Pic: Simon Welsh

Wales Online tells us : Generations of Aleds, Geraints and Gwenllians could be about to make way for a new brood of Sarans, Cynwyns and Trofanas. That’s the verdict of a new book which confirms that the recent trend for invented English names has migrated into the Welsh language. The celebrity trend for calling their children unusual names has seen the emergence of babies named Apple, Cruz and Princess Tiaamii

But as well as inventing their own names, Welsh parents have been dipping into ancient texts like the Mabinogion to give their offspring original monikers.

Publisher Y Lolfa has released an updated version of its book Welsh Names for Children after calling on the public to suggest new names for the book to reflect the latest trends.

Among the new names suggested were for boys are Eban, Manaw, Cynwyn and Eirwg, and for girls Saran, Nanw, Trofana, Eldeg and Dolgain.

Heini Gruffudd, the Swansea- born author of Welsh Names for Children, said there are approximately 2,000 Welsh names in the book.

And he said there is a trend now for names that would not have been considered previously.

“These include names connected with Welsh mythology, for example, Cai, one of Arthur’s knights,” he said.

“And names based on nature, such as Seren (star) which is now very popular. Blodeuwedd and Cêt, Dylan and Jac sit very happily together.

“And some Welsh names are very popular in America, such as Dylan, possibly as a result of Bob Dylan.”

He said it was rare to give children Welsh names a century ago but they have become more popular since the 1960s.

“Parents are now choosing names that are part of our history and mythology, our land and religion,” he said.

“Add to these, names which are connected with literature, those from the natural world and foreign names that have been Cymricised and you will see that we have a wealth of them.”

While compiling the book, Mr Gruffudd read the Mabinogion, the collection of Welsh folk tales dating from around 1100.

And he studied the work of the late Peter Clement Bartrum, a genealogist whose magnum opus was the 26-volume Welsh Genealogies AD300 to 1400 and Welsh Genealogies AD1400 to 1500.

Bartrum spent most of his career as a meteorologist in the Colonial Service in Bermuda and West Africa but learned to read Welsh to understand the medieval manuscripts in which the descent of prominent families is set out.

“Bartrum recorded a huge collection of Welsh names from history, mythology and the Saints,” said Mr Gruffudd

“Names from history and mythology give us a connection with our past and a specific identity in a globalised world.

“They also give Welsh people a different identity in a British context, in a period that has seen a growth in Welsh national consciousness and the development of a separate Welsh national identity.”

He said explaining names can be difficult because meaning can seem obvious but the origin can be from different elements, which are sometimes foreign.

“We have however, attempted to explain most names and link names with famous people, or geographic features.

“My favourite name is Gwenllian, she fought and died in a battle in the 12th century defending Kidwelly against the English in Carmarthenshire, when her husband was away fighting up north.

“And my son is Gwydion, named after a Welsh magician who is mentioned in the Mabinogion and made Blodeuedd out of flowers.”

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