Wales Place Names

Most place names in Wales derive from the Welsh language, but have in many cases also been influenced by English language over the centuries. Many place names have been variously affected by social and economic changes in the country. The Industrial Revolution saw the development of many new towns and villages, particularly in the south. Some of these used already existing place names, while others acquired new names.

However, Welsh culture and political autonomy has been increasingly reasserted since the mid 19th century and many place names have reverted to their original Welsh version.

The differences in place names can be categorised:


 * 1) In the majority of cases, the Welsh and English names for a place are identical, almost always because the Welsh name is used.
 * 2) In many cases the Welsh and English names are very similar, both in spelling and pronunciation. Examples include Caerffili/Caerphilly, Rhaglan/Raglan, Treorci/Treorchy and Merthyr Tudful/Merthyr Tydfil. In most of these cases the anglicised version prevails.
 * 3) In some cases, especially close to the English border, the English name was adopted by the Welsh. Examples include Y Fflint/Flint and Wrecsam/Wrexham.
 * 4) In many cases, the former Anglicised spelling has, over the past few decades, no longer become accepted and the Welsh spelling has now become the official version. Examples include Caernarfon/Ca(e)rnarvon, Conwy/Conway, Llanelli/Llanelly and Y Felinheli/Port Dinorwic. There are still ongoing disagreements over whether the Welsh spelling should be used exclusively in places such as Cricieth/Criccieth, Rhaeadr/Rhayader and Rhuthun/Ruthin.
 * 5) In other cases, the Welsh and English names clearly share the same original form, but spellings and pronunciation have diverged over the years. One obvious example is the capital, Caerdydd/Cardiff, where it is the English spelling and pronunciation rather than the Welsh which most closely reflects the original name of Caer-Dyf ("fort on the Taf").
 * 6) Finally, there are a number of places, where the English and Welsh names have, or may appear to have, totally different origins. For example Abertawe/Swansea where the Welsh name signifies the estuary of the Tawe but the English name derives from the Norse Sveinn's Island.

Many historic sources, such as censuses, civil registration documents or wills may give different versions of a place name and be prepared for some strange spelling variations!

Both the Welsh Assembly Government and the Ordnance Survey have policies on standardising place names, drawing on advice from the Welsh Language Board and the Place-name Research Centre at the University of Bangor.

The policy of the Welsh Assembly Government is set out in its Welsh Language Scheme. This states: ''The signs for which we are responsible [mostly motorway and trunk road signs] will be bilingual. Signs which are in English only at the moment will be made bilingual when they are replaced.... When both languages are included on one sign with one language above the other, the order in which the languages appear will follow the practice adopted by the local authority where the sign is located. The guidance also states: Signs containing place names in England will contain the Welsh and English versions of the name.... ''.

In the predominantly Welsh-speaking areas of Wales, the Welsh form of the name is usually given first; in other areas, the English name is usually given first.

See also: Welsh Place Name Elements