10 Facts About Welsh placenames

Since then, there has been a mixing of cultures in Wales, with the English language dominant in industry and commerce, but with Welsh placenames remaining as a living language, particularly in its stronghold, y Fro Gymraeg or "Welsh placenames language country" in northwest, mid- and west Wales.

Welsh placenames language is a Western Brittonic language descended from the Common Brittonic spoken throughout Britain in the centuries before the Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions that led to the creation of England.

Obvious examples of place-names of Welsh placenames origin include Penrith and the numerous Rivers Avon, from the Welsh placenames afon.

The settlement name Tre- is identical to that used in Welsh placenames and is among the most common placename elements in both Wales and Cornwall equating to English -ton, alongside Lan- equating to Welsh placenames Llan- combined with the name of a Saint.

The Roman towns which were established were generally fortified and were given the generic name of castra, which in Welsh placenames became caer, originally with the meaning of "fortified enclosure".

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The Welsh placenames version shown is the original, unmutated reference form.

The medieval Welsh placenames form was Caerdyf from which are derived the modern English Cardiff and the modern Welsh placenames Caerdydd.

In some other cases, Welsh placenames names are translations of the English name, often influenced by the Welsh placenames poetic tradition – for example, Rhydychen for Oxford, and Gwlad-yr-haf for Somerset.

Some English cities which have developed more recently, but with which Welsh placenames people have had commercial links through trading or other economic associations such as through population migration, have developed Welsh placenames forms of their English names.

In other cases, such as Llwydlo and Henffordd, the Welsh placenames name derived from the English name of the settlement.