Studying some genealogy, I recently came across the name Penmaen. It was used as a boy’s middle name, and it means ‘rocky headland’ in Welsh. It sounds mysterious, historical and intriguing to me. I like it, especially the nn [name_m]Penn[/name_m]/[name_u]Pen[/name_u]. However, I do think it could be seen as a girl’s name, because the ‘mae’ element in the second syllable is rather feminine. On a girl, there could be the nn [name_u]Penny[/name_u] or [name_f]Mae[/name_f]. So, is Penmaen for girls, boys, or both? What are your opinions?
I like it, esp w nn [name_m]Penn[/name_m]. Feels decidedly masculine to me w the n on the end. Penmae is mebbe a good feminization?
I like it. When I saw the post before reading it, I thought “girl.” Although [name_m]Penn[/name_m] is boyish, Penmaen seems wildly romantic and evocative of the Welsh landscape. I would give it to a little girl with nn [name_u]Penny[/name_u], but I can see it on either gender.
I love it for either!
The ‘ae’ configuration in Welsh isn’t pronounced the same as in English though. It’d be ‘pen-mine’. http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/fun/welsh/Lesson01.html