Derivation

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Other Placenames

BRECON / ABERHONDDU

Brecon – from the Welsh personal name Brychan, a 5th century ruler, and Welsh iog = territory of. The kingdom was later called Brycheiniog which was corrupted by English speakers to Brecknock.

Aberhonddu – from Welsh aber = mouth and the river name Honddu, from hawdd = pleasant or quiet and du = dark.

BUCKLEY – also a family name

From the Old English boc = beech and leah = wood clearing.

BUILTH WELLS / LLANFAIR-YM-MAULLT

Builth – in the 10th century was Buelt and came from bu = cow and gellt = pasture.

The name was originally the cantref name and Wells was added to Builth in the 19th century referring to the chalybeate (containing iron) springs.

Llanfair-ym-Maullt (Lanveyr). From llan = church and Mair = Mary.

CILYCWM From ci = narrowing river source; y = the; cwm = valley.

COITY From Ty = house in the coed = wood.

CAERLEON / CAERLLION-AR-WYSC

Isca was the headquarters of Roman 2nd Augustan Legion.

From early Welsh Cair Legeion guar Usic – ‘the caer of the llion on the Usk’; caer = fort and legionum (Latin) = of the legions.

CALDEY ISLAND The monastery was founded in the 12th century.

From Old Scandinavian - kald = cold and ey = island.

CAREW Possibly from carw = stag.

CARMARTHEN

Roman name Maridunum from mor = sea and din = fort. The Welsh caer = fort was added later after the meaning had been forgotten.

CARREG CENNEN From carreg = rock and Cennen/Cynnen (Personal name).

DINAS From dinas = fort or camp.

DINEFWR Was the seat of the Lord Rhys in the 12th century.

From din = fort and fawr = big.

DRYSLWYN From dryslwyn = thornbush, thicket, brambles.

EWENNY The Abbey was founded in the 12th century.

From Aventi (a Celtic goddess).

GOODWICK / WDIG From: Old Scandinavian gothr = good and vik = bay.

GOODIG / GWDIG Possibly from Old Scandinavian gothr = good

and vik = port (see Goodwick).

HAVERFORDWEST

Probably from Old English hæfr = he-goat or buck and ford

– the ‘West’ was added about 1400 to distinguish it from Hereford.

JOHNSTON

From Villa Johannis then John’s tun (Old English) = John’s farm or settlement

KIDWELLY From a personal name Cadwal plus the suffix -i = the land of Cadwal.

The more popular explanation locally is the alternative cyd = united or together

and gwely = river bed – the joining of two rivers.

The Gwendraeth Fawr and the Gwendraeth Fach meet and flow into one.

LEUCARUM/LLWCHWR/LOUGHOR

Latin form derived from Celtic leuco, bright, shining, white.

The river name transferred to the settlement.

LANDEILO From llan = church of St. Teilo.

LLANELLI From llan = church of St. Elli.

MACHYNLLETH

From ma = plain or low-lying land and the personal name Cynllaith,

which means ‘kind, gentle’ as an adjective and ‘slaughter,

destruction’ as a noun.

MANORBIER

From early record Mansio Pyrri – maenor,

an ancient land division, and St. Pyr (a 6th century saint).

MARGAM The Abbey was founded 1147.

From the 7th century Prince Morgan of Gwent,

who also gave his name to Glamorgan (glan = shore and Morgan = name).

Morgan may derive from môr = sea and geni = to be born or the bright one.

MARSHFIELD From Old English mersc = marsh and feld = open area.

OGMORE Possibly from og = cave and môr = sea.

OXWICH From Old English oxa = ox and wic = working farm.

PEMBREY From pen = top and bre = hill.

PENRHOS From pen = head or end and rhos = moorland.

PICTON

Probably from Old English pic = pointed instrument (peak or summit)

and tun = farm or settlement.

PONTARDULAIS

From pont = bridge; ar = over and Dulais, (river) du = black and glais = stream.

RHOSSILI From rhos = moor of Sulien.

ROCH From Old French roche = rock.

RUABON / RHIWABON From rhiw = hill and the personal name Mabon.

SAINT CLEARS / SANCLER From sanctus (Latin) = saint and the personal name Clarus.

SAINT DAVIDS / TYDDEWI Monastery founded by St. David who was born during the 5th century

SAINT DOGMAELS The abbey dates from c. 1115.

From St. Dogmael a 5th - 6th century Welsh monk.

SHREWSBURY / PENGWERN

Probably from the Old English burg = fort in the scrob = brushwood

and from the Welsh pen = the end of the gwern = swamp.

SKOKHOLM ISLAND

Probably from Old Scandinavian stokkr = log or narrow river or straight sound.

SKOMER ISLAND From Old Scandinavian skálm = short sword and ey = island.

SPITTAL Belonged to St David’s

From Middle English spitel = house of the sick or deceased a corruption of hospital.

STACKPOLE

From Old Scandinavian stakkr = haystack and pollr = pool became the pool near Stack rock.

SWANSEA / ABERTAWE

From Sweynesse Old Norse personal name Sveinn and saer = sea and ey = island,

Sveinn’s island. Abertawe = Aber = mouth of the Tawe (probably dark river).

TENBY / DINBYCH-Y-PYSGOD From din = fort; bych (bach) = small; y = the and pysgod = fish.

TYWYN From tywyn = sand-dune or sandy shore.

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