23,230 Global Llywelyn Family Members

Llywelyn Family History

Llewellyn – along with associated variants, including Llewelyn, Llywelyn and Llywellyn – is an ancient Welsh name, and may have even older, Celtic origins. The first element of the name derives from the Welsh word 'llyw' which means 'leader'.

It was originally a personal name, and has a noble history as it was the name of some of Wales's most celebrated leaders, including Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great), c.1173–1240, who was King of Gwynedd, and later the ruler of the whole of Wales, and his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c.1223–1282) who was also known as 'Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf' (Llywelyn our Last Leader), the last native Prince of Wales.

Llewellyn, Llywelyn and Llewelyn, along with other personal names, only generally developed into surnames in Wales between the 16th and 19th centuries, much later than in England. Traditionally all Welsh people were identified via their fathers' names, and so a man named Llewellyn who had a father called Gruffudd would be known as 'Llewellyn ap Gruffudd' (Llewellyn son of Gruffudd). When hereditary surnames were gradually introduced into the country, the 'ap' prefix was dropped and Llewellyn (and associated variants) became established as a surname.

The trend to anglicise Welsh names in previous centuries meant that the name was spelt in various ways to mimic English pronunciations. Some of those spellings included Luellyn, Louellen, Lewelling, and even Thwellyn. When surnames started to be used in Wales Llewellyn was sometimes shortened to Lewis or, on rare occasions, to Lewin.

As a surname, it was most commonly seen by the 19th century in the southern part of Wales, especially in Glamorganshire, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

Notable people

• Desmond Llewelyn (1914–1999), a Welsh actor who was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, and who was best known for his role plating 'Q' in the James Bond film franchise.
• Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (b. 1965), interior designer and TV personality of Welsh descent who is best known for appearing in the BBC series Changing Rooms.
• Richard Llewellyn (1906–1983), author born in Hendon, Middlesex to Welsh parents, he is best known for his novel, How Green Was My Valley. It was adapted for film in 1941 and won a clutch of Oscars including Best Picture and the Best Director award for John Ford.

 

SOURCES:

1851 census

Dictionary of Welsh Biography, National Library of Wales, https://biography.wales/

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison