Cambria facts for kids

Cambria is another name for Wales. It's the Latin way of saying the Welsh name for the country, which is Cymru. This name wasn't used during the time of Roman Britain or in the early Middle Ages. After the Anglo-Saxons settled in much of Britain, a clear difference grew between their new kingdoms (which became England and Southern Scotland) and the remaining Celtic British kingdoms (which became Wales, and also Cornwall and Strathclyde before they joined England).

Because Latin was the main language for learning in Western Europe, writers in the Middle Ages often used Britannia (for the land still lived in by Britons) or Wallia (a word from Old English) to talk about Wales. The name Cambria first appeared in the 12th century, used by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It was an alternative because Britannia was confusing, and Wallia came from a foreign language. However, Cambria stayed quite rare until later in the Middle Ages.

A map showing the mountainous terrain of Wales.

Where Did the Name Cambria Come From?

The Welsh word Cymru (meaning Wales) and Cymry (meaning Welsh people) were once wrongly thought to be linked to old names like Gomer, Cimbri, or Cimmerians. But actually, the word comes from an older British word, combrogi. This word means 'fellow-countrymen'. So, the name basically means '[Land of] the Compatriots'.

The people living in what is now Wales, Cornwall, Northern England, and Southern Scotland started calling themselves Cymry after the Roman Empire left Britain. This name was used to describe all the people who spoke British languages. It likely started being used before the 7th century. In old Welsh writings, Cymry was used to describe the Welsh people throughout the Middle Ages. However, an older, more general term, Brythoniaid, was also used for any British people until about 1100. After that, Cymry became the main word for the Welsh.

Until around 1560, the word was spelled Kymry or Cymry, whether it meant the people or the country. The spelling Cymru for the country developed later. The Latin version, Cambria, appeared in the Middle Ages. It was first seen in, and possibly created by, Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Cambria in Old Legends

In the old stories written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his book Historia Regum Britanniae ('History of the Kings of Britain'), there's a legend about how Britain was divided. According to this story, the Trojan hero Brutus had three sons. After he arrived in Britain and defeated the giant Gogmagog, he split his lands among them.

His oldest son, Locrinus, received the land between the Humber and Severn rivers. He named this area Loegria, which later became most of England. His youngest son, Albanactus, got the lands beyond the Humber, which he named Albany (later Scotland). The second son, Camber, was given everything beyond the Severn. This land was named Cambria after him, and it included what is now Wales and nearby British-speaking areas. Brutus's general, Corineus, kept Cornwall, which was named after him.

This legend was believed to be true for a long time, from the 12th to the 16th centuries. However, it doesn't match the actual history of how people settled, how languages developed, or how kingdoms were formed.

Where You Can Still Find the Name Cambria Today

The name Cambria is still used in a few places and names today:

• You might see it in names like the Cambrian Line (a railway) or the Cambrian Way (a walking path).
• In geology, the study of Earth's rocks, the name Cambrian is used for a very old geologic period. This period was about 539 million to 488.3 million years ago. In 1835, a geologist named Adam Sedgwick named it the Cambrian period after studying rocks of that age in Wales.
• It's a rare girl's name.
• A group of colleges in North East Wales are called Coleg Cambria.
• The name is mentioned in the famous Welsh song "Men of Harlech." This song tells the story of brave Welsh soldiers in the 15th century. It's popular with fans of Cardiff City Football Club and the Welsh national team. The song "Wrexham is the Name," sung by fans of Wrexham AFC, uses the same tune.
• In William Shakespeare's play Cymbeline, the characters use "Cambria" instead of "Wales."
• The term Cambrian Mountains once referred to most of the uplands in Wales. Now, it's used for a smaller area from Pumlumon down to Mynydd Mallaen.
• Cambria is also the name of a font used in Microsoft Windows.
• In gardening, Cambria refers to special types of orchids. These orchids are hybrids, meaning they are a mix of different orchid groups like Odontoglossum, Oncidium, Brassia, and Miltonia.

See also

• Cambria (disambiguation)
• Cambrian (disambiguation)
• Cumbrian (disambiguation)