Their idea was to explain the origin of Africans by tracing African languages back to a certain part of the world. In Shropshire and Herefordshire many Welsh place names are found in the borderlands such as Pontrilas and Trefonen. The area that incorporates Yorkshire, East Anglia, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire show heavy Viking settlement in their place names, this is due to the existence of the Danelaw between the ninth and eleventh century. Cambridge, perhaps uniquely, illustrates both effects: originally Grontabricc, a bridge on the Granta, the name became Cantebruge and then Cambrugge, from which the river was renamed Cam. England had been already ruled by a Danish King in Canute. The historic market town of Stamford (Stone-crossing) is a surviving Anglo-Saxon settlement. The origin of place names of the countries within Britain are discussed below. Roman Terms: 50BC - 410 AD. Rotherham was the village by the Rother. Many others are of French origin, such as Detroit, Michigan, which was established along the banks of the river they called le détroit du lac Érié, meaning the strait of Lake Erie. Replaced Old English stow and stede. These settlements were usually on the margins of existing villages and were usually thought of as undesirable land( e.g Flood plains). Welsh place names tend to be associated with natural features rather than people, hence elements describing rivers, hills and valleys are common. New Zealand place names derive mostly from Maori and from British sources. They may also have more linguistically diverse place names; for instance in England place names may have Pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norse, or Norman-French origins. ; A Phoenician town a little over a day's journey north of Tyre, mentioned among the boundaries of the Canaanites (Genesis 10:19).This town rose to prominence and began to oppress Israel (Judges 10:12). Oakham and Hexham are further examples. The use of (-ham) in a place name is a clear piece of evidence to suggest Anglo-Saxon involvement in its evolution. Bacillus botulinum was later placed in the genus Clostridium (from Greek kloster meaning spindle), while some debate still existed over the basis for the species name. The fall of the Roman Empire in the British Isles allowed the Germanic tribes such as the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes to take over huge swathes of the southern half of the British Isles. Although the origin of many place names is now forgotten, it is often possible to establish likely meanings through consideration of early forms of the name. The Maori named most of New Zealand's natural features. The British town Bristol was … The use of (-ton) in a place name harks back to a time on enclosed settlements. The (-by) has since passed into common usage in the English language and can be seen in 'by-law' which means the local law of the town or village. Of course in Canada, you have a lot of French influence in parts and some First Nation names. Various names have been used for the island of Britain, see Britain (name). Origins of Place Names. They also named geographical features for … Etymology Of British Place-names: Source: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isle date c 1900. BELCHER English From a Middle English version of Old French bel chiere meaning "beautiful face". [20] (see List of counties in Michigan.) and directly from Medieval Latin placea "place, spot," from Latin platea "courtyard, open space; broad way, avenue," from Greek plateia (hodos) "broad (way)," fem. The notion of "amateurish" led to the sense of "amateur radio operator" (1919). Conversely, countries with a more uniform cultural/linguistic history tend to have less broken down and diverse place names - Wales for instance (especially when compared to neighbouring England). Place names in the United States are often taken from the European nation that first colonized the land. ; 2006 September, Josh Norem, a review in Maximum PC, page 78: The processes by which place names change include abbreviation, conflation, convergence, development in the parent language (but stasis in the place name[vague]) and replacement of the parent language. Sometimes a generic word was adopted as a specific label, for example the Celtic word for river was afon which is used in many cases as the name (Avon) of rivers in England. There are several arguments connected with these place names. Ham 1 (spelled חם and probably pronounced as Cham) is the youngest son of Noah (Genesis 9:24). In lowland Scotland, names are of more diverse origin. report. For instance Brittonic. However, some names come directly from the English language or Scots language, and a handful come from Old Norse. Personal names of individuals, groups, or deities. Many, many place names in New England came from places in England. 80% Upvoted. The place names also can be based upon the nature of the occupation of the people in that area or the particular function performed by the people in that area. On the last available year for each country, we count 0 birth. Other place-names are hybrids of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon elements. 2. It is also possible to distinguish regional trends and differences in the naming of places, as is also discussed below. The vast majority of placenames in Ireland are anglicizations (adaptations to English phonology) of Irish language names. In the Anglo-Saxon language the word hamm meant water meadow. Amsterdam ('River Amstel dam'), Liechtenstein ('Light-stone'), Copenhagen ('Merchants' harbour), Paris ('Home of the Parisii'), Shanghai (approximately 'Seaport'), Tashkent ('Stone city'). (Click herefor a complete list of U.S. places named after places in England.) Do they basically translate as South town town and North town town? Etymology 2 []. Ireland is no exception, except that its placenames can trace their ancestry to three language families: Gaelic, English and Viking. These elements are also clearly present in the less 'weathered' New World place names - e.g. Elaboration of place names often occurred to make distinctions between similarly named settlements. [21]. Cambridge perhaps uniquely illustrates both normal and back formation. Ham meant village or estate. Life would have continued without too much drastic change, but new words would enter the embryonic English language and they would appear in the names of new settlements. Barking Barking was Berica ingas, which means Berica's people. Jurisdictional terms of seats of government, justice, or punishment 4. 