- Madog
- ap
- Maredudd
- ap
- Bleddyn
- ap
- Cynfyn
In Wales a name was a pedigree: Madog, son of Maredudd, son of Bleddyn, son of Cynfyn. Find where your line joins.
Famous Welsh ancestors
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
d. 1075King of Powys and Gwynedd. Many Welsh gentry families trace their line to him.
Tribe founder
Rhys ap Tewdwr
d. 1093Last independent king of Deheubarth in South Wales.
Tribe founderElystan Glodrydd
11th centuryFounder of one of the Fifteen Noble Tribes, between the Wye and the Severn.
Tribe founderHywel Dda
d. 950"Hywel the Good", remembered for bringing the laws of Wales together.
KingRhodri Mawr
d. 878"Rhodri the Great", the first king to rule most of Wales.
KingOwain Glyndŵr
c. 1359 – c. 1415The last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales.
PrinceJones
Wales's most common surname. It grew from the patronymic "ab Ioan", son of John, when fixed surnames took over.
Search Jones records More surnames
Gair i gall A word from Bran"ap" means son of. Evan ap Hugh could become Evan Pugh.
That's why your ancestor's surname can change from one generation to the next.
How Welsh names work →Where they lived
Merthyr Tudful
Iron town that drew families from all over Wales. By 1801 the largest town in Wales.
People born here →Caernarfon
Castle town and heart of Welsh-speaking Gwynedd.
People born here →Aberystwyth
Home of the National Library of Wales, where many family papers are kept.
People born here →Start your search
Build your family tree, free
Save people you find, add records you hold, and help fix mistakes.