Lloyd (name)
Encyclopedia
Lloyd is a name originating with the Welsh
adjective llwyd, most often understood as meaning ‘grey
’, but with other meanings as well. The name can be used both as a personal name
and as a surname
. The name has many variations and a few derivations, mainly as a result of the difficultly in representing the initial double ll for non-Welsh speakers, and the translation of the Welsh diphthong ŵy. Lloyd is the most common form of the name encountered in the modern era, with the original form Llwyd resurfacing in recent times.
The name Lloyd/Llwyd joined other Welsh adjectives such as goch (‘red’, evolving into the Welsh surname Gough) which had become a ‘fixed epithet
’ passed on through the generations, becoming a family surname as early as the 14th century. Yet the vast majority of Welsh continued to use the patronymic system well into the early modern period, and the families which did use family surnames passed on from one generation to the next remained exceptional, according to T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan
.
’ passed on from one generation to the next, as early as the 14th century. However, the word llwyd also has other meanings, especially if buttressed with other nouns or adjectives, such as penllwyd (brown-headed) and llwydwyn (grey-white). In addition to ‘grey’ as most commonly understood, llwyd also includes shades of brown, according to T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan.
By the time the adjective llwyd became a fixed epithet and then a family name, llwyd had more or less lost its original meaning of ‘grey’. J.T. Morgan notes “… in general it is likely the adjective llwyd referred to some sort of brown hair when associated with a personal name. HBr 495 is wrong in stating ‘the third son was called David Llwyd, I presume, from his grey hair in early life’. By the time the pedigree in question had evolved, the adjective had long ceased to have the literal meaning ‘grey’."
As an adjective, llwyd also held the meaning or connotation of 'holy' during the medieval period, affecting characteristic adjective lenition. A medieval Welsh scribe, or a scribe familure with the Welsh language, would understand that the usage of the mutated form of llwyd, that is, lwyd was employed to convey the sense of ‘holiness’. Therefore, as a surname Llwyd/Lloyd “retains the radical consonant after the persona name, masc. and fem alike.” The Anglo-Norman scribe would not be familiar enough with medieval Welsh orthography to know that ll was used for the ‘unilateral hiss’ and generally used l for the initial ll and its lenited version, single l, except that occasionally attempts were made to show that the sound was l with a difference.
Most modern variations of Lloyd/Llwyd originate in the Tudor period, and are largely ‘corruptions’ of llwyd. Variations include: Ffloyd, Flewett, Flewitt, Flood, Floed, Floyde, Flowitt, Flude, Fludd, Fludde, Flude, Fluett, Fluat, Flyd, Flyde
Lide, Lhuyd, Loud, Loulld, Luyd, Llowyde, Llowyd, Lloyed, Lloilld, Llwyed, Thoyd, Thloyd, Thllewyd.
Lloyd has become the most common form of the name in all parts of Wales today, and with the double ll pronounced as a single l (without the voiceless, ‘unilateral hiss’), and the use of a single l in the spelling is rare. The "more correct" spelling (or the spelling more closely matching the Welsh llwyd) Llwyd had long ceased to be used as a version of the name until fairly recently, “as Lloyd has been deliberately changed to Llwyd in a number of cases in our own time.”
Derivations often added the suffix -yn to llwyd, to produce llwydwyn, which has been used as a personal name, as an epithet in tir Llwydyn (i.e. the land of Llwydyn,), Tyddyn Lloyden (Llwydyn’s Cottage), Ty-Llwydyn (Llwydyn’s House. Morgan notes that the lenition of proper name, genitive case after tŷ. ), and of course as a surname. Variations of the Llwydyn derivation include Lloydyn, Lloydin, Loidin, Loyden.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
adjective llwyd, most often understood as meaning ‘grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
’, but with other meanings as well. The name can be used both as a personal name
Lloyd (given name)
The name Lloyd is a variation of the Welsh word llwyd or clwyd, which means "grey" or "brown"...
and as a surname
Lloyd (surname)
The name Lloyd is a variation of the Welsh word llwyd or clwyd, which means "grey" or "brown". The double-l represents the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative of Welsh, and was sometimes also represented as fl, yielding the related name Floyd....
. The name has many variations and a few derivations, mainly as a result of the difficultly in representing the initial double ll for non-Welsh speakers, and the translation of the Welsh diphthong ŵy. Lloyd is the most common form of the name encountered in the modern era, with the original form Llwyd resurfacing in recent times.
