Germanic

toponyms Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...

are the names given to places by

Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

and tribes. Besides areas with current speakers of Germanic languages, many regions with previous Germanic speakers or Germanic influence had or still have Germanic toponymic elements, such as places in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, Northern Portugal,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

Comparative table

In round brackets, the contemporary cognate for the toponym in the respective language is given. In the square brackets, the most frequently used name in English is given.

East Germanic

Southern France

The Goths left toponymic traces in France, particularly in the south, however towards Savoy and further north of the Alps it was the Burgundians who also spoke an East Germanic language. Charles Rostaing, ''Les Noms de lieux, presses Universitaires de France'', coll. ''que sais-je ?'', 1985 (réédition de 1945), p. 64-65-66-67 * Escatalens, Gascony, from ''Skatalo'' + ''-ing'' *

Tonneins Tonneins (; ) is a town in the Lot-et-Garonne Departments of France, department of south-western France. It stands above the river Garonne, between Marmande to the west and Agen to the east, and is the first major town below the confluence of t ...

(''Tonnencs'' 1197; ''Tonninge'' 1253), Gascony, from ''Tunno'' + ''-ing''

Spain

Iberia was mostly occupied by the

Visigothic Kingdom The Visigothic Kingdom, Visigothic Spain or Kingdom of the Goths () was a Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic people ...

from the 5th to the 8th century, in which the ruling classes spoke the East Germanic language Gothic. A limited number of Germanic-derived place-names survive in Spain. Examples include: * Berja, Andalusia, from ''berg'' ("mountain"). * Bormujos, Andalusia, from Gothic ''bormo-ios'' ("hot waters"). *

Broto Broto (in Medieval Aragonese: ''Brotto'') is a municipality in the Huesca (province), province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2018 census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the municipality has a population of 531 inhabi ...

, Aragon, from Gothic ''brud'' ("bud shoots"). *

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

, Castile and León, from Gothic ''baurgs'' ("barricade of wagos"). *

Guardo Guardo is a town and municipality situated in the Montaña Palentina region in the far north of the province of Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. As of 2023, the municipality had 5653 residents, making it the thir ...

, Castile and León, from ''wardjon'' ("watch-point"). * Lobio, Galicia, from Gothic ''lubja'' ("vine bower").

North Germanic

Denmark

Proto-Norse is documented in Denmark as far back as 400 AD. As is general in Scandinavian countries, Denmark's toponymy is characterised by uniformity, as the country did not experience language changes during the period in which the names were given; thus the languages that gave rise to the oldest names, Proto-Germanic and Proto-Nordic, are the direct precursors of the languages Old Norse and Old Danish in which the later names were coined.

Norway

The vast majority of place-names in Norway were coined in the North Germanic language Norwegian.

Republic of Ireland

Leixlip Leixlip ( or ; , ) is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border between the ancient kingdoms of Leinster and ...

, County Kildare, from Old Norse ''laxhlaupr'' ("salmon's leap"). *

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

, County Wexford, from Old Norse ''Veisafjǫrðr'' ("fjord/inlet of the mudlats").

Russia

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

itself, from Medieval Latin ''Russi'' ("the people of Russia"), ultimately from

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''roðr'' ("steering oar"). *

Vyborg Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...

, Leningrad Oblast, from Old Swedish, Old East Norse ''véborg'' ("holy fort") (cf. Viborg, Denmark).

Normandy

The

Duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple, King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a r ...

in modern-day France had its roots in the early 10th century, when the Scandinavian Viking leader Rollo became a vassal of the King of the West Franks,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and, in exchange for homage, acquired territory on the lower

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

. The area was subject to significant Scandinavian settlement. One legacy of such settlement is a body of place-names derived from the North Germanic language Old Norse. Such names include: *

Carquebut Carquebut () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Sainte-Mère-Église. * Dieppedalle, Seine-Maritime * Saint-Vaast-Dieppedalle, Seine-Maritime Both from Old Norse ''djuprdalr'' ("deep valley") (cf. Deepdale, Yorks, England). * Oudalle, Seine-Maritime, from Old Norse ''ulfr'' ("wolf") (or a personal name derived from it) + ''dalr'' ("valley") (cf. Uldale, Cumb., England).

United Kingdom

England

In the 9th and 10th centuries, some parts of Northern, Midland and Eastern England formed a part of the

Danelaw The Danelaw (, ; ; ) was the part of History of Anglo-Saxon England, England between the late ninth century and the Norman Conquest under Anglo-Saxon rule in which Danes (tribe), Danish laws applied. The Danelaw originated in the conquest and oc ...

