St David’s Day Special: Our Favourite Welsh Google Searches

Today, on St David's Day, we're sharing the funny, amusing, and downright silly Wales/Welsh Google Searches uncovered with a little keyword research.

St David (or Dewi Sant in Welsh) is the patron saint of Wales and he is celebrated on the 1st March. In case you didn’t know, it’s custom in Wales to don daffodil or leek pin badges to celebrate, and young primary school children will often be dressed in traditional Welsh costumes to mark the occasion.

And so, as this patriotic holiday approached us, I wondered, “what are the common search queries for ‘Wales’?”, “what do people want to know about the Welsh?”. And I found some amusing results.

Of course, at this time of year there’s no surprise that most popular searches online at the moment circulate around the rugby; ‘are wales playing rugby today’, ‘who’s wales next manager’, and ‘when wales playing rugby next’, what can I say? We’re a nation of rugby enthusiasts. But what tickled me, was the popularity in questions like ‘where is wales’, ‘what wales is famous for’ and ‘what does Yaki Da mean’.

So, it’s a good time to give those born outside of the land of castles, dragons, Dylan Thomas and the world’s oldest record shop, a crash course in what it is to be Taff, by answering some Google searches.

#1 What does ‘Yaki Da’ mean in Welsh?

Iechyd da – directly translates to ‘good health’. It’s uncommon now, but it was a phrase that’d be used to express good wishes before dinner/drinks.

#2 What is the most common Welsh surname?

Sadly, there aren’t very many “Welshy” sounding surnames anymore! (like Griffith for example, I mean, it doesn’t get more Welshy!) But the most common surnames in Wales are: Jones, Davies, Hughes, Edwards, Lloyd, Ellis, Evans, Parry, Roberts, Williams and Wynne. As opposed to the most common English surnames which are: Edwards, Green, Lewis, Wood, Harris, Martin, Jackson and Clarke.

#3 What are the most popular W/english phrases?

Here are some of our favourites…

#4 What is a curry “half and half”?

So, this is definitely a Welsh thing. In my time I’ve had some odd looks requesting “a curry half ‘n half” on the other side of the bridge…

This Welsh delicacy is simply your average curry, with half a portion of rice, and half a portion of chips! Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

#5 What happened on the fishing trip?

We don’t know this either. Unfortunately, we don’t get any special treatment or classified information for being Welsh. And the Owen Hughes joke isn’t as great as it’s made out to be. We promise.

Do you *Owe-Wayne-Hughes? No I don’t…

We told you.

#6 What does Dai mean in Welsh?

Dai is short for David, which is pretty apt considering it’s St. David’s Day! But Dai is also a common nickname, given to locals in Welsh communities. There’s Dai the milkman, Dai central heating… See more funny nicknames here.

#7 What’s that really long place name in Wales?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

#8 Who’s ‘Drive’?

Anybody who drives a transport vehicle, whether it’s a bus, taxi, limousine, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re male or female. It’s commonplace in Wales, and it’s impolite to call them otherwise.

#9 What does ‘mun’ mean in Welsh slang?

Absolutely nothing! It’s a word used to emphasise a point when someone is irritable or frustrated, “Come on mun, you’re taking ages!”. Try it.

#10 Is wibbly wobbly Welsh for jellyfish?

I’m afraid ‘wibbly wobbly’ is not Welsh for jellyfish. Like ‘popty-ping’ (for microwave), ‘wibbly wobbly’ is a slang word that became a popular way of describing them. In fact, I don’t think there is a direct translation for jellyfish, pysgod môr (sea fish) is all I’ve ever known them as. As for microwaves, the Welsh translation is ‘meicrodon’ – now you know why it’s often called ‘popty ping’ instead.

Wasn’t that amusing?

By using keyword research and trending topic tools we have been able to find the most regularly asked questions regarding a specific topic. Granted, some of these questions don’t have the highest search volume, but if you’re seeking to build content around a particular subject to increase your relevancy, display your expertise and channel authority in that space, we can help.

Read all about our blogging and on-site content creation services here.