Llywelyn (name)

Llewellyn

Prince Llywelyn of Wales at his death in 1240, with his sons Gruffydd and Dafydd mourning. Llywelyn is spelt Léolin above his head in the French manuscript.
Pronunciation	Welsh pronunciation: [ɬəˈwɛlɪn]
Origin
Word/name	Old British Lugubelinos evolving into Welsh Llywelyn and Llewellyn
Meaning	Evolved from Lugubelinos , a compound of two Old British names; Lugus (evolving into Welsh as Lleu) and Belenus, the names of two individual Celtic gods.
Region of origin	Wales
Other names
Related names	numerous

Llywelyn (Welsh pronunciation: [ɬəˈwɛlɪn]) is a Welsh personal name, which has also become a family name most commonly spelt as Llewellyn. The name has many variations and derivations, mainly as a result of the difficulty in representing the sound of the initial double ll for non Welsh speakers, described by T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan as a 'unilateral hiss'. The doubling of the second l in Llewellyn is by analogy; the name is never pronounced [ɬəˈwɛɬɪn].

The name Lewis became closely associated with Llywelyn as early as the 13th century as Anglo-Norman scribes often used Lewis as an anglicized approximate to Llewellyn. By the 17th century when many Welsh families were adopting formal surnames; those whose father was named Llywelyn often chose Lewis as an anglicized alternate.

Etymology

The name is a compound of two Old British names; Lugus (evolving into Welsh as Lleu) and Belenus, the names of two individual Celtic gods. The compounded name of Lugubelinos evolved into Llywelyn; Lu(gu)-(b)elyn

The first element of Lly (Lugu) is seen in other Welsh names such as Llywarch and Lliwelydd. The second element of elyn (Belenus) is evident in the Welsh name Belyn.<rôef name="Welsh Surnames"/>

Variations and history

Llywelyn the Great's arms became associated with the name Llewellyn for later generations. The arms are described as: Blazoned Quarterly or and gules, four lions passant guardant two and two counterchanged langued and armed Azure.

Llywelyn was the most common form of the personal name in the early and late medieval period, but was largely absent as a name of choice for the Welsh princes prior to Llywelyn I the Great (r. 1175-1240) and his grandson Llywelyn II (r.1247-1282). As the name evolved, one of the early medieval variant spellings became Llewellyn, which led to a folk belief that the name was associated with lions as the Welsh word for lion is llew. The association of the name with lions produced another early variant Leoline, commonly used in Norman French and French manuscripts, making use of the association with lions of llew by using the Latin 'leo'. The association of the name Llewellyn with lions was further reinforced by the adoption of Iorwerth ab Owain's coat of arms by his son Llywelyn the Great, which incorporated four lions on his shield, and became a symbol for Wales.

Following the successes of Llywelyn the Great and his grandson, Llywelyn became a popular naming choice. However, the name came to be translated and replaced to a great extent in English with the name Lewis as an anglicized approximate, especially post Edwardian Conquest (1284).

The name has many variations and derivations, mainly as a result of the difficulty in representing the sound of the initial double ll for non Welsh speakers, as well as the speaker's accent and pronunciation.

The sound of ll (i.e. 'the unilateral hiss') was much more difficult [translating into English]: chl, thl, were sometimes used: fl, as in Fluellen, was also used; and these 'symbols' represent attempts to pronounce ll, In some texts no attempt is made to find a way of writting the ll' sound and is left as l.

— T.J. Morgan and Pryse Morgan, Welsh Surnames

Additional variations (both medieval and modern) for Llywelyn and Llewellyn include:

Apswellen, Elilevelin, Ffuellen, Ffuellin, Fflellen, Flawelling, Fleuellen, Flewellin, Flewellen, Flewelling, Flewellyn, Fluellen, Fluellin, Fluelling, Flwellin, Fowellen, Fuelling, Lawellins, Lawellen, Leoloni, Lewlin, Lewilin, Llallin, Lleulin, Lleulini, Llewen, Llewelling, Llewellinge, Llewellen, Llewhellin, Llewhelyn, Llewillin, Lluellen, Thewell, Thewelinus, Thellyn, Thelen, Thewelling, Thelwelin, Thlewelyn, Swellin.

