While we may have gotten the names for Britain, Ireland, stc., from the Romans, it seems they bear amazing similarity to the Cymric name noted early in this thread, so I submit that these may have been the Romanized versions of the names the locals called themselves, "way back when."


We have a similar problem her when referring to "Native American" tribal names, since the early explorers frequently got them from other locals who were NOT on friendly terms with the people in question, and were given names that were derogatory, but stuck. The other problem in this instance is that many of the tribal groupings referred to themselves as The People, in their own tongue, implying that others were "not people." Thus those we have called the Sioux, from the French trader times, should actually and are now being called Lakota, one of their words, rather than Sioux, which I believe to be a francophiled version of what another tribe called them.


Of course back in the times when we were most involved with the Indians, no one much cared what they were called except dead, but we live in a kinder gentler times now and are trying to right some of the old wrongs.


Dave