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House names in Wales, in the Welsh language are part of a very distinctive, cultural and linguistic heritage within the United Kingdom. The Welsh language is one of the oldest living languages in Europe and many house names together with the names of farms, features in the countryside and other geographical landmarks form part of this rich heritage. Many of the names listed below appear in our home county of Pembrokeshire and nearby Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.
Over the years a number of houses and other properties in Wales have seen the original Welsh names replaced by English names. In 2020 a number of Councillors in Wales have suggested that the Welsh Government should legislate to ensure the country's history and heritage are not forgotten. The Welsh Government said it regards place names and historic property as "essential elements" of the language. Watch this space!!!
House names in Wales are often related to the original use of the property, for example the Old Mill, the Bakery, or the Vicarage when the original use of the property has long changed into a domestic dwelling. They are also often related to the location or a particular geographic feature such as the location of the property, Glan yr Afon (Riverbank), Glan y Mor (Seaside) or Bryn Heulog (Sunny Hill). Lastly, many houses in Wales are named after a description or even an aspiration such as Heddfan (Peaceful place), Hyfrydle (Beautiful place) or Cludfan or Ty Clud (Cosy place or Cosy house).
In a recent survey carried out for FelinFach, the most popular house names in Wales are Cartref and Bwthyn (and its derivatives). Cartref means ‘home’ in Welsh and Bwthyn is Cottage. The name Bwthyn comes with many variations for example, Y Bwthyn (The Cottage), Y Bwthyn Bach (The small cottage), Y Bwthyn Pren (The Wooden Cottage), Y Bwthyn Gwyn (The White Cottage) or Bwthyn Onnen (Ash Cottage), Bwthyn y Bugail (Shepherd’s Cottage) or Bwthyn Derwen (Oak Cottage) – the variations are almost endless!
Natural Traditional Handmade - The beauty and uniqueness of handmade wool products - traditionally hand-woven Welsh blankets and throws, the iconic Welsh tapestry blankets, scarves and hand dyed yarn with natural dyes
Firstly, a short explanation!!! The Welsh alphabet is different to the English version. In particular, some letters look like two (Ff, Ll, Rh) but they are one letter in Welsh. As an example, if you were completing a crossword with the word Llan, the Ll would go into one box - Llan is three letters in Welsh. (Click here for more on the Welsh Alphabet)
There can also be some debate as to exactly how many letters are in the Welsh alphabet, principally around the 'borrowing of letters from English, such as J. We have used the 28 letters of the alphabet excluding the latter J!!
These names are a mix of the common, the beautiful and the unusual some may even be cute Welsh house names. There are many, many alternatives but here is our first version of Welsh house names and their meanings, one for each letter in the Welsh alphabet.
| Alphabet Letter |
Welsh House \Name |
English Translation (Approx) |
| A | (ynys) Afallon | Avalon Island - island featured in the Arthurian Legend. Arthur's last resting place. |
| B | Bwthyn | Cottage |
| C | Cartref | Home |
| Ch | N/a | N/a |
| D | Derwen Gam | Crooked Oak - Derwen Gam was possibly the first village in Wales comprising of Holiday Homes only. |
| Dd | Ddol | Meadow |
| E | Esgair Llyn | Hill Ridge by a lake (song by Dafydd Iwan) |
| F | Fron Haul | Sunny Hillside |
| Ff | Ffynnon | Spring |
| G | Glas y Dorlan | Kingfisher |
| Ng | N/a | N/a |
| H | Hafod and Hendre | Summer and Winter Dwellings as the livestock were moved from summer to winter grazing |
| I | Isgoed | Below the wood |
| L | (y) Lanfa | Jetty |
| Ll | Llwyn Onn | Ash Grove |
| M | Mumur y Coed | Whispering in the trees |
| N | Nant y Mynydd | Brook from the mountain - and also a famous Welsh nursery rhyme of the same name |
| O | N/a | N/a |
| P | Pentigili | All the way (name of house near St David's, all the way to the end of the land |
| Ph | N/a | N/a |
| R | Rallt (yr Allt) | Hill |
| Rh | Rhiwlas | Green hillside (Glas usually means Blue but when it is describing countryside or vegetation, it means Green!) |
| S | Swn y Mor | Sound of the sea |
| T | Ty, Ty Ni, Ty Mawr, Ty Gwyn | House, Our house, Big house, White house |
| Th | N/a | N/a |
| U | Uwchgoed | Above the woods |
| W | (y) Wern | Marshland |
| Y | Ysgubor | Barn |
Our company, FelinFach Natural Textiles is located in the heart of the Preseli area of Pembrokeshire near to Boncath. We design Welsh blankets and the iconic Welsh Tapestry blankets which are traditionally woven at Welsh mills. We also design and make natural hand dyed yarn, cotton, silk and wool scarves and other handmade products. We also offer Sheepskin Rugs, Gift Cards and tools and books for crafters and knitters - Cocoknits, Laine, Amirisu and Making to name a few!. We are a proud supporter of the Campaign for Wool and Global Welsh.
Last Updated 17th January 2021
St David is the Patron Saint of Wales and on 1st March each year commemorating the anniversary of his death in 589 AD. St David’s is the smallest UK city with an estimated population of 1,800. Celebrations are not done by half and not just on one day but are usually spread over a two-week period!!
When is St. Davids day? Here in Wales we commemorate the anniversary of Saint Davids death on the 1st of March of each year. St David was the Patron Saint of Wales who died on 1st March 589 AD. However, it wasn’t until the 18th century that St Davids Day became a national day of celebration in Wales.
Here in Wales on the 1st of March we celebrate St David’s Day, which commemorates the anniversary of Saint David's death in 589 AD. Interestingly, a survey made available by CADW suggests that a surprisingly high number of adults in Wales are not familiar why the country celebrates St David’s Day each 1st March
