New Post
Search
Help[Surname] Ap
I was just wondering what people's opinions are on this:
Traditionally there was no such thing as a surname, or family name in Welsh culture. Boys would be named, for example, 'Iolo ap Gwynn' meaning 'Iolo son of Gwynn'. Say Iolo then had two sons called Llyr and Rhys they then would be known as 'Llyr ap Iolo' and 'Rhys ap Iolo'. Girls were named similarly but ferch (daughter of) was used instead of ap. Many common surnames in Wales nowadays are derived from this way of naming, e.g. Pritchard is derived from 'ap Rhisiart', Puw / Pugh is derived from 'ap Huw', Bevan is derived from 'ab Ifan' and Preece is derived from 'ap Rhys'.
Currently there is an increasing tendency amongst Welsh parents to revert to our traditional method of naming their offspring (boys more commonly I've noticed). What I want to know is do you think a boy with a name like Rhys ap Iolo would have any problems not having a 'proper' surname and do you personally like this style of naming?
Traditionally there was no such thing as a surname, or family name in Welsh culture. Boys would be named, for example, 'Iolo ap Gwynn' meaning 'Iolo son of Gwynn'. Say Iolo then had two sons called Llyr and Rhys they then would be known as 'Llyr ap Iolo' and 'Rhys ap Iolo'. Girls were named similarly but ferch (daughter of) was used instead of ap. Many common surnames in Wales nowadays are derived from this way of naming, e.g. Pritchard is derived from 'ap Rhisiart', Puw / Pugh is derived from 'ap Huw', Bevan is derived from 'ab Ifan' and Preece is derived from 'ap Rhys'.
Currently there is an increasing tendency amongst Welsh parents to revert to our traditional method of naming their offspring (boys more commonly I've noticed). What I want to know is do you think a boy with a name like Rhys ap Iolo would have any problems not having a 'proper' surname and do you personally like this style of naming?
1