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
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 Ced
ryn? ( 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