Research on how property, street, and business names are changing across Wales shows a clear shift towards using Welsh language place names.
The report commissioned by the Welsh Government collected a wide range of valuable evidence, including:
- Local authorities received three times more applications for Welsh language street names than English language names between 2018-2023.
- Most changes to property names do not involve a change in the language of the property name.
- When they do change language, properties are at least three more likely to be renamed from English to Welsh than from Welsh to English.
- In all regions of Wales, more house names are changed from English to Welsh than Welsh to English.
- People report that Welsh house names give them “a sense of pride, place or nostalgia”.
The research focused primarily on property names, business names, and street names, with the need for further investigation into names for topographical features in the natural environment also highlighted.
As part of the Welsh Government's wider work to promote and celebrate Cymraeg and our culture, it has established a network of Cultural Ambassadors to support the language in their communities. The Cultural Ambassadors will be able to draw upon the List of Historic Place Names of Wales, which includes over 700,000 names and is funded by the Welsh Government.
For further information please select the following link: New research finds strong trends towards Welsh language place names | GOV.WALES
There are many good reasons for you to use Welsh in your business, and whether you’re a large or small enterprise, there's more support than ever before to help. You don't have to do everything in Welsh immediately. It's easy to take small steps to develop straight away. This page, Welsh in your business | Business Wales, shows how to start your journey to develop Welsh, and the support available from various organisations to help you.