By Bob Penry
| Welsh | Nadolig Llawen |
| Breton | Nedeleg Laouen na bloavezh mat (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year) |
| Cornish | Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year) |
| Irish | Nollaig Shona Dhuit |
| Scottish | Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ur (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year) |
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These are all Celtic languages. Welsh, Breton, and Cornish are close cousins ("p-Celtic" languages). Irish and Scottish are cousins on a different branch ("q-Celtic" languages, along with Manx).
Surnames in Wales are relatively few, compared to other countries, although because of immigration into Wales and a movement in recent years from England, there is a much greater variety of surnames in Wales today than would have been found 200 years ago.
Surnames generally fall into four classes:
The first is that where the surname is a derivative of the given name of the father or a "patronymic." This is the case with most of the Welsh surnames. Welsh names beginning with P or B or ending in -s, -kin,-kins are patronymns. For instance Hugh ab Owen became Hugh Bown or Hugh Bowen or Hugh Owens. John ap Henry became John Penry or John Parry. James ap Wat became James Watkins (in England James Watson). Hugh ab Evan became either Hugh Bevan or Hugh Evans. In other countries, other words for "son" established the patronymic. Some of these are Mac- (or Mc), Fitz-, -ski, -vitch, -ing, -sen, and -son. Some names are derived without change. For instance, the Celtic first name Llywelyn became a surname. Some names have undergone spelling changes. For instance, the Celtic first name Madog is the source of the surnames Mattuck, Mattock, Maddux, etc. |
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The next group are those from nicknames, usually about some physical characteristic of the bearer such as hair color, deformity, size, etc.Examples are Young, Younger, Elder, Strong, Black, White, Short, White, Lloyd (Welsh gray) |
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The next group are the locality names. Underhill, Dibsdale, Hill, Brook, Street, Ford, Walford, Bingham, Brigham, de Turbeville, del Norte, de la Sierra, Atwater from the Saxon (atta) etc. |
These are mostly Norman names that were in the border region near Hay
on Wye in the 1400's.
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The last group are the occupational names such as Smith (and the Welsh Gof or Goff), Carpenter (and the Welsh Saer), Wright, Bishop, Reeves, Chapman, Champion, Archer, Currier, Baker, Mason, Miller (and German Mueller and Welsh Melinydd), Crwthor (Welsh for Crwth player) |
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Now for the answer to the burning question "Where in the heck did the name Jones come from?" I give you the following. Start with the Biblical name John. Change it into its Celtic spelling Iohannes which was pronounced almost like the French Jean (Zhahn). Change it back to its non-Celtic spelling John, but keep the Celtic pronunciation. Using the patronymic method change John to Johnes. Drop the silent "h", and we get "Jones"(pronounced Zhones). Mutate the pronunciation from the soft Celtic "J" to the hard English "J". Add a Welsh accent to the letter "o" and there you are! Please note that in some cases, the name John was spelled in Welsh as Sion.
Now let's get to the real issue, classifying those Welsh names. Today, there are Polish refugees from World War II who settled in Wales. They are now Welsh, but are these Welsh surnames? This is the dilemna facing anyone attempting to classify surnames. I have classified using that highly tested and scientific hypothesis "If it wasn't in Wales before 1800, it ain't Welsh!"
I have placed Welsh surnames into two broad classes according the time origin of the name. If the name existed in Wales prior to 1066, then it is labeled "C" for Celtic/Roman; if after 1066, then "N" for Saxon/Norman. Please note that this does not imply that the surname existed in Celtic times. Surnames did not exist in Wales prior to the Norman conquest. The actual adoption of surnames was by English edict in the late 16th century.
Sources:
1. Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn anwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol rhyfelwyr, gwlad garwyr tra mad,
Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.
Cytgan: (Chorus)
Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad,
Tra mor yn fur
I'r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i'r heniaith barhau.
2. Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i'm golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.
Cytgan:
3. Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad dan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.
Cytgan:
It is believed that a weaver from Mid Glamorgan, Evan James, wrote the words
one morning in January 1856 to a tune composed by his son James James. The
date of the song's adoption as the national anthem is subject to debate, but
it is known that the tune was given prominence in 1874, and since that date
has been considered the song which expresses Welsh nationalism.
Friday, April 7, 2006 7:29 PM