me a line :-))

Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: AngelSeren on Tuesday 27 December 11 20:58 GMT (UK)
Apparently I need to post three times before I can PM you.....hopefully this is number 3
Title: Re: ..Need Help with Welsh Names..
Post by: mikejones1 on Tuesday 06 March 12 18:08 GMT (UK)
I don't know whether you still need a help with some Welsh names I found these websites helpful when I was looking for a name for our baby:

http://www.welshboysnames.co.uk]
http://www.welshgirlsnames.co.uk]

Good luck with the names!