What are the most common surnames encountered in Wales?
– Remember, many Welsh surnames were of patronymic origin (i.e. formed from forenames). John and Sheila Rowlands state: “By the fifteenth century, the profile of names in use is different from that of earlier centuries. Forenames in use in fifteenth century pedigrees…..were (with the commonest forms of resultant modern surname in brackets): Dafydd/David 11% (Davies); Edward 2% (Edwards); Gruffudd 6% (Griffiths), Huw 5% (Hughes, Pugh), Hywel 5% (Howells, Powell), Ieuan 8% (Evans, Bevan), Jenkin 2% (Jenkins), John 12% (Johns, Jones), Lewys 2% (Lewis), Llywelyn 3% (Llewelyn), Morgan 3% (Morgan), Morus 2% (Morris), Owain 2% (Owen, Bowen), Rhys 5% (Rees, Price), Richard 3% (Richards, Pritchard), Robert 3% (Roberts, Probert), Thomas 8% (Thomas), William/Gwilym 6% (Williams). These forenames attained 1% of all Wales at the same period: Harry/Henry (Harries, Pary), James (James), Madog (Maddocks), Maredudd (Meredith), Philip (Phillips), Rhydderch (Roderick, Prothero), Roger (Rogers), Tudur (
