Have you recently brought a new ci (dog in Welsh) into your home and find yourself grappling with the perfect name? Or perhaps you’re just intrigued by the most prevalent Welsh dog names? Look no further, as this blog post is your go-to guide for the most common dog names in Welsh.
Research indicates that an impressive “53% of UK adults own a pet, and 29% of UK adults have a dog – totaling an estimated population of 11 million pet dogs.” (Source: PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report) Given this statistic, it’s easy to fathom how naming a dog can pose a challenge for many. Is the name catchy? Is it easy to pronounce and recall? Will it resonate with everyone? These are just a few considerations people ponder when selecting the perfect name for their furry friends.
Let’s kick things off with a look at the most common Welsh names for male dogs.
1. Gelert
As “one of the defining tales of Eryri (Snowdonia)”, the mythical tale of Gelert, the brave hound of Llywelyn the Great, may come to mind here.
Celt
A traditional Welsh dog name that appears in Welsh books for children.
Smot
Smot is actually the shortened version of ‘smotyn’ which translates to ‘spot’ in English. It’s usually given to dogs that have a distinctive ‘spot’ on their coat. ‘Smot y ci’, a famous children’s book about Spot, the dog, has probably influenced the use of this name, too.
Twm
Easy to pronounce name for fetch purposes!
Jac
A short catchy name and the Welsh equivalence of Jack in English.
Llew
This is the shortened version of the Welsh name Llewelyn and actually translates to ‘Lion’ in English! A dog with some similar traits maybe?
Mot
Before you start to second guess yourself, no, the dog is not going for a MOT! However, it could be the shortened version of ‘Smot’ as mentioned above.
Cymro
And lastly, we have one of my favourites. The patriotic Welsh name that actually translates to ‘Welshman’ in English.
We can now move onto the most common Welsh names for female dogs.
Nel
Let’s start with the most common, and one of my favourites, Nel. A variation of this name would be ‘Neli’ or ‘Nelly’ in English.
Meg
As we’ve seen above, it’s very common to shorten dog names so their owners can have an easy time recalling their pet when playing fetch for example. So, ‘Meg’ is in fact is the shortened version of Megan.
Dot
Dot is another word for ‘smot’ or ‘spot’ in English so it’s perfect if your pet has a unique mark on their coat.
Martha
This name can be used as a Welsh name for girls, but over the years, it’s become popular for pets.
Cadi
Also used as a Welsh name for girls.
Gwen
You can also use the variation ‘Gweni’.
Begw
The name ‘Begw’ is another form of the name Megan that can also be used for pets.