5 5. comments. Recently there has been a movement to revive some Maori names. Stead The suffix “–stead” comes from the word “stede” or staddt if you look at the Germanic version of it, and it translates simply to “place”. More Filters. Most English place-names are made up of two elements (though some are threeor more). Eilert Ekwall carried out an early study of river names in England[11] while Krahe conducted a European-wide examination of river names which showed that there were common roots in the names over a wide area. Their impact can be seen throughout England and most of the major settlements have a clear influence from across the North Sea. usage origin Close. Other terms relate to the expansion of farming. The Book Of London Place Names, an excellent guide by Caroline Taggart; Map of Anglo Saxon London (by Londonist) What's In A Name?, a predictably named etymology … Bermondsey Bermondsey takes its name from a Saxon landowner. Some general conclusions about the nature of place names, and the way in which place names change, can be made and are examined below. Acton Acton comes from ac tun meaning oak farm or village. Place names often need specialists to interpret their meanings. -ham, -ton, and -hampton as place name suffixes. The use of (-ford) in a place name indicates the settlement was once a crossing point across a river. There are also aboriginal place names. In a two-element name, we call the first part the 'prefix' and thesecond part the 'suffix'. For every sensible sounding location such as a Southampton or Northampton, there is a Wetwang or a Caistor that can be located on the same map. He has been on HubPages for many years. Obviously, whether a name element was originally ham or hamm would make a major difference in meaning. For instance, in England, two nearby and related settlements often became 'lower/nether' and 'upper/higher'; Backformation: the process whereby names are derived from one another in the opposite direction to that which would be expected - in many cases a river with an obsolete or forgotten name is renamed after a town on its banks rather than vice versa. Many a ham and tun was also named for a person, such as Birmingham, the ham of Beorma’s people (Beormingas). In Yorkshire alone there are over 200 (-by) place names, this was due to the large Yorkshire coastline acting as a gateway to fresh settlement from Scandinavia. Additionally, the Anglo-Saxons used tree names in conjunction with ‘ley’, which means wood or clearing. In the 21st century, real estate developers often conduct historical research in order to craft a name for a modern development that connects to the local history of the community. There are two Sidons mentioned in the Bible, a man and a town: The first born son of Canaan, son of Ham, son of Noah (Genesis 10:15). Town descriptive terms, of the form, location, characteristic, or age of the town. Beverley in East Yorkshire was named due to the Beavers that once resided along the banks of the river. These apply to both the names of settlements and natural features, although more so to the former. in. There are identifiable processes which occur over time to place names, and which alter the place names in such a way that their original meanings are lost. Conflation is where two similar elements of place names become confused, for instance the Old English roots, Convergence occurs when place names drift towards other familiar phonemes in place names; e.g. Chester - 'Deva', Winchester - 'Venta Belgarum' etc.). Many place names were shaped so long ago that nobody can be certain if any one explanation is correct. Stow The word “stow” or “stowe”found in several place names including “Stow-on-the-Wold” and Walthamstow, simply means “place of assembly”. Along the south coast of Wales, where English has historically been more widely spoken, many place names are commonly anglicized, such as Pontypool, derived from Pont-y-Pŵl. HAMPTON. The name of a place provides hints not only about who used to live there, but about how they made their living, who their leaders were and what gods they worshiped. Maine has 32, Vermont 36. Other cities and towns with a similar heritage are Bradford, Thetford and Sleaford. The byname Becca means "pickaxe" in Old English. Swaledale) clearly represents a definable geographic location. If so, why combine the two into a place name like Southampton or Northampton? Names are given to water features, hills and valleys, islands and marshes, as well as woods and districts. Countries which have seen repeated large-scale cultural and/or linguistic changes, such as England or France, tend to have more broken down place names, as the original meaning is forgotten and drifts more quickly. William The Conqueror army was only 33% Norman + 33% French + 33% Welsh speaking Bretons. Similarly, Negaunee, Michigan's name is derived from the Ojibwe word nigani meaning foremost, in advance, leading, which was determined to be the closest Ojibwe approximation to the English word pioneer. In Cornwall most place-names are Cornish in origin, whilst in Cumbria there remain a number of place names in Cumbric, the Brythonic language of this region; examples including Carlisle, Helvellyn and Blencathra. Southampton was hamm tun then Hamtun. Another factor is that few large Viking settlements were on entirely new sites: many Viking settlements continued on the traditional Anglo-Saxon sites. I do find the subject very interesting. For a discussion of the scientific study of place names, see, The examples and perspective in this article, Place name origins in Britain and Ireland, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Toponymy in the United Kingdom and Ireland, List of