Llewellyn (name)

Llywelyn is a Welsh personal name, which has also become a family name most commonly spelt Llewellyn (). The name has many variations and derivations, mainly as a result of the difficulty for non-Welsh speakers of representing the sound of the initial double ''ll'' (a voiceless alveolar lateral fricative).

The name '' Lewis'' became closely associated with Llywelyn as early as the 13th century, when Anglo-Norman scribes often used the former as an anglicised version of the latter; many Welsh families came to do the same over the following centuries as the adoption of formal English-style surnames became more widespread.

Etymology

The name evolved from the Common Brittonic name ''Lugubelinos'', which was a compound of two names for Celtic deities. The first, '' Lugus'', is also the source of the first element in the names '' Llywarch'' and '' Lliwelydd'', and, as an independent name, evolved into Welsh '' Lleu''. The second element, ''Belenus'', evolved as an independent name into Welsh Belyn.

History

The name Llywelyn became popular following the successes of Llywelyn the Great (r. 1195-1240), but was largely absent among Welsh princes prior to him. Although ''Llywelyn'' was the most common form of the name in the medieval period, variant spellings started emerging even in the early Middle Ages, in particular ''Llewelyn'' and ''Llewellyn'',Morgan and Morgan (1985: p. 147) note that the double ll in Llewellyn reflects English spelling conventions, but is misleading with respect to pronunciation, since the initial ''ll'' is pronounced differently from the later ''ll''. spellings that gave rise to a folk belief that the name was connected with lions (the Welsh word for lion being ''llew''). This belief was further reinforced by Llywelyn the Great's adoption of his father Iorwerth ab Owain's coat of arms, incorporating four lions. The association also produced another early variant of the name, ''Leoline'' (based on Latin '' leo''), commonly used in Norman French and French manuscripts. In medieval Latin manuscripts, the form ''Lewelinus'' was used.

A number of other variants have arisen, however, including ''Elilevelin, Ffuellen, Ffuellin, Fflellen, Flawelling, Fleuellen, Flewellin, Flewellen, Flewelling, Flewellyn, Fluellen, Fluellin, Fluelling, Flwellin, Fowellen, Fuelling, Lawellins, Lawellen, Lewellen, Leoloni, Lewallen, Lewlin, Lewilin, Llallin, Lleulin, Lleulini, Llewen, Leuleijon, Llewelling, Llewellinge, Llewellen, Llewhellin, Llewhelyn, Llewillin, Lluellen, Luellen, Thewell, Thewelinus, Thellyn, Thelen, Thewelling, Thelwelin, Thlewelyn,'' and ''Swellin.'' Some of these spellings reflect attempts by English and Norman writers to represent the initial consonant:

An alternative strategy was to substitute a similar-sounding name. Indeed, Anglo-Norman clerks followed a deliberate policy of substituting Anglo-Norman names for Welsh ones, and the name ''Lewis'' came to be used for Llywelyn as early as the 13th century, based on the apparent similarity of the first syllable to the first syllable of the name Louis (especially if the first syllable of Llywelyn was spelt ''Llew''). The interchangeability of Llywelyn and Lewis could go both ways:

Other examples include Lewis Glyn Cothi who was known as Llywelyn y Glyn, and Llywelyn ap Rhisiart whose bardic name was Lewys Morgannwg.

Derived forms

Three feminine forms have been derived from Llywelyn – ''Llywela'', ''Llewellanne'', ''Loella'' and ''Louella''– as well as two hypocoristic forms, ''Llelo'' and ''Llela'' (usually considered male and female, respectively). The hypocoristic forms are always pronounced (and sometimes spelt) with an initial rather than with the alveolar fricative represented in Welsh by ''ll''.

As a given name, Llywelyn is often shortened to ''Llew'' or ''Lyn''.

Associated surnames

Apart from variants mentioned above, surnames originating from Llywelyn include ''Apswellen, Bewellin, Bewlyn, Bewlen, Pawelin, Weallins, Wellings, Wellins, Welyn, Wellyns, Wellens, Wellence, Wellon,'' and ''Wellys''. Surnames beginning ''Ap-'', ''B-'', or ''P-'' are based on the Welsh patronymic naming system, where ''ap'' or ''ab'' ("son of") was used with the father's first name. As Welsh people came to adopt Anglo-Norman-style surnames, ''ap'' was either incorporated into the name as in ''Apswellen'' or ''Pawelin'', dropped entirely as in ''(Lly)Welyn'', or replaced with an ''-s'' at the end of the name as in ''Wellyns'' (see Welsh surnames). In some regions of England the surname ''Welling'' may derive from an English place-name, but in Welsh Marcher counties its frequency suggests that it can be traced back to (Lly)welyn. More common than any of these surnames is the surname ''Lewis'' (see above), with its related variants ''Lewes, Lewys, Lowys, Lowis, Llewys, Llewis, Llwys, Llewes''. A Latinised variant, '' Leodovicus'', re-entered English as ''Lodwick, Ludwick, Lotwick'', and ''Lodowick,'' names that are especially common in South Wales.

As the name Lewis was in use before the abandonment of the patronomic system in Wales, Morgan and Morgan (1985) note that “it is difficult to understand why ''ap Lewis'' did not result in a surname ''Blewis''."

Notes

References

*{{cite book , last = Morgan , first = T. J. , last2 = Morgan , first2 = Prys , title = Welsh Surnames , publisher = University of Wales Press , date = 1985 , location = Cardiff , pages = 147–151 , isbn=0-7083-0880-5

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Surnames of Welsh origin
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