A bardic name (Welsh: enw barddol, Cornish: hanow bardhek) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement.
The practice seems to have very ancient antecedents, as in the names of the presumably 6th century poets Talhaearn Tad Awen, Blwchfardd and Culfardd, mentioned by the Welsh historian Nennius alongside Taliesin and Aneirin, the last referred to as Aneurin Gwenithwawd ('Aneurin of the Corn Poetry').
[1] In Cornwall, some of the pioneers of the Cornish language movement are referred to by their bardic names, e.g., "Mordon" for Robert Morton Nance, and "Talek" for E. G. Retallack Hooper.
For some people, this might be a reference to their occupation within the village, but for those with a literary reputation, whose name would be known across the land, it was common practice to take, or be awarded, a sobriquet.
A bardic name, in the context of the eisteddfod, is a particular accolade, as it is adopted when inducted into the Orders of distinguished bards and writers.