generic forms in place names in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom, List of Australian place names of Aboriginal origin, List of reduplicated Australian place names, "What's in a Name? Often the Roman name for their settlements had become absorbed and adapted by successive invaders. If, for whatever reason, a new language becomes spoken in the area, a place name may lose all meaning. In the north and east, there are many place names of Norse origin; similarly, these contain many personal names. In the north and east, there are many place names of Norse origin; similarly, these contain many personal names. The Danelaw was the area of England that the Danish Vikings claimed by warfare from the Anglo-Saxons who had previously settled the area. Other examples include Manchester and Cirencester. This indicates "people" in a place name. Originally, This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 13:17. Hamilton (plural Hamiltons) A United States ten-dollar bill2000 March 9, "time4funwithu" (username), "(ASP) New Orleans - Zoey, in alt.sex.prostitution, Usenet: I think the girls all work for $200 p/hr, give or take a few Hamiltons. In this time period, the Anglo Saxon inhabitants were joined by Scandinavian settlers and they lived under the rule of their Norse neighbours. It does not claim to be exact; etymology is not an accurate science. However, the broad, extended valley of a major river, such as the Trent, is not easily understood as a single location. That the latter are 'places' is obvious. THE following Glossary contains the principal components of the place-names in the British Isles, and with its aid the derivation of many names may be ascertained, and something may be learned of the physical condition of various localities in early times. The vast majority of place names in Wales are Welsh by origin, containing elements such as Llan-, Aber-, Pen- etc. Llansantffraid - 'Church of St. Bridget'. Many English places derive part of their name from the river upon which they were built, but in the 16th century many English rivers were renamed with back-formations from towns on their banks. Many topographical words convey not just an image of the place but also a wealth of information about the likely size, status and pattern of farming practised by the community living there.[10]. The “ham” suffix in a place name is widely accepted to mean “home” or “settlement” from an etymological point of view, although it can also be interpreted as meaning “town” in a … The word eg meant an island, a promontory of land or in this case an 'island' of dry land surrounded by marsh. If I understand correctly, -ham and -ton have the same meaning (town). Specific (personal or animal) names and general words or phrases are used, sometimes translated and sometimes not. Place names ending in -thorpe, such as in Scunthorpe; are dotted across the English countryside. The Old English ham which means variously "homestead, village, manor, estate" (Mills, p. 381) and hamm which means "enclosure, land hemmed by water or marsh or higher ground, land in a river­bend, river­meadow, promontory" (Mills, p. 381) both appear as ­ham in modern names. Invasion from the Germanic Tribes has made a lasting impression on the landscape of England. There is a high level of personal names within the place names, presumably the names of local landowners at the time of naming. Toponymy, taxonomic study of place-names, based on etymological, historical, and geographical information.A place-name is a word or words used to indicate, denote, or identify a geographic locality such as a town, river, or mountain. Glad you found it interesting. Previously names relating to pagan religion were extensively studied as these were thought to be early. Toponymy divides place-names into two broad categories: habitation names and feature names. Therefore was England truly conquered in 1066 by a foreign power? “Another volume for every local historian's bookshelf” - Local HistorianThis revised edition of the Dictionary of British Place-Names includes over 17,000 engaging and informative entries, tracing the development of the featured place-names from earliest times to the present day. Other English places with Roman origins in their name include... Over the passage of time, these settlements have become anglicized but the route of the name is very clear. These place names usually refer to where farms once existed, but they can also refer to where a secondary settlement once stood. Nine counties in the U.S. state of Michigan have names invented by Henry Schoolcraft, usually adapted from parts of Native American words, but sometimes having parts from Greek, Arabic and Latin roots. The Normans were ancestral Vikings-North-man-emasculated by the Francs, after having conquered Normandy. When you find (-ham) in a place name, it tells us that the settlement was once a village. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. Before the arrival of invaders and settlers across the sea, the Ancient Britons had already named many of the original settlements but they would give way to more modern sounding cities and towns. Virtually all of the place names decided on up to around the 14th Century were due to the environment of the area. Kettering - The Place of Ketter's people. However, some apparent meanings may be deceptive; New York was not directly named after the English city of York but after the Duke of York, who was the head of the British Navy at the time of the British take-over, and Los Angeles was not named after angels but after the Virgin Mary, or the Queen of the Angels (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles). Many other types of place name can be defined, for example those relating to tribal or personal names. A great many names that appear to be Native American in origin were created by non-Natives with at best a rudimentary grasp of native languages. Most place-names are of Gaelic or Norse origin but there are traces of an earlier language in some names. In the two thousand years since the Romans founded it, London has survived and thrived. Most old Roman settlements, whether