Welsh origins of place names in Britain

These pages are designed to help you understand more about the role of the Welsh language in the origins of place names in Britain.

The pages are made up of two parts: an introduction explaining a little about the language, and a glossary of Welsh elements in place names with examples of their use.

If you are interested, have a look at the corresponding pages for Gaelic, Scots and Scandinavian.

The Introduction and the Glossary are also available for download together as a Guide to Welsh origins of place names in Britain.

Guide to Welsh origins of place names in Britain PDF (564kb)

Ordnance Survey's policy on the use of Welsh in place names forms part of our Welsh Language Scheme.

   Welsh Language Scheme - English (490 Kb) 
   Cynllun laith Gymraeg - Cymraeg  (489 Kb)