Petition calling for Wales to only be referred to as Cymru reaches 10,000 signature mark
A petition calling to ‘abolish’ the name Wales in favour of its Welsh name, Cymru, has now crossed the 10,000 signature mark which means it may be considered for a debate at the Senedd.
The official Senedd petition, created by Arfon Jones says: “Wales is a name imposed on Cymru and is essentially not a Welsh word at all. The world knows about Wales because of its English connection since 1282.
“Hardly anyone has heard of Cymru or realises that we have our own unique language and culture which is totally different from the other countries within the United Kingdom.”
The petition comes hot on the heels of decisions to only use one name, Bannau Brycheiniog, in place of Brecon Beacons National Park in 2023, which itself followed Snowdonia National Park Authority’s vote to use Yr Wyddfa and Eryri rather than Snowdon and Snowdonia in November 2022.
Worldwide movement
Efforts are also underway in Wales to preserve important place names such as lakes which are being lost or sidelined in favour of newer English names.
Notably, Türkiye officially dropped its former title, Turkey, at the United Nations in 2022, after it agreed to a formal request from Ankara.
Several international bodies have been asked to make the name change as part of a rebranding campaign launched by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan who in December 2022 said, much in line with the backers of the Welsh petition: “Türkiye is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people’s culture, civilization, and values.
‘Confident’
From Mumbai to Kyiv, people across the world are choosing to drop place names imposed upon them, and with the name Wales meaning ‘foreigners’, unlike the Welsh word, ‘Cymru’ which means ‘fellow countrymen’ – it’s a clear case of a name given to Wales vs a name chosen by Wales itself.
Andrew R T Davies, AM for South Wales Central, said on X: “I’d prefer to see petitions highlighting where Welsh Labour Government are failing on education, failing on the economy and failing on the Health Service.
“We’ve only recently just seen that massive petition that came to the Welsh Parliament that identified people’s frustration over the blanket 20mph across the whole of Wales where nearly half a million people signed that petition.
“Let’s not try and put both languages against each other, let’s celebrate both languages and celebrate the bilingualism of Wales.”
Welsh independence campaigner Gwern Gwynfil said: “There is nothing unusual about nations deciding on their own official names. Türkiey and Czechia are recent examples of this. In no way does this force others to change the names they use but it is a clear and confident expression of identity in a modern international context.
“More broadly it reflects a wider pride and recognition of authentic cultural values, from Uluru to Bannau Brycheiniog, this is also a global phenomenon.
“This is a normal thing for nations to do. Perhaps the more relevant issue here is why are some people so viscerally against the idea? What are they afraid of?”
The petition calling to ‘abolish the name ‘Wales’ and make ‘Cymru’ the only name for our country’ can be found here.
You can also read a recent opinion piece that discusses what residents of a future Cymru might be called here.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Time for a clean out of the stsbles @
S4C ? The ultimate insiders club of the
Taffia ?
You shouldn’t translate names, time ours returned to its origin. Cymru sounds more unique anyway
If we are to continue re-building our identity on the international stage in readiness for independence an official change of name is needed. Apart from being the correct thing to do, as highlighted in the article, it will show more people around the world that we exist, we are an individual country and not just a region of the UK or even England. A strong identity, as Turkey has realised, is very important. As for the likes of Mr Davies, does he have one ounce of Cymro pride?
We need hospitals and an international airport before we can consider independence. We need to stand on our own two feet first, only when we can stand on our own two feet can we think about the reality of independence.
The point is that being tied to England prevents us from standing on our own two feet.
We need hospitals, an international airport, roads, railways ,a top three place in the Pisa world ranking, a dozen blue chip companies and world cup wins in football and rugby.
And after we achieve all that we need the moon on stick.
Only when we have the moon on a stick can we think about the reality of independence. And I say this as someone who genuinely wants Wales to be independent
Where’s the money coming from for all these hospitals and an international airport? We aren’t going to get it from Westminster. Wait for what you say and we will never be independent. Once again Ireland is a great example here, what did Ireland have upon independence? Virtually nothing, far poorer than we are now. Today it is near the top of the league in many well being, happiness, productivity and economic tables – do you honestly think it would be if it was still part of the Union? No. Our country, our future, in our own hands. It is the… Read more »