Here in Wales, our place names mean a lot to us. There is significant cultural meaning behind each place name, which tells us a lot about our history, culture, traditions and identity.
Not everyone can pronounce them, and sometimes, not everyone understands them. A recent article by The Telegraph advised its readers not to travel to Wales or Cornwall on holiday because the "place names are weird".
The Telegraph’s travel writer, Ed Grenby, wrote - in the article about advice on managing UK holiday expectations with children - that Wales was “cheaper” for holidays, but was let down by the place names. Instead, he recommended holidaymakers to visit Devon. You can read more about this story here.
Read more: The huge population changes in Wales revealed in the first data from Census 2021
Most of Wales’ place names are in the Welsh language, but there are also origins from the English, French, Irish, Flemish, Latin and Norse language. Some place names are inspired by their surroundings, others derive from Welsh mythology or legends. Not only do they tell us where we are, but they tell us who we are.
With this in mind, we looked at a few beautifully named Welsh places you can visit, their meaning and how to pronounce them.
Llanddewi Brefi
Pronunciation: llan-thewi brevi
Location: Ceredigion
Meaning: One of the largest parishes in Wales, Llanddewi refers to its connection to Sant Dewi or Saint David - our patron saint. The latter part of its name comes from a local legend. Two oxen were hauling stone up a steep hill when one of them collapsed and died. The other bellowed nine times, and because the bellows were so loud, the place became known as Llanddewi Brefi - 'brefi' meaning bellow in Welsh.
Bwlch y Saethau
Pronunciation: boolch-y-saethai
Location: Gwynedd
Meaning: In English, the name means 'Pass of the Arrows' and according to legend it was here in Eryri (Snowdonia) that King Arthur was struck by an arrow in battle. The king was carried down to Llyn Llydaw, and as he passed Llyn Glaslyn he threw Arthur’s sword - Caledfwlch (Excalibur), into the lake. From Llyn Llydaw, three maidens sailed Arthur away through the mist to Afallon (Avalon).
Coed Cwm-Cib-Canol
Pronunciation: coid-coom-cib-canol
Location: Powys
Meaning: This area in the Brecon Beacons National Park means 'trees of the middle pod valley'.
Llyn Bochlwyd
Pronunciation: llyn boch-looid
Location: Gwynedd
Meaning: 'Llyn' means lake, 'boch' means cheek, while 'llwyd' means grey. The story goes that a grey stag managed to escape from hounds and arrows during a hunt before he plunged into the lake while holding its grey face above the water as it swam to safety.
Abergele
Pronunciation: aber-geleh
Location: Denbighshire
Meaning: In Welsh, 'Aber' means the 'mouth of' and is usually used as a prefix for many place names, such as Aberystwyth, which means the 'mouth of' the Ystwyth river'. In this Denbighshire market town however, 'gele' is an old term for spear, and is said to describe the quick movement of the River Gele.
Porthcawl
Pronunciation: porth-caool
Location: Bridgend
Meaning: It is thought that the meaning behind the name is 'harbour (Porth) of the sea-kale'. But one school of thought is that the 'cawl' could be a corruption of Gaul - a group of Celtic people from mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). The habit of Gauls calling into British ports is reflected in other names like Galloway in Scotland and Galway in Ireland.
Betws-y-Coed
Pronunciation: betoos-y-coid
Location: Conwy
Meaning: Its meaning is 'prayer house in the woods'.
Beddgelert
Pronunciation: beth-gelert
Location: Gwynedd
Meaning: The place name means 'the grave of Gelert', and could have one of the saddest derivations in Wales. The place name is linked to the story of Prince Llewelyn ap Iorwerth’s faithful dog Gelert who was slain by his master after he returned from hunting and found his son was missing while Gelert’s mouth was smeared with blood. But soon after the prince found his son safe under the upturned cradle and nearby there an enormous wolf - dead after he was killed by the brave Gelert.
Porthmadog
Pronunciation: porth-madog
Locati on: Gwynedd
Meaning: Porthmadog was originally known as Port Madoc up until 1974 when it was renamed into its Welsh form of Porthmadog. Port Madoc was named after W A Maddocks who built the sea wall known as the Cob in 1810, which was used to reclaim land to build Tremadoc now known as Tremadog.
Moel Famau
Pronunciation: moel-vamai
Location: Lies on the boundary between Denbighshire and Flintshire
Meaning: Moel Famau means 'Mother Mountain'. It is the highest summit in the Clwydian Range.
