The Origin of Names of Cities and Counties in Great Britain

Made by Evelina Kolechkina, 10B

Teacher Z.Rodionova

Have you ever wondered where British names come from?

Every name has its own story and meaning that often goes back hundreds of years. Many of them come from old languages such as Latin, Celtic, or Old English. They tell us about the country’s history and the people who lived there long ago.

That is why I want to understand more about the origin of British names.

If you look at a map of England and read the names of towns, cities, villages, or hamlets, you can still hear traces of the country’s rich and mixed past.

These names remind us of ancient Saxon settlers, strong Norman rulers, and natural landmarks that no longer exist. Coming from many languages — Celtic, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, and French — they describe rivers, hills, castles, and quiet forests.

Over time, many of these names have changed in spelling and pronunciation, yet that only makes them more interesting and unique.

With a little knowledge about word origins, you can understand the meaning of common place names. You will notice simple word endings like ‘ton’ (a farm), ‘ham’ (a village), ‘ley’ (a wood or clearing), ‘stow’ (a meeting place) and ‘bury’ (a fort). These are often added to the names of rivers or hills. For example, the village of Isham is in Northamptonshire. The River Ise is nearby, so Isham means ‘the village by the River Ise’.

Let's look at the history.

Celts

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The Celts lived in Britain before the Romans came. They did not leave many words in England, but some of their place names remain. Many river names are from the Celts. For example, ‘Avon’ means ‘river’. The names Tamar and Thames come from the Celtic word for ‘dark’. The name Derwent means ‘oak tree’.

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Some town names also come from the Celts. The word ‘Pen’ in names like Penge or Penrith means ‘hill’. The word ‘Coombe’ or ‘combe’ (from ‘cym’) means ‘valley’. You can see this in names like Ilfracombe and Castle Combe.

Romans

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The Romans built new towns and gave them Latin names. Sometimes they used both Celtic and Latin words. For example, Lincoln comes from the Celtic word lindo (pool) and the Latin word colonia (colony).

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After the Romans left, people used the Latin word castrum for old Roman army towns. Today, we see this in town names with ‘chester’, ‘cester’ or ‘caster’. Examples include Chester, Manchester, and Winchester.

Anglo-Saxons

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Germanic tribes came to England from the 5th century. They left many place names. The Angles gave their name to East Anglia and to England. Names like Sussex and Wessex mean the lands of the South Saxons and West Saxons.

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Place names from this time have many parts:

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People's names: Birmingham may come from a man called Beorma. Wolverhampton may come from a woman called Wulfruna.

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Animals: Oxford means ‘a river crossing for oxen’. Gateshead means ‘goat’s headland’.

Fortified towns: The Saxons built ‘burhs’ for protection. This gives us ‘borough’, ‘burgh’ and ‘bury’.

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River mouths: The word ‘mutha’ gives us names like Plymouth and Yarmouth.

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Nature: ‘Burna’ for stream gives us Blackburn and Bourne. ‘Ac’ for oak tree gives us Acton. ‘Hramsa’ for garlic gives us Ramsey.

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Religion: ‘Minster’ was for churches, as in Westminster. ‘Stow’ was for a holy meeting place, as in Felixstowe.

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Settlements: Common words for a village are ‘ham’, ‘tun’ (now ‘ton’), and ‘feld’ (now ‘field’).

Normans

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Many Norman elements in place names indicate ownership. For instance, the la Zuche family owned Ashby-de-la-Zouch, the Busards owned Leighton Buzzard, and the d’Abitot family owned Redmarley d’Abitot.

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The ownership of a place by bishops, priors, princes, kings or queens is reflected in names like King’s Lynn, Queenborough, Princes Risborough, Bishop’s Stortford, Abbots Leigh and Prior Norton. ‘Ville’, meaning settlement, is rare, but still survives in Pentonville, Bourneville and Turville.

Let's Look at Some Examples!

Beeston Castle: From Old English words for ‘commerce’ and ‘stone’ – a place where people traded.

Belsay Hall: Could mean ‘beacon hill’ or ‘Bil’s ridge’.

Berwick-upon-Tweed: Means ‘barley farm’.

Bolsover Castle: Means ‘Boll’s ridge’.

Carisbrooke Castle: Named after a stream. The Celts called it ‘Cary’ and the Saxons added ‘brook’.

Carlisle Castle: Probably means ‘the fort of the god Lugus’.

Chiswick House: Means ‘cheese farm’.

Corbridge: A town with a bridge, on a place the Celts may have called Coria.

Eltham Palace: Means ‘Eltа’s village’ or ‘swan village’.

Deal Castle: Means ‘valley’.

Dover Castle: From a Celtic word for ‘waters’.

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Hastings: Means ‘the people of Heasta’.

Kenilworth Castle: Means ‘Cynehild’s enclosure’.

Launceston Castle: Means ‘the estate near the church of St Stephen’.

Lindisfarne Priory: Means ‘land by the stream’.

Ludgershall: Means ‘the corner of land with hunting traps’.

Nunney Castle: Means ‘nun’s island’ or ‘Nunna’s island’.

Pevensey: Means ‘Pefan’s river’.

Richmond Castle: From Norman French for ‘strong hill’.

Scarborough Castle: Means ‘Skarthi’s fort’.

Shap Abbey: Means ‘pile of stones’.

Tintagel Castle: Means ‘fort on a narrow piece of land’.

Whitby Abbey: Means ‘white farm’ or ‘Hviti’s farm’.

Thank you!��