, an area of England which formed a confederacy under the Kingdom of Denmark and was subject to Scandinavian settlement. As a result, place-names containing North Germanic elements are common in much of the former Danelaw, especially in Lancashire, Yorkshire and the East Midland counties such as Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. North Germanic toponyms are also common in neighbouring parts of Durham, and in other areas of Norse influence, such as Cumberland and the

Wirral Peninsula The Wirral Peninsula (), known locally as the Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide, and is bounded by the Dee Estuary to the west, the Mersey Estuary to the east, and Liverpo ...

in Cheshire. They are rare in the West Midlands and most of southern England. Notable examples include: *

Byker Byker is a district in the east of the City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. Home to the Byker Wall estate, made famous by TV series ''Byker Grove'', By ...

, Northumberland, from Old Norse ''bȳr-kjarr'' ("farm marsh"). *

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, Derbyshire, from Old Norse ''djúr-bȳr'' ("deer farm"). *

Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,26 ...

, Lancashire, from Old Norse ''geirr-stǫng'' ("spear post"). * Gartree, Northamptonshire, from Old Norse ''geiri-tré'' ("tree on a triangual piece of land"). * Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire * Kirby Cane, Norfolk * Kirby-le-Soken, Essex *

Monks Kirby Monks Kirby is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north-eastern Warwickshire, England. The population of the parish is 445. Monks Kirby is located around one mile east of the Fosse Way, around 8 miles north-west of Rugby, ...

, Warwickshire All from Old Norse ''kirkju-bȳr'' ("church farm"). *

Kirkby-in-Ashfield Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a market town in the Ashfield District of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of 25,265 (according to the 2001 National Census), it is a part of the wider Mansfield Urban Area. Kirkby-in-Ashfield lies on the ea ...

, Nottinghamshire * Kirkby Stephen, Westmorland *

Kirkby Thore Kirkby Thore is a small village and civil parish in Cumbria, England (), in the historic county of Westmorland. It is close to the Lake District national park and the Cumbrian Pennines. It includes the areas of Bridge End, in the southwest by ...

, Westmorland As with the "Kirby" group, all from ''kirkju-bȳr'' ("church farm"). * Leagram, Lancashire, from Old Norse ''leið-gríma'' ("trail blaze"). * Leake, Nottinghamshire, from Old Norse ''lœ´kr'' ("brook"). *

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

, Suffolk, from Old Norse ''Hlothvers-toft'' ("Hlothver's plot"). * Sadberge, County Durham, from Old Norse ''setberg'' ("flat-topped hill"). *

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

, Yorkshire, from Old Norse ''Skarthiborg'' ("Skarthi's fort"). *

Scole Scole () is a village on the Norfolk–Suffolk border in England. It is 19 miles south of Norwich and lay on the old Roman road to Venta Icenorum, which was the main road until it was bypassed with a dual carriageway. It covers an area of and ...

, Norfolk, from Old Norse ''skáli'' ("shielings"). *

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town in Lincolnshire, England, and the county's third most populous settlement after Lincoln, England, Lincoln and Grimsby, with a population of 81,286 in 2021. It is the administrative centre and largest settleme ...

, Lincolnshire, from Old Norse ''Skuma-þorp'' ("Skuma's outlying settlement"). * St Agnes, Cornwall, from ''hagi-nes'' ("pasture headland"). * Swinscoe, Staffordshire, from Old Norse ''svín-skógr'' ("swine wood"). *

Swithland Swithland is a linear village in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. The civil parish population was put at 230 in 2004 and 217 in the 2011 census. It is in the old Charnwood Forest, between Cropston, Woodhous ...

, Leicestershire, from Old Norse ''sviðinn-lundr'' ("grove cleared by burning"). *

Thingwall Thingwall is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England. The village is situated approximately to the south west of Birkenhead and north east of Heswall. Historically part of Cheshire, the area is within the Pensby and Thingw ...

, Cheshire, from Old Norse ''þing-vǫllr'' ("assembly field"). * Ulleskelf, Yorkshire, from Old Norse ''Ulfr-skelf'' ("Ulfr's shelf"). *

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

, Rutland, from Old Norse ''vengi''. * Witherslack, Westmorland, from Old Norse ''víðir-slakki'' ("wither (shallow) valley"). * Wreay, Cumberland, from Old Norse ''vrá'' ("nook").