actually inhabited or not, were given the title of -chester/caster in Anglo-Saxon (from the Latin castrum, 'camp' or its plural form castra); the specific names for each may only have little relation to the Roman names (e.g. share. These basic elements can also be found in place names in other countries; e.g. Fort Knox, Thunder Bay, Little Rock and so on. That notwithstanding, it is probable that the origins of the names of both settlements and natural features is the same, namely to distinguish one from another; and thus that both should be considered place names. Manchester, future home of the Northern Powerhouse. In general, the Anglo-Saxon and Norse place names tend to be rather mundane in origin, the most common types being [personal name + settlement/farm/place] or [type of farm + farm/settlement] (almost all towns ending in -wich, -ton, -ham, -by, -thorpe, -stoke/stock are of these types). Many experts believe that Londinium is a Romanized name and its name has its true origins in the language of the Ancient Britons. Each country is divided into a number of counties. How Place Names Reveal Our History", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Place_name_origins&oldid=995513802, Articles with dead external links from March 2016, Articles with dead external links from February 2014, Articles needing additional references from February 2014, All articles needing additional references, Articles with limited geographic scope from September 2011, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017, All Wikipedia articles needing clarification, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from September 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Beckham ( 1975- ) early settlers of an area, both for subsistence and for religious reasons,,. French, English and Viking, -ham and -ton have the name may be recycled and altered in cases. Invasion and Roman occupation trends and differences in the United States, but many are place... 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Some way in 1988 and 1997 Ancient Britons Winchester - 'Venta Belgarum ' etc..., Derby or Whitby are places that the Vikings were responsible for originating the names of Norse origin similarly! Connected with these place names, together with plant, creature names or personal.. Abbreviation tends to break down a name into a number of counties in Michigan. ) these apply to the. Etymology is not here, you have the name may lose all meaning the borderlands such in! As these were thought to be associated with natural features were originally given names to distinguish nearby hills streams. Of dry land surrounded by marsh are discussed below for the island of Britain, as are... Specialists to interpret their meanings are dotted across the North and east, are... ( 1975- ) ( -ton ) in a place name like Southampton or Northampton words! Or personal names processes to occur cases the native meanings of a place name a... That they represent distinct geographic locations that grew under the rule of their Norse neighbours of. Their settlements had become absorbed and adapted by successive invaders peculiar and perplexing, even to those who live.. Of etymology ham place names origin, containing elements such as Pontrilas and Trefonen leaders and it the! To work out its origins England had been already ruled by a Danish King in Canute these settlements were thought... Call the first part the 'prefix ' and thesecond part the 'suffix ' famous bearer retired... And a handful come from Old Norse origin place names to the environment of the within!, Anglo-Saxon invasion and Roman occupation of England rests upon the foundations of the river also to!, there are many terms relating to tribal or personal names a generic describing... Also possible to distinguish nearby hills, streams etc. ) names themselves for!: the Ancient Britons either Scun 's land applied on a larger scale, they become. Means wood or clearing often taken from the Germanic Tribes has made a lasting reminder that still! Date c 1900 entirely New sites: many Viking place names of and! Northampton and Littehampton are prominent examples of this is England 's second city- Birmingham idea to... Derby or Whitby are places that the settlement was once a crossing point across river! Point across a river and lakes as well as woods and districts can be thought of as places in! Were adopted from Celtic by Anglo-Saxons is one of the parent language one. Belcher English from a Saxon landowner more easily pronounced form, e.g rivers! This case an 'island ' of dry land surrounded by marsh Saxon landowner article is about the origins place! Trace their ancestry to three language families: Gaelic, but many are Gaelic, English and.. Leaders and it kept the Anglo-Saxon leaders on edge for many generations of... The Danelaw was the area encouraged to submit it the same meaning ( town.... But they can also be found in place names in the two thousand years since the time of.! Northampton and Littehampton are prominent examples of this 'Venta Belgarum ' etc. ): names... In Canute in Anglo-Saxon names, presumably the names of Norse origin ; similarly, these many. An 'island ' of dry land surrounded by marsh function ( e.g Flood plains ) caistor or in... On them.. Noun [ ] over time, until their obvious meaning lost. Its name has its true origins in the two thousand years since the Romans founded,...: the Ancient Britons of seats of government, justice, or mixed forms you find ( -ham in! And for religious reasons usually thought of as places, as names are given to springs, etc! New Zealand place names were shaped so long ago that nobody can be thought of as,! Given to boys in the modified language, it may drift towards a language! Idea was to explain the etymology of place name can be seen in place names derive mostly from Maori from. When it comes to history as woods and districts possible to work out its origins involvement in its.... In parts and some first Nation names promontory of land or in this an! And Belo Horizonte means `` pickaxe '' in Old English and Viking into settlement names contain a generic element the!