Names : Welsh to English C-D

Our alphabetical series of Welsh names to English equivalents continues:

                                                       C - D
                               Welsh Name                 English Translation                                          

                                  Cadi                              Catherine
                                  Cadog                           Cadoc
                                  Cai                                Kay
                                  Caradog                       Caratacus
                                  Caswallon                    Cassivellaunus
                                  Catrin                           Catherine
                                  Catwg                           Cadoc
                                  Cesar                            Caesar
                                  Cynfelyn                      Cymbeline
                                  Cystennin                    Constantine
                                  Dafydd                         David
                                  Dai                               David
                                  Dei                               David
                                  Delo                             David
                                  Dewi                            David

Names : Welsh To English A-B

For those of us in the genealogy world who speak only English, being of Welsh descent has its own set of difficulties.  Language is one of these.  Welsh spellings often appear unusual, and the farther back in time one goes [especially before the Act of Union 1536] the struggles to sort through the generations of Welsh names can present many brick walls.  The next several post will try and present names that have occurred in the Welsh and their "English" translation.  The source for this material is "Welsh Genealogical Research" by Charles M. Franklin, Heritage House, 1995.  The Welsh spelling will be given first, followed by the English translation in alphabetical order.

                                                                       A - B

                                                Welsh Spelling          English Translation

                                                  Adda                          Adam
                                                 Andreas                      Andrew
                                                 Aneirin                       (no equivalent)
                                                 Aneurin                      (no equivalent)
                                                 Arnallt                         Arnold
                                                 Awatin                        Augustin

                                                 Bartholomeus           Bartholomew
                                                 Beda                           Bede
                                                 Bedo                           Meredith
                                                 Bedwyr                       Bedivere
                                                 Bened                         Bennet
                                                 Beti                             Betty, Betsy
                                                 Betsan                         Betty, Betsy
                                                 Betsi                            Betty, Betsy
                                                 Buddug                       Boudicca, Boadicea
                                                 Bwda                           Buddha

More to come...any other names A-B that come to mind?  Please place in comment section below.

    

Ancient Welsh Naming System

Prior to the English system of surnames, the Welsh naming system consisted of an individual bearing one given name only.  The child was then identified as either the son of (mab, map, vap, or fab), or the daughter of (verch or ferch) the Welshman accepting responsibility under Welsh law for the child.  The terms given above were mutated in normal speech to "ap" or "ab" for the male, and "vch", "vz" or "ach" for the female.  The terms "eil" or "ail" meaning second in succession when used in a name was sometimes found.  When presented to the tribal group from which the father lived, the male child would be given the names of each earlier male ancestor to six or seven generations.  For example, a child given the name "David" who's father was "Morgan", would become "David ap Morgan".  The child's grandfather (say named "Griffith"), his great-grandfather (say named "Hugh"), his great-great-grandfather (say named "Tudor"), and his great-great-great-grandfather (say named "Rhys") under tribal custom would become "David ap Morgan ap Griffith ap Hugh ap Tudor ap Rhys"!  The new member of this tribe would then be able to recite his name as a patronymic string demonstrating his position within the tribal group.  Before written documentation, this would provide a way each individual could prove his "belonging" to a tribal group.  This was necessary since the tribe was responsible to care and protect each member, and hold them responsible for their inter-tribal activity such as injury or theft.  See past posts for more detail of this cultural organization for the ancient Welsh naming system.

Genealogies In The Library of Congress

In my earliest tree climbing days, folks worked on writing down their family stories.  Documentation was the foundation to success, and the Library of Congress was such a place to find genealogies written by others.  There were only a few that dealt with the Jones surname from Wales.  The following are those existing here as listed in "Genealogies In The Library of Congress A Bibliography" edited by Marion J. Kaminkow, Magna Carta Book Co., Baltimore, MD, 1972.

