Place name origins

This article or section should be merged with List of generic forms in British place names.

While modern names of towns and cities generally remain the same they have often evolved from the names of the civilisation that created the settlement.

A wide variation of names can be seen in countries that have seen numerous settlers and invaders. The United Kingdom is a good example, with place names having their origins from the Roman Empire, Saxons, Celts and Vikings.

Place name origins by country

United Kingdom

The names of villages, towns and cities in the UK date back to the Roman invasion of Britain but have also had many other conquering nations leave their mark on the names (amongst other things) of settlements. Up until around the 14th century place names were mainly influenced by the environment of the area – a hill or the bend in a river, for example. Some names were made by the combination of words across the different civilisations. Many places derive part of their name from the river next to which they were built – Cambridge, for example, was a bridge over the River Cam.

Celtic origins

From 800 BC the Celtic names were dominant around the British Isles. Over time the names, along with the Celts, were pushed back into Ireland, Scotland and Wales, where these names are still very common.

• Aber, afon, avon, esk, eye, dee – a river, river bank or river mouth
• Allt, bre, drum, don, pen, bryn – a hill or hillside
• Caer, castell, plas – a castle, fortress or palace
• Capel, llan – a chapel or church
• Coed – a wood or forest
• Cwm – a valley
• Dinas, Ter – a city, town or village
• Llyn – a lake
• Mynydd – a mountain
• Pant – a hollow
• Pont, bont – a bridge
• Porth – a harbour
• Treath – a beach
• Ynys – an island

Roman origins

Parts of names used until the Roman Empire withdrew from the British Isles until the 5th century.

• Caster, cester, chester, caester – a fort or camp
• Fos, foss – a ditch
• Port – a harbour or gate

Saxon origins

Names taken from the Saxons up until around the 11th century.

• Bourne, burn, delph – a stream
• Burg – a large village
• Croft, worthy – a small enclosure
• Eg, ey, ea, eig – an island
• Ham – a village
• Hurst, ley, lea, riding – a clearing
• Ing – people
• Mere – a pool
• Moss – a swamp
• Stoc – a summer pasture
• Stoke – a secondary settlement
• Stow – a holy place
• Ton, tun, wic, wike – a house, farm or group of huts
• Weald – high woodland
• Worth, worthy – fenced or enclosed area

Viking origins

Names taken from the Vikings up until around the 12th century.

• Akr – acre
• Beck, kelda, slack – a stream
• Booth – a summer pasture
• By – a farm or village
• Ey, holm – an island
• Fell, how – a hill
• Fiskr – fish
• Gardr – a landing place
• Garth – an enclosure
• Gate – a road
• Gill – a valley
• Hus, toft – a house
• Ings – a marsh or meadow
• Kald – cold
• Kirk – a church
• Laithe – a barn
• Lund – a grove
• Melr – a sandbank
• Orme – a serpent
• Pollr – a pool
• Sker, stan – a rock
• Stakkr – a rock in the sea
• Stokkr – sound
• Tarn – a lake
• Thorp – a secondary settlement
• Thwaite – a clearing in a forest
• Wray – a remote place

United States

Place names in the United States are often taken from those in the UK and other European countries that colonised the land. One of the first settlements was the Plymouth colony.