Gwyllym or Gwilym?

+7 votes
208 views
ap Gwyllym & ap Gwilym (http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ap_Gwilym-16 & http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ap_Gwyllym-1 , respectively) are both styled correctly according to Cymru project guidelines (ap, not Ap, is included in LNAB field).

However, they're still in an unmerged match because of the different spellings of the father's name - Gwyllym or Gwilym. ap Gwilym has been made PPP (protected). Is there a reason to go with ap Gwyllym instead?

Thanks!
WikiTree profile: Thomas ap Gwilym
in Genealogy Help by Liz Shifflett G2G6 Pilot (631k points)
edited by Liz Shifflett

1 Answer

+2 votes
Hi Liz

Gwilym is the Welsh version of William. It would be pronounced quite differently from Gwyllym and, if it is a real name which it may or may not be, in English it would be spoken something like Gwithum.

I think Gwilym is the safe bet here. It is a known name and correctly spelt.
by John Orchard G2G6 Mach 2 (23.2k points)
John, I'm working on a Welsh line of ancestors and in various sources running into a wide variety of "alternate" spellings, which I don't have the background to sort out.  Your comment on how the double "l" would be pronounced, and therefore why it's less likely than the single "l" in this case is most helpful.  Do you know of good sources on line that give English equivalents of Welsh names, like William for Gwilym, as well as a pronunciation guide?
Hi Jack

I do know some good sources, but I am unsure whether they will be of any great help to you at present. They are my various Welsh dictionaries and  Welsh language textbooks that are on one of the shelves in my office. Unfortunately my office is in Lincolnshire and I am currently en-route to Vienna where I shall be working for the next couple of months.

I do have a talking translator app on my phone, which has come in handy in the past year when working in The Netherlands, Slovakia and now Austria, but just as I was taught at school - it does not translate names - William remains William. It happens that this app also includes Latin and Welsh but sadly no Anglo-Saxon or even Frisian which is the nearest extant language! It does list some few dozen other languages though.

Sorry if this is not very helpful,

Regards
John

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