Abersoch
Pronunciation: aber-soch
Location : Gwynedd
Meaning: Like Abergele or Aberystwyth, this Pen Llyn town's name means mouth of the River Soch Estuary.
Llannerch-y-medd
Pronunciation: llan-erch-y-meth
Location: Anglesey
Meaning: Llannerch-y-medd was a thriving market town in the 18th and 19th century before Llangefni took over this role. 'Llannerch' means a woodland clearing. The word 'medd' means mead in Welsh, which is made from honey and could be related to the production of honey for mead.
Tresaith
Pronunciation: tre-saith
Location: Ceredigion
Meaning: The name means town of seven. It is believed that the place name originates from a story about seven Irish sisters. According to local legend, there was an Irish King who sent his seven troublesome daughters on a boat onto the Irish Sea. It is believed that the boat landed in Tresaith, where the seven sisters fell in love and married seven sons from local Welsh families.
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Pronunciation: blaina ffestin-iog
Location: Gwynedd
Meaning: Blaenau and Ffestiniog are two places that have emerged together due to the slate quarrying industry that started in the late 18th century in the area. Ffestiniog is thought to derive from a Welsh word meaning stronghold, but some have argued that it may also mean Territory of Ffestyn. Blaenau, on the other hand, means highlands.
Cwmrhydyceirw
Pronunciation: coom-rhid-y-kay-roo
Location: Swansea
Meaning: In English, this place name means the valley of the stags' ford, hence the name of the local pub being The Deer's Leap.
Cnicht
Pronunciation: cnicht
Location: Gwynedd
Meaning: The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word for 'knight', given to the mountain by medieval sailors who noted its resemblance to a 14th-century bassinet helmet when viewed from the sea.
Pen yr Helgi Du
Pronunciation: pen-yr-helgi-di
Location: Gwynedd
Meaning: A mountain which forms part of the Carneddau mountain range in Eryri. In English it means 'Head of the Black Hound'. Unfortunately the derivation of the name has been lost over the years.
Llanfair Caereinion
Pronunciation: llan-vair caer-einion
Location: Powys
Meaning: Llanfair Caereinion translates as St Mary’s Church by the Fort of Einion. It first appeared as Llanveyr in 1254 and Llanveyr in Kereynon around 1281. At the time, it did not have a Borough status, but emerged as a town after local farmer set up a market to sell their stock.
Caerllion
Pronunciation : caer-lleeon
Location: Newport
Meaning: Also known as Caerleon in English, there have been many different spellings of the place name through out history, including Cairlion, Kerlion and Caerlleon. Interestingly, many assume that Caer Lleon means 'Fortress of the Legion' or 'City of the Legion'. But some have argued over the years that 'legion' in Welsh is 'lleng', which would mean the place name would be something along the lines of Caerlleng rather than Caerllion. According to some historians, 'llion' could mean 'streams', 'torrents' or 'flooding', and therefore the City of the Flood would be better suited to a place located fairly close to the River Usk. Others have argued that the name Caer Lleon predates the Roman time and means Fort of Lleon. Lleon the Mighty was said to be a British King, whose based in Caerllion / Caerleon ten centuries before London was built.
Ystrad Mynach
Pronunciation: ys-trad mun-ach
Location: Caerphilly
Meaning: 'Ystrad' is a wide flat-bottomed valley and 'mynach' is the Welsh word for monk. There is no evidence of a monastery existing in the area, therefore the reason behind the name is unknown. But it may be a reference to the now unused name of a river that flowed through the Rhymney.
Caersws
Pronunciation: caer-soos
Location: Powys
Meaning: Although 'sws' means kiss in Welsh, the 'sws' in this place name refers to something different. The name Caersws means 'fort of Sws'. The prefix is Welsh 'Caer' meaning fort and Swys Wen was traditionally an ancient Roman queen. The village is the location of two Roman forts of Roman Wales.
Dinbych-y-Pysgod
Pronunciation: din-bich y pus-god
Location: Pembrokeshire
Meaning: Also known as Tenby in English, the Welsh place name means 'little fortress of fish' and refers to its origin as a coastal fort.
Caerdydd
Pronunciation: caer-dith
Location: Cardiff
Meaning: This place name derives from medieval Welsh word 'caerdyf', which later became its modern name 'Caerdydd'. The first part of the name is the common Welsh noun Caer (as we've seen with Caerllion or Caerleon), which means 'fort'. The second part is a form of the river name Taf. The place name therefore means 'the fort on the river Taf'.
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