Llewellyn
also Llewelyn, Llywelyn, ap Llywelyn
Son of Llywelyn — the surname of the last Prince of Wales.
CoreHistoric reach
The seat of Llewellyn
Seat vacantChief
No chief yet. The seat awaits its first claimant — be the first to stake your name to Llewellyn.
Current mission
No mission proclaimed. The chief, once seated, sets the clan’s public focus — a campaign, a contest, a piece of restoration, a year of remembrance.
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Stake your name →What does the Llewellyn name mean?
From ap Llywelyn — son of Llywelyn (also rendered Llewelyn or Llewellyn). The personal name Llywelyn was the most prestigious in mediaeval Welsh princely use, borne by Llywelyn the Great (Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, 1173–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and effective ruler of native Wales, and by his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (1223–1282), 'Llywelyn the Last' — the only Welsh prince formally recognised by the English crown as Prince of Wales. The compressed surname Llewellyn carries the princely name forward in the modern surname pool.
The history of Llewellyn
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was killed at Cilmeri near Builth Wells on 11 December 1282, an ambush during the second Welsh war of Edward I. His head was sent to London and displayed at the Tower of London; the Welsh sovereignty he represented ended with him, and the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284 formally annexed Gwynedd to the English crown. The surname Llewellyn descends partly from sub-princely lines and minor gentry who carried the patronymic ap Llywelyn forward, particularly in Gwynedd, Anglesey and the Vale of Conwy — the heart of the old kingdom.
Richard Llewellyn (Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd, 1906–1983), the novelist of How Green Was My Valley (1939), is the most internationally famous bearer — the novel sold three million copies in its first decade and the John Ford 1941 film adaptation won five Academy Awards including Best Picture. Karl Llewellyn (1893–1962), the American jurist who drafted the Uniform Commercial Code, was descended from a Pennsylvania-Welsh line. Roddy Llewellyn (b. 1947), the landscape designer, brought the surname into 1970s British public life.
Notable bearers of the Llewellyn name
- Richard Llewellyn (1906–1983) — novelist, How Green Was My Valley
- Karl Llewellyn (1893–1962) — American jurist, drafter of the Uniform Commercial Code
- Roddy Llewellyn (b. 1947) — landscape designer
Frequently asked
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Neighbouring clans
- WilliamsSon of William — second only to Jones in Welsh density, and first in the north.
- RobertsStrong in the north — the patronymic of Robert, second to Williams in Caernarfonshire.
- HughesSon of Huw / son of Aodh — Welsh patronymic and Irish Mac Aodha under one spelling.
- OwenThe princely name — Owain in Welsh, the surname of the last revolt and the first Tudor.