The name Lloyd/Llwyd joined other Welsh adjectives such as goch (‘red’, evolving into the Welsh surname Gough) which had become a ‘fixed epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
’ passed on through the generations, becoming a family surname as early as the 14th century. Yet the vast majority of Welsh continued to use the patronymic system well into the early modern period, and the families which did use family surnames passed on from one generation to the next remained exceptional, according to T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan
Prys Morgan
Prys Morgan FRHistS FSA FLSW is a Welsh historian.He was born in Cardiff, the son of academic T. J. Morgan. Like his brother, Rhodri Morgan, Prys Morgan was educated at Whitchurch Grammar School and St John's College, Oxford. He then joined the teaching staff of the University of Wales, Swansea,...
.
Meaning
The name Lloyd/Llwyd originates with the Welsh adjective llwyd, usually understood to mean ‘grey’, and can be distinguished as a ‘fixed epithetEpithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
’ passed on from one generation to the next, as early as the 14th century. However, the word llwyd also has other meanings, especially if buttressed with other nouns or adjectives, such as penllwyd (brown-headed) and llwydwyn (grey-white). In addition to ‘grey’ as most commonly understood, llwyd also includes shades of brown, according to T.J. Morgan and Prys Morgan.
By the time the adjective llwyd became a fixed epithet and then a family name, llwyd had more or less lost its original meaning of ‘grey’. J.T. Morgan notes “… in general it is likely the adjective llwyd referred to some sort of brown hair when associated with a personal name. HBr 495 is wrong in stating ‘the third son was called David Llwyd, I presume, from his grey hair in early life’. By the time the pedigree in question had evolved, the adjective had long ceased to have the literal meaning ‘grey’."
As an adjective, llwyd also held the meaning or connotation of 'holy' during the medieval period, affecting characteristic adjective lenition. A medieval Welsh scribe, or a scribe familure with the Welsh language, would understand that the usage of the mutated form of llwyd, that is, lwyd was employed to convey the sense of ‘holiness’. Therefore, as a surname Llwyd/Lloyd “retains the radical consonant after the persona name, masc. and fem alike.” The Anglo-Norman scribe would not be familiar enough with medieval Welsh orthography to know that ll was used for the ‘unilateral hiss’ and generally used l for the initial ll and its lenited version, single l, except that occasionally attempts were made to show that the sound was l with a difference.
Variations
Variations most often encountered illustrate the degree to which Anglo-Norman and later English scribes sought to render the sounds unfamilure to their own diction. The voiceless ‘unilateral hiss’ was often rendered as thl or ffl, or left with a single l. Another challenge was with the Welsh diphthong ŵy (ooee, emphasis on oo) which became rendered into the nearest approximate within English, oi and oy.Most modern variations of Lloyd/Llwyd originate in the Tudor period, and are largely ‘corruptions’ of llwyd. Variations include: Ffloyd, Flewett, Flewitt, Flood, Floed, Floyde, Flowitt, Flude, Fludd, Fludde, Flude, Fluett, Fluat, Flyd, Flyde
Lide, Lhuyd, Loud, Loulld, Luyd, Llowyde, Llowyd, Lloyed, Lloilld, Llwyed, Thoyd, Thloyd, Thllewyd.
Lloyd has become the most common form of the name in all parts of Wales today, and with the double ll pronounced as a single l (without the voiceless, ‘unilateral hiss’), and the use of a single l in the spelling is rare. The "more correct" spelling (or the spelling more closely matching the Welsh llwyd) Llwyd had long ceased to be used as a version of the name until fairly recently, “as Lloyd has been deliberately changed to Llwyd in a number of cases in our own time.”
Derivations often added the suffix -yn to llwyd, to produce llwydwyn, which has been used as a personal name, as an epithet in tir Llwydyn (i.e. the land of Llwydyn,), Tyddyn Lloyden (Llwydyn’s Cottage), Ty-Llwydyn (Llwydyn’s House. Morgan notes that the lenition of proper name, genitive case after tŷ. ), and of course as a surname. Variations of the Llwydyn derivation include Lloydyn, Lloydin, Loidin, Loyden.
See also
- Lloyd (given name)Lloyd (given name)The name Lloyd is a variation of the Welsh word llwyd or clwyd, which means "grey" or "brown"...
- Lloyd (surname)Lloyd (surname)The name Lloyd is a variation of the Welsh word llwyd or clwyd, which means "grey" or "brown". The double-l represents the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative of Welsh, and was sometimes also represented as fl, yielding the related name Floyd....
- LloydLloydThe name Lloyd is a variation of the Welsh word llwyd or clwyd, which means "grey" or "brown".-People:See main articles:* Lloyd * Lloyd * Lloyd Lloyd or Lloyd's or Lloyds may also refer to:...