Scotland

Place-names derived from the North Germanic language Old Norse have been established in Scotland since around the 9th century. There is a plurality of such names in Orkney and Shetland as these remained a part of the Kingdom of Norway until the 15th century, and the Norse daughter language Norn remained in use there until c. 1850. Norse toponyms are also frequent in the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

, the

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...

and south-west Scotland, but are uncommon in most other regions. Norse place-names in Scotland include: * Canonbie, Dumfriesshire, from Old Norse ''byr'' ("farm, village"). *

Humbie Humbie is a hamlet and rural parish in East Lothian, Scotland lying in south-east of the county, approximately south-west of Haddington and south-east of Edinburgh. Humbie as it is known today was formed as the result of the union between Kei ...

, East Lothian, from Old Norse ''Hunda-byr'' ("Hunda's farm"). *

Knoydart Knoydart () is a peninsula in Lochaber, Highland, on the west coast of Scotland. Knoydart is sandwiched between Lochs Nevis and Hourn — often translated as "Loch Heaven" (from the Gaelic ''Loch Néimh'') and "Loch Hell" (Gaelic: ''Loch ...

, Inverness-shire, from Old Norse ''Knútafjörðr'' ("Knut's fjord"). * Laxford, Sutherland, from Old Norse ''laxafjörðr'' ("salmon fjord"). * Lynedale, Inverness-shire (Skye), from Old Norse ''lín-dalr'' ("flax valley"). * Monkstadt, Inverness-shire (Skye), from Old Norse ''munkastaðr'' ("monk place"). * Moorfoot, Midlothian, from Old Norse ''mór'' ("moor") + ''þveit'' ("clearing"). *

Sorbie Sorbie () is a small village in Wigtownshire, Machars, within the administration area of Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scotland. It is located midway between Wigtown and Whithorn on the A714 road. Farming forms the principal local industry in ...

, Wigtownshire, from ''saur'' ("mud") + ''býr'' ("farm, village").

Wales

Fishguard Fishguard (, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,400 (rounded to the nearest 100) as of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. Modern Fishguard consists of two parts, Lowe ...

, Pembrokshire, from Old Norse ''fiskr-gardr'' ("fish yard"). *

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...

, Pembrokeshire, from Old Norse ''melrfjordr'' ("sand-band fjord/inlet") (+ ''haven''). *

Skokholm Skokholm () or Skokholm Island is an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, south of the neighbouring island of Skomer. The surrounding waters are a marine reserve and all are part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Both island ...

, Pembrokeshire, from Old Norse ''stokkr-holmr'' ("island of the sound"). *

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, Glamorgan, from Old Norse ''Sveinnsey'' ("Svienn's island").

West Germanic

France

France originates with the kingdom

Francia The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest History of the Roman Empire, post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks, Frankish Merovingian dynasty, Merovingi ...

of the 5th-9th centuries, which was established by the Germanic Franks. Some place-names in France originate in the Franks' West Germanic language Frankish (and the descendants of that language, Dutch and

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

), and in other West Germanic languages. * Achiet, from Germanic ''askit-'' ("ash-tree") (cf.

Askwith Askwith is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, with a population of 220 (2001 census), increasing to 240 at the 2011 Census. The village is located in Wharfedale, and is close to the border of West Yorkshire. Nearby towns a ...

). * Audresselles, from Germanic ''sele'' ("dwelling"). * Bécourt, from Germanic ''bōku'' ("beech") + ''hultą'' ("wood"). * Broxeele, from ''broec-sele'' ("marsh dwelling") (cf.

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

). *

Guerquesalles Guerquesalles () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. Geography The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets, Malvoue and Guerquesalles. The commune has two rivers running through it the ...

, from Germanic ''sele'' ("dwelling"). * Houllefort, from Germanic ''hohlfurt'' ("hollow ford"). *

Rœux Rœux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all ...

, from Germanic ''ruti'' ("clearing"). * Volckerinckhove, from ''Folkharding'' ("land of Folkhard") + ''hof'' ("farm").Jean-Marie Cassagne, Mariola Korsak, "Origine des noms de villes et villages Nord, Editions Bordessoules * Warhem, from (Germanic personal name +) Frankish ''heim'' ("home"). * Warneton, from Germanic ''Warinas-tuna'' ("Warin's farm"). There are some place-names with

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

etymologies in France (Normandy and Boulonnais), including: * Vannecrocq, Eure, Old English ''croft'' ