Emmett is big for boys. Rhys, Reese, and Reece are on the rise for both genders.
Here’s an obscure option that combines the best of both. Thanks to Shelby for suggesting Emrys as our Baby Name of the Day.
Emrys is a Welsh name, and there’s some debate about his pronunciation. Most guides list him as EM riss, and most YouTube videos confirm. But I find it hard to shake impulse to say EM rees. Maybe that’s just an American inclination to gussy up the pronunciation of a foreign name, or maybe that’s the similarity to Rhys.
But Welsh is phonetic, and the rules are clear. The “hy” in Rhys makes a long e sound, but Emrys sounds like Carys or Dilys.
If you can get over the possible pronunciation snarl, this is a versatile option, with ties to saints and wizards alike.
Let’s start with the saint. Saint Ambrose lived in the 300s. He didn’t seek out a career in the church, but eventually became bishop during a theological crisis. He went on to become a theological heavy hitter, and a major influence of Saint Augustine.
His name caught on, and in Welsh, Ambrose became Emrys.
Ambrose and Emrys are universally listed as equivalents, sharing an origin – the Greek ambrosios, meaning immortal. Emrys could be the Welsh version of Ambrose – like Betrys for Beatrice – or Emrys might be an older Welsh name that was linked with the saint’s appellation. Emyr means king in Welsh, and -rys is a common enough ending.
In either case, Emrys is a serious Welsh heritage choice. In the fifth century, Emrys Wledig was a military leader, fighting off invaders. In the same era, Myrddin Wyllt was a semi-legendary prophet. Geoffrey of Monmouth combined the two figures to create Myrddin Emrys to his retellings of traditional Welsh stories about King Arthur. Monmouth Latinized Myrddin Emrys as Merlinus Ambrosius, creating the enduring figure Merlin.
There have been Welsh men named Emrys over the years. Perhaps the best known is famed Shakespearean actor Emrys James, born in 1928.
Emrys is equally compelling as a place name. The ruins of the castle Dinas Emrys – the fortress of Ambrosius – stand in north-west Wales. The story goes something like this: King Vortigern chose the site for his fortress, but attempts at construction were unsuccessful – every night, the day’s work was undone. He’s told to summon a local youth – Emrys, known to us as Merlin. Emrys explains that a pair of dragons live in a pool under the fortress site, and it is their nightly battle that undoes Vortigern’s efforts.
Advice in hand, Vortigern frees the pair of dragons. The red one wins – hence, the flag of Wales, pictured above.
Despite dueling dragons and legendary kings, Emrys has a gentle sound. If you’re looking to honor Welsh roots, he’s a compelling option. With his -s ending, he’s quite stylish, fitting in with choices like Rufus and Silas.
The only challenge is one shared by surname picks like Emerson – nearly any starts-with-Em name is vulnerable to sounding like an alternative to Emma and Emily.
But Emrys is so rare that chances are your son would never share his name with anyone, except his legendary namesakes.
I named my son Emrys after his Welsh grandfather. The only issue we have had is people thinking when they see the name that it is Emry’s and calling him Emry.
But most people get it with a couple pronunciations. The EM riss is the correct pronunciation (my husband and his family are native Welsh speakers)
I love this name, but it sounds much too feminine for a man. I would put it in the same grouping as Rowan or Morgan. I would love to meet an Emrys, male or female!
We named our son Emris (so that there was no confusion with the pronunciation as there could be with Emrys) and he was born on April 28th, 2011! His middle name is Taj. The meaning of both names combined is “IMMORTAL CROWN”. I couldn’t ask for a more unique, yet simple, name! I love it!!!
I am the person who dumped Flynn due to it’s impending popularity. We went with Emrys and it’s perfect. Unlike Allegra we haven’t gotten any weird reactions except from Mil whho calls him Emerson half the time.
Love this name. My friend – who’s Turkish – has a baby boy named Emre and I adore it.. Am quickly realizing that your lovely blog might become torture for me as I have now welcomed my third (most likely) final child. Guess I will just have to come here to get inspiration for my fictional characters’ monikers 🙂
Always loved Emrys! It’s like a really well kept secret. I’m hoping parents of little girls will keep their hands off this one though…
well I have 4 children all with second names emrys and only one is a boy…. emerson emrys
Oooh, I like Emrys! I wasn’t familiar with the name prior to this post, but when I saw it listed I thought, “I hope this is a boy’s name. It would make a GREAT boy’s name but a rather boring girl’s name.” I was thrilled to read that, not only is Emrys masculine, but it has a great history too. I don’t see Mark ever coming on board with this one, but it will be fun to add to my collection nonetheless.
When I first read Emrys, I saw Emesis….But then, our family’s been dealing with a stomach bug.
As for Emrys, I worry that it and it’s similar sounding kin, Emlyn, might be perceived as feminine. But on the other hand, I would rather hear about a little Emrys, than another Maddox or Bowen.
Hmm… I like it. I’m in love with most Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, Celtic (did I cover the entire British Isles) names… for girls. This is one of the boy’s that I like (most of the boys names I like are traditionally very English: James, William, Jonathan). I once wrote a story where there was a unicorn named Emrys, as well as another with a king named Emrys. (In the latter was also Saoirse, Caoimhe, Niamh, and Killian (swoon))
It’s fine. It’s got character. I’m fairly sure it might elicit a lot of “Huh?” here. That or people would mentally send it to the “wet blanket pile of wussy names”. Rhys (Dylan, Evan etc.) are normally the go to Welsh staples.