Llan or Lan is a common place name element in Brythonic languages such as Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Cumbric, and possibly Pictish. In Wales there are over 630 place names beginning with 'Llan'. In Cornwall and Brittany the element is usually spelled 'Lan' or 'Lann'.

The original meaning of llan in Welsh is "an enclosed piece of land", but it later evolved to mean the parish surrounding a church. Most places beginning with Llan have some connection to a saint, usually of the Celtic church. The element following 'Llan' is usually the name of the saint, for example Llandewi 'Enclosure or Church of Saint David'.

However a number of place names beginning with Llan evolved from other Welsh words like 'Glan' ('river bank') or 'Nant' ('stream' or 'small valley'), for example Llanbradach (from Nant Bradach, 'valley of the River Bradach'). In Cornish as well, some place names beginning with 'Lan' derive from Cornish 'Nans' ('valley'), such as Lanteglos from Nanseglos ('valley of the church').

It is believed that the "llan" epithet originated not just for an enclosure, but more importantly the 'tribal enclosure' and possibly just 'tribe'; when the original peoples arriving after the last Ice Age, were nomadic. With the coming of the first Celtic Christian missionaries, these early Christians sought to place their centres of worship in an area of some security. With the conversions of the tribes, this obviously fell within the tribal compound, the llan. With the disintegration of the tribal boundaries, all that remained of most of these enclosures was the church, or at best a walled village or town. The original meaning of 'llan' with its tribal connotations disappeared.

Examples of Llan place names in Wales

Places named after saints

• Llanarmon-yn-Iâl, Denbighshire, Saint Garmon or St. Germanus of Auxerre
• Llanbadarn Fawr, Saint Padarn
• Llanbadrig, Saint Patrick
• Llanbedr, Saint Peter
• Llanberis, Saint Peris
• Llandegla, Saint Tecla
• Llanddarog, Saint Twrog
• Llanddeusant, Anglesey, two saints: Saint Marcellus and Saint Marcellina
• Llanddeusant, Carmarthenshire, two saints: Saint David and Saint Teilo
• Llandeilo, Saint Teilo
• Llandewi, Saint David
• Llandudno, Saint Tudno
• Llandybie, Saint Tybie
• Llanedi, Saint Edith
• Llanegwad, Saint Egwad
• Llanelli, Saint Elli
• Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Saint Mary and Saint Tysilio
• Llanfoist, Saint Fwyst
• Llangadog, Saint Cadoc
• Llangain, Saint Cain
• Llangathen, Saint Cathan
• Llangeler, Saint Celert
• Llangelynnin, Saint Celynin
• Llangennech, Saint Cennych
• Llangennith, Saint Cenydd
• Llangollen, Saint Collen
• Llangolman, Saint Colman
• Llangunnor, Saint Cynnwr
• Llangyfelach, Saint Cyfelach
• Llangyndeyrn, Saint Cyndeyrn
• Llangynllo, Saint Cynllo
• Llangynog, Saint Cynog
• Llanharan, Saint Aaron
• Llanidloes, Saint Idloes
• Llanilar, Saint Hilary
• Llanllawddog, Saint Llawddog
• Llanmadoc, Saint Madoc
• Llanmartin, Saint Martin
• Llanishen (Llanisien), Saint Isan
• Llannon, Saint Non
• Llanpumsaint, five saints: Gwyn, Gwynno, Gwynoro, Ceithio and Celynin
• Llansadwrn, Saint Sadwrn
• Llanrhidian, Saint Rhidian
• Llansadwrn, Saint Sadwrn
• Llansamlet, Saint Samlet
• Llansawel, Saint Sawell
• Llanstephan, Saint Stephen
• Llanwenog, Saint Gwenog
• Llanwrda, Saint Cwrda

Place names with religious connections other than a saint

• Llandaff, named after the River Taff [674911]
• Llangefni, named after the River Cefni

Place names without a religious connection

• Llanboidy, name evolved from Nantbeudy
• Llanbradach, name evolved from Nant Bradach
• Llancarfan, name evolved from Nantcarfan
• Llandarcy, named after William Knox D'Arcy
• Llanmorlais, name evolved from Glan Morlais
• Llangoedmor in Ceredigion, originally Llangoedmawr, Great Wood.

Examples of Lann place names in Cornwall and Devon

Places named after saints

• Lamorran ( ), Saint Morenna
• Landewednack ( ), Saint Gwynnek
• Landkey (near Barnstaple, Devon), Saint Kea
• Landulph ( ), Saint Dilic
• Laneast ( )
• Lanherne ( ), Saint Hernow
• Lanhydrock ( ), Saint Hydrek
• Lanivet ( ), Saint Neves
• Lanlivery ( ), Saint Livri
• Lanreath ( ), Saint Reydhow
• Lansallos ( ), Saint Salwys
• Launcells ( ), Saint Kellys
• Launceston ( ), Saint Stefan
• Lelant ( ), Saint Anta
• Lewannick ( ), Saint Gwenek
• Lezant ( ), Saint Sans
• Linkinhorne ( ), Saint Kenhorn
• Luxulyan ( ), Saint Sulien

Examples of Lan place names in Brittany

Places named after saints

• Lampaul-Guimiliau ( ), Saint Paul
• Landerneau ( ), Saint Ténénan
• Langolen ( ), Saint Collen

Examples of Lan place names in Cumbria

The Cumbric language was spoken in Cumbria up to the Early Middle Ages, and so some place names in Cumbria have a Celtic origin.

Places named after saints

• Landican (Birkenhead, Merseyside), Saint Tegan
• Lamplugh (Cumbria), Saint Moloch (Lamplugh has also been explained as being derived from Llan Plwyf 'parish church', 'Nant Bluch 'bare valley', or Irish Glan Flough 'wet dale')

Examples of Lhan place names in Scotland

Some place names in Scotland have Pictish elements such as Aber and Lhan that are cognate with other Brythonic languages such as Welsh.

Places named after saints

• Lhanbryde (Gaelic: Lann Brìghde), Saint Bride (the place name is first recorded as Lamanbride in 1215, and the modern Welsh-like spelling is probably a 19th century innovation)

See also

• Welsh placenames

References

• BBC Wales: What's in a name: Llan
• Cynon Valley
• BBC Wales - What's in a Name: Religion and creed in place names
• Warlinenn: List of Cornish place names