Toponymy – Anglesey placenames
Toponymy – Anglesey placenames is the study of place names. Many studies are interested in toponymy to identify natural environments or changes in natural environments. On Anglesey we have the added dimension of original names in the Welsh language and more recent [nick]names allocated in English [to the understandable annoyance of Welsh people] by tourists or incomers who either can’t or won’t pronounce Welsh. This webpage has a brief account of Welsh places names. The Ordnance Survey has a very detailed list of Welsh words in UK placenames.
Pronouncing Welsh placenames corectly is of greatest importance, this interactive map shows you how.
Toponymy – Welsh placename elements
| Welsh | English |
|---|---|
| aber | mouth of river |
| adwy | pass, gap |
| afon | river |
| allt | hillside, cliff |
| angell | tributary |
| bach | little |
| banc | bank or slope |
| blaen, blaenau | head (of valley), source(s) of stream, upland |
| bre | hill |
| bro | vale, lowland |
| bryn | hill |
| bryncyn | hillock |
| bwlch | pass |
| cae | field |
| caer | stronghold or fort [often refers to a Roman fort] |
| capel | chapel |
| carn, carnedd | cairn (a heap of stones) |
| carreg | stone or rock |
| cefn | ridge |
| cemais, cemaes | bend in river or coastline |
| ceulan | river bank |
| cil | corner, nook, recess |
| clegyr | rock, cliff |
| clip | precipice, crag, steep slope |
| clog, clogwyn | steep cliff |
| cnwc, cnwch, cnol | hillock, knoll |
| coc, cocyn | tump, hillock |
| coed | forest, wood |
| copa | crest, summit |
| cored | weir |
| cors | bog |
| craig | rock |
| crug | hillock |
| cwm | valley |
| cwrn, cyrn, cyrnau | stack, peak, point |
| cymer | confluence |
| dol | meadow |
| dŵr | water |
| dyffryn | valley |
| ffos | ditch |
| ffynnon | spring |
| garth | a ridge, also an enclosure |
| glan | bank of river, shore |
| gro | gravel |
| llan | originally the [oval] enclosure around a holy place or church; now typically means “the church of “ |
| llannerch | clearing or glade |
| llech | slate |
| llyn | lake |
| maen | stone |
| mawn, mawnog | peat, peat bog |
| mawr | big |
| mign, mignen, mignedd | bog, quagmire |
| moel | bare hill |
| môr | sea |
| morfa | salt marsh |
| moryd | estuary, channel |
| mynydd | mountain |
| nant | brook, dingle, small valley |
| ogof | cave |
| pant | hollow, valley |
| pen | head, end |
| penrhyn | promontory |
| pistyll | waterfall |
| ponc, poncyn | small hillock |
| porth | harbour, gateway |
| pwll | pool |
| rhiw | hill, slope |
| rhos | moor, promontory |
| rhyd | ford |
| sarn | causeway |
| sigl, siglen | quagmire |
| traeth | beach |
| tre | a town or settlement |
| twlch, twmpath | hillock, tump |
| tŷ | house |
| tywyn | sand dune |
| y, yr, ‘r | the |
| ynys | island |
Toponymy – Anglesey placenames
Aberffraw – town at the mouth of the Afon [river] Ffraw – the abundant flowing river.
Amlwch – near water
Beaumaris – from Norman-French ‘beau marais’ or beautiful marsh name given when Edward csontructed hi scastel and new town.
Benllech – top stone – from the original farm, Tyddyn y Benllech, which had on its land a cromlech with a large capstone.
Cemaes – bend in coastline
Llannerchymedd – glade of mead [a honey drink] so maybe an area frequenty by bees?
Malltraeth means ‘dirty beach’ – perhaps from the nearby extensive saltmarsh and maybe the escape of fine alluvium / peat stained water although wondering when the name originated and whether it could refer to pollution during coal mining times…?
Moelfre – bare hill?
Newborough – the new borough established when Edward I evicted people from Llanfaes to make way for his new town at Beaumaris.
Porth Llechog (Bull Bay) – Slaty Shelter/Port
Trearddur – town associated with Arthur
Trefdraeth, just inland of Malltraeth, could be a farm associated with an older position for the ‘beach’, dirty/ marshy as it was. Tref, now meaning a town, used to rerfer to small settlement even just a farm.
Tal Y Bolion’ (near Cemaes) “tal” means brow of a hill and “bolion” is bellies. Presumably that refers to all the drumlins in that area.
Ucheldre – high town or homestead
Ynys Gybi – St Gybi’s island