The name of a place can tell us so much about its history, landscape and inhabitants. Here are some of the main influences on Welsh place names.
Prof. Hywel Wyn Owen on how much a name can reveal.
Some places were named after highly respected creatures.
English names are very prominent in certain areas.
French, Norse, Irish and Latin crept into our place names.
Places of work and farms in place names.
Some of the people who appear in our place names.
Towns and villages grew around local taverns.
Religion has left an impression on many of our place names.
Some of the oldest names in use today are river names.
The surrounding landscape influenced some place names.
"Some local people prefer 'Ger yr Elen'. Elen is the name of the nearest mountain."
There are 608 towns and villages which start with the ancient prefix, llan.
What does llan mean?
