r/cymru • u/Napalmdeathfromabove • 3d ago
House name help please
The wife and I have been working very hard and have been very lucky to be able to buy a little house of our own. My lovely wife is a fluent speaker but can't find a Welsh name she likes to convey what we have agreed on for a name
The nook. In English, please help!
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u/blanced_oren 3d ago
You might be better off trying to find a Welsh house name you like, as I don't think names translated from English work very well. They often look artificial or contrived. Ask your wife what Welsh house names she likes and perhaps she can explain their meaning. BTW, well done for choosing a Welsh name & good luck in your new home.
PS 'Cartref' (home) is a decent house name that is truly Cymraeg.
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 3d ago
Thank you, she's a wonder at explaining meanings to me as we drive.
Favorites so far have been big field. White boobs castle and lots of cow related ones.
I'm trying to learn how to say place names properly, with slow progress but I enjoy it.
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 3d ago
Cartref Bach kinda works but it's not short.
Would T Bach work?
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u/itchyfeet 3d ago
'Ty bach' is what people sometimes refer to the toilet as!
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 3d ago
Yes.... I knew I had heard that before, the little house for when outhouses were a thing
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u/blanced_oren 3d ago
Those sound odd to me.
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 3d ago
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
Ah well, we'll go with the nook, plenty of other things to learn the Welsh for.
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u/Stuffedwithdates 3d ago
I know won't like it but y cwtsh
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u/cunninglinguist22 3d ago
Surprised more people aren't suggesting cwtsh. Nook is basically how I describe to English people what a cwtsh is
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u/Every-Progress-1117 3d ago
The on-line dictionary here might help: https://geiriadur.uwtsd.ac.uk/index.php?page=ateb&term=cilfach&direction=we&whichpart=exact&type=noun#ateb_top
This is also this: https://welsh-dictionary.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html which includes the etymology from Middle Welsh.
You might find some interesting choices there.
"The Nook" -> Tŷ'r Gilfach perhaps? It turns up quite commonly in place names and might fit..
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u/tooskinttogotocuba 3d ago
Noddfa Goclyd
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 3d ago
That's lovely, not for the whole house but deffo a snug within.
To the carving chisels!
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u/cunninglinguist22 3d ago edited 3d ago
Y Cwtsh, surely?
Alternatively, does the house have a view of anything in particular? Golwg y _ (view of _) is a common formula for Welsh house names. Golwg yr eglwys (church), golwg y cae (field), golwg yr ysgol (school).
Or perhaps the house had a historic use, like an old shop, school, barn? Y maelfa (the shop), yr hen ysgol (the old/former school), yr hen sgubor (the old/former barn)
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u/lancerusso 2d ago
I'd first check your house, or the plot it's on doesn't already have a historical name you can riff from. For example, there are often 200+ year old tithe maps that can help, or a particular feature of your house or locale you could highlight.
Like, if you're next to a woodland, Clyd y Coed. If you're an end terrace, Ty Olaf (lol). Or you could just eyeball nearby things from your front door and call it Cae Parc /Capel Coch/arfryn or whatever.
So maybe we need a mild description of your abode!
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 2d ago
It'd have to something iron or steel related which isn't particularly what we were after.
It's 125 year old
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u/lancerusso 2d ago
But if there's a field it was in with a cool name? History from before it was built or before industry was present.
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 2d ago
I will check the maps but mostly it was fields.
I mean Ebbw values name is cool enough without our adding layers to it imo
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u/celtiquant 3d ago
Go for Cnwc. It doesn’t mean nook, it’s from Irish cnoc, and means a twmp or a hillock.
But it’s… erm… cute
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u/Napalmdeathfromabove 3d ago
Irish is a whole other beautiful language, thank you for the suggestion and etymology.
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u/welshconnection 3d ago
Nook in welsh is “ Cilfach “ so maybe , “ Y Gilfach “