Among the comparatively recent developments at Chaddlewood, Plympton, are a number of adjacent streets or closes named after towns and cities in the south west of the British Isles, including Totnes, Okehampton, Dunster and Cardiff.
The name Cardiff is itself has a rather simple but nonetheless fascinating origin. The first element is simple enough, it is the Welsh “caer” meaning castle or fort, as in Caerphilly, Caerleon and Caernarfon. The second element comes from the river that the town and the castle were built up around – the Taff or as the Welsh themselves call it – the Taf. Taff itself is thought to mean just “water”, and although it’s tempting to speculate that the popular nickname for a Welshman comes from the river that their capital city sits on, it rather appears that Taffy derives from the supposed pronunciation of a common Welsh Christian name, and the name of their patron saint – David or Dafydd.
The place-name incidentally was recorded as Kairdiff back in 1106.