Llywelyn was rendered as Lewelinus in mideival Latin texts. The feminine form is Llywela.

Pet names Llello, Lelo, Llela

According to Morgan, the hypocoristic name Llelo, Lelo, and Llela (the latter sometimes considered feminine), are pronounced without the characteristic voiceless 'unilateral hiss' of double l, and "therefore, in Welsh one uses Llelo/Lelo; in an English context, as it has the sound of fellow, bellow, the spelling is almost invariably Llello, Lello."

For Llywelyn; see Lewis, Welling, and Lodwick

Lewis became associated with Llywelyn through a deliberately conscious policy by Anglo-Norman clerks to use Anglo-Norman names in place of Welsh names as early as the 13th century. The first syllable for Llywelyn, especially if spelt as Llew and pronounced as Lew, was sufficiently close enough for medieval Anglo-Norman scribes to associate the name with Lewis as something familiar for their audience. Lewis variants for Llywelyn appear as Lewes, Lewys, Lowys, Lowis, Llewys, Llewis, Llwys, Llewes.

The equivalence [between Llywelyn and Lewis] has two aspects, first the aspect of interchangeablity, so that it would be common practice for a man whose proper name was Llywelyn to call himself, or be called, Lewis; and later, in occasional instances, for a man whose proper name was Lewis, to call himself, or be called, Llywelyn; and second, the abandonment of Llywelyn as a traditional name and the adoption of Lewis in its place. The second aspect makes Lewis the official name and that is the reason for the widespread use of Lewis as a surname in Wales.

— Welsh Surnames

Curiously, as the name Lewis was in use before the abandonment of the patronomic system in Wales, T.J. Morgan and Pryse Morgan note that “it is difficult to understand why ap Lewis did not result in a surname Blewis." Examples of such subsitution in literature include Lewis Glyn Cothi who was known as Llywelyn y Glyn, and Lewys Morgannwg whose bardic name was Llywelyn ap Rhisiart. The interchangeability went both ways, at least amongst some:

Long after the name Lewis, as a Christian name and as a surname, had been established in Wales, the awareness of an identity with Llywelyn remained, but only amongst the cultured and knowledgeable, like the Morrisses of Anglesey. Lewis Morris is often called Llewelyn Ddu or Llewellyn Ddu o Fôn; Williams tells his brother that his baby son's name is Lewis, 1.79, Lewis yw enw'r etifedd yma, later 2, 100, he refers to the child as 'Llywelyn fach'. In ALMA 35 King Louis of France is called Llewelyn Ffreinig'

— Welsh Surnames

The frequency of the name Welling appearing along Welsh Marcher counties indicates that it can be traced back to (Lle)wellyn and (Lle)wellin, though in other regions of England it is possible that Welling has an English place-name origin. Additional examples of a Llywelyn origin by way of Welling along the boarders include Bewellin, Bewlyn, Bewlen, Pawelin, Weallins, Wellings, Wellins, Welyn, Wellyns, Wellens, Wellence, Wellings, Wellon, Wellys.

An additional substitution for Llywelyn by way of Lewis was the latinization of Lewis as Leodovicus, which then reentered into English as Lodwick, Ludwick, and Lodowick, especially in South Wales around Swansea and Pembrokshire. Characteristic hardening of the Glamorgan and Gwent accent evolved into another variant as Lotwick. Lodwick for Llywelyn/Llewellyn is also found in East Flint, Holywell, and Oswestry areas, amongst other locals.

References

• Morgan, T,J and Morgan, Prys (1985). Welsh Surnames. Cardiff: Qualitex Printing Limited. ISBN 0-70830-880-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

See also

• Llywelyn

Bibliography