A PETITION calling for Wales to abolish its current name and be exclusively referred to as Cymru has gathered more than 3500 signatures.
The petition has split opinion online with some calling for the petition creator to consider rewording his call and remove the word “abolish”.
If the petition gains 10,000 signatures by June, it will be considered for debate in the Senedd.
Arfon Jones from Old Conwy began the petition and said: "Wales is a name imposed on Cymru and is essentially not a Welsh word at all.
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"The world knows about Wales because of its English connection since 1282.
"Hardly anyone has heard of Cymru or realises that we have our own unique language and culture which is totally different from the other countries within the United Kingdom."
Welsh independence supporter Joshua Declan McCarthy shared his thoughts, calling the move “alienating” to millions across Wales.
He said: “The 1500-year-old etymology of the words ‘Wales’ and ‘Welsh’ do not change the meaning those words have to most of those of us who use them. For millions of us across Wales they are our own label of self-identity in which we have immense pride. This move is alienating and wrong.
“Telling people how we should feel about our own first language, and insisting our own label of national identity is wrong, sets the national movement back and contributes to the perception that Wales’s nation-building project is rooted in a nationalist cultural snobbery.
“This is of course not true. The vast majority of us fighting for an independent Wales envisage an inclusive and diverse country with equal respect for both of our national languages and the vast array of traditions that make up modern Welsh culture.
“But this would undermine that.”
Welsh Writer Aled Gwyn Jôb reacted to the proposal on Twitter/X: “I'm open to the idea of making Cymru the official name of Wales. After all, Wales does mean 'foreigners' and was the name imposed on us by the Anglo-Saxons.
“There's also historical precedent to lean on. Ceylon to Sri Lanka, Burma to Myanmar Siam to Thailand. And even India now considering changing its name to Bharat. Having said all that. I doubt whether a petition is the way to go about it. Bearing in mind the short shift a 460,000-name petition. Has been received at Y Senedd recently.
Gwyn Jôb also shared his concern with the wording of the petition, suggesting it had the potential to alienate some of the population.
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He said: “The wording of this new petition itself is also a problem. 'Abolishing' the name Wales? The name that so many of our fellow countrymen now use. To identify themselves. Not a good look.
“I prefer the idea of 'moving' from use of Wales to Cymru. It would bring more people along.”
The suggestion follows a move by many Welsh National Parks to use their Welsh names.
Snowdonia National Park moved to standardise the spelling of valleys and hills in the park in early 2023. The area is now referred to as Eryri National Park.
Yr Wyddfa is now the highest peak in Wales, previously named Snowdon.
The Brecon Beacons followed suit, being renamed Bannau Brycheiniog.
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