"9393   JONES.  Pedigree of Jones, Wern, parish of Penmorva, county of Carnarvon. (London, 1877)  (3) p. coat of arms.  29 cm.  Communicated by William Watkins Edward Wynne.  Caption title.  Also in Miscellanea genealogica et heraldica. new series, vol. II. p. 249-251.  9-19350.   CS459.J7"

Let's see now, the first four numbers represent the coding location it was given prior to 1972.  This is followed by the title of the reference and its date of publishing.  Other information regarding the number of pages, author(s), special contents, and other sources which contain the same item.  The final letter-number combination is the Dewy Decimal like system applied to this reference.  The few other references recorded 1972:

"9411    JONES.   Genealogy of the Jones family; first and only book ever written of the descendants of Benjamin Jones who immigrated from South Wales more than 250 years ago... By George Russell Jones...  Los Angeles, Cal.,  Times-mirror prg. & bdg. house (c. 1912)   85, (19)  p.  front., ports, , facsim.  18 cm.  19 p. at end for 'Memoranda.'   12-11738     CS71.J76   1912."

"9416    JONES.  The Jones family; five generations from Francis Jones, of Pembrokeshire, Wales, to Richard Mott Jones, of Penn Yan, New York.  Complied by Albert Brill Russell.  Ilion, N.Y. (1924)  24 p. ports. 23 1/2 cm.  Based upon research made 1924, by Alfred R. Justice.  Pages 23-24 left blank for "Addenda.  25-4510  CS71.J76      1924a"

"9436    JONES.  A tree grew in Wales.  By Mable (Jones) Wayland. (San Jose? Calif. 196-?)
100  p.  illus. 28 cm.   Includes bibliographies.  63-28074.      CS71.J76"

[Note the last two call numbers are the same as that above.  This must have been the fact that they were all grouped together in the same file location?]

Welsh Tribes

A number of recent posts presented the Royal Tribes of Wales [I-V] as recorded in Burke 1840 edition.  The following table presents the "Royal"  and "Noble" tribes as they are geographically distributed among the lands of Wales.  It also list the individual who is given as the founder of each tribe.

This table was completed from my research accomplished before 1992, and published in "The Jones Genealogist" a family newsletter started in 1989.  These tribes and their geographic location would be a foundation to the genetic haplotypes found among the mountains.

Welsh Haplogroups

Some years past, my decision to have my DNA tested was finally made.  For years [some 50+], the genealogy virus had lead me to what seemed my own JONES family origins.  North Wales it was, or at least I thought this was the case.   Uncertainty gave way to verification as my DNA haplogroup returned R1b1b2 [now classified as R1b1a2 ].   The following table shows the haplogroups for my JONES surname from 2011 and 2016.  They are then compared to haplogroups from North Wales reported in 2011.

In 2011, my R1b1 haplogroup made up around 82% of folks seeking their DNA from North Wales.  Those in my JONES surname groups made up 75% of this R1b haplogroup.  From North Wales indeed it would seem.   Other haplogroup percents are shown, which again follow the same pattern as North Wales.  The 2016 group shows that several other haplogroups have been reported to carry the JONES surname which indicates a lot more folks have become interested in all this DNA stuff.

Now the following figure shows roughly how this R1b haplogroup got to Wales.  [It was drawn when my haplogroup was still R1b1b2]  How the genes did flow, from A to R1b some 60,000 years in the making.

New...with the...Old

Welsh history presents its own set of problems for the genealogist.  As time changes, the names of places frequently change in response to the social and political pressures of the day.  Present day names are often derived from older names.  [A change due to language perhaps.]  As one climbs out their Welsh family tree, these changes may not be recognized as one goes back in time.  For example, the following list shows the present day names of the counties of Wales as compared to the much older Welsh names.

                                   Anglesey (Ynys Mon)
                                   Caernarvon (Arfon)
                                   Denbigh (Dinbvch)
                                   Flint (Flint)
                                   Merioneth (Meirionydd)
                                   Montgomery (Trefaldwyn)
                                   Cardigan (Ceredigion)
                                   Radnor (Maesyfed)
                                   Pembroke (Penfro)
                                   Carmarthen (Caerfyddin)
                                   Brecon (Brycheiniog)
                                   Glamorgan (Morgannwy)
                                   Monmouth (Monmouth)


Names are taken from "Welsh Genealogical Research", by Charles M. Franklin, Heritage House, Indianapolis, IN, 1995. p.4.