The meaning of Welsh names
Welsh words which appear as names on the F.R. (not an exhaustive list)
Firstly a few words of explanation.
It should be remembered that under certain circumstances Welsh words can mutate; i.e. the initial consonant can change to another specific letter. There are actually 3 types of mutation in the language, but only the soft mutation need be considered here.
The most common causes of soft mutation in place names are;
- in a compound word (two words put together) the second will invariably mutate.
Many place names consist of several words (e.g. Tanygrisiau, Glan-y-pwll) but the hyphen is not actually native to Welsh - it was introduced by the English in order to make pronunciation easier.
- feminine nouns mutate after 'y' (the). NB - The "y" may subsequently have been dropped, but often the mutation remains, e.g. (y) Fron Goch, (y) Dduallt
- a feminine noun will cause a subsequent adjective to mutate
- where an adjective comes before a noun (more common historically) it will invariably cause a mutation.
For information, the 9 letters which soft mutate are as follows
b > f c > g d > dd g > _ ll > l m > f p > b rh > r t > d
| Welsh | English |
|---|---|
| a | and |
| afon | river |
| allt / gallt | hill |
| bach / fach | small, (in place names) Minor |
| bagl | shepherd’s crook, crutch |
| beudy | cowshed |
| blaenau | high inaccessible place* |
| bleiddiau | wolves |
| bod | in place names: residence of, place of |
| bron | small rounded hill, breast |
| bryn | hill |
| buarth | farmyard |
| budr | dirty |
| bugail | shepherd |
| bwlch | pass,gap |
| cae | field, enclosure |
| capel | chapel |
| carnedd | cairn, tumulus |
| cei | quay, embankment |
| cefn | ridge, back |
| cigfran / gigfran | raven |
| coch / goch | red |
| coed | wood |
| corn | handle, horn |
| craig | rock |
| creuau | hollows |
| croesffordd | crossroads |
| cryddion | cobblers, shoemakers |
| cwm | narrow valley |
| cysgfa | sleeping place (from cysgu ”to sleep”) |
| dau / dwy / deu | two |
| duffws (diffws etc.) | steep slope |
| dinas (male noun) | fort, fortified place |
| dinas (female noun) | city |
| dol | meadow |
| du / ddu | black |
| dyffryn | wider valley |
| ewig (> wiog) | hind |
| fali | valley (loanword) |
| ffestin, ffestiniog | fortification, fortifications |
| fry | above |
| ffatri | factory |
| ffordd | road |
| ffridd | upland pasture |
| gallt / allt | hill |
| gatiau | gates |
| gelli | grove |
| glan | bank, shore |
| grisiau | steps, stairs |
| gweithdy | workshop |
| gwlyb | wet |
| gwyn | white |
| hafod | summer dwelling |
| hen | old |
| isaf | lower |
| llan | originally church enclosure, now more like parish |
| llechwedd | hillside, slope |
| lloc | fold, pen |
| llwyd (anglicised lloyd) | grey |
| llyn | lake |
| maen | stone |
| Mair | Mary |
| mawr / fawr | big, (in place names) Major |
| melyn | yellow |
| min | edge, lip |
| moel | bare hill |
| môr | sea |
| naddu | to hew |
| newydd | new |
| nyth | nest |
| offeryn (offeren) | tool, instrument |
| pant / bant | hollow |
| pen | top, head, end |
| penrhyn | headland, promontory |
| picyn | noggin, pail |
| plas | large house, mansion |
| pont / bont | bridge |
| porth | harbour, gateway |
| pwll | pool, pit |
| rhediad | slope, gradient |
| rhedyn | bracken |
| rhiw | hill, slope, bank |
| rhos | moor, heath |
| rhyn | hill |
| tafarn | pub |
| tan | under |
| traeth | beach |
| tro | bend, curve |
| trwyn | nose, headland |
| tý | house |
| uchaf | upper |
| uffern | hell |
| wern | |
| y / yr / ’r | the |
| ychain | oxen |
| ynys | island |
| ystradau | high wide valleys |
* Traditionally the meaning of "Blaenau Ffestiniog" has been given as "heads of Ffestiniog". "Blaen" has various meanings, including "front/point/end/head" but can also mean "source", as in Blaenrhondda & Blaenrheidol. In its plural form, however, it is used to mean a "high inaccessible place", as also in Blaenau Gwent. (source: Geiriadur Gomer)
(feel free to add more, just the Welsh if preferred, and we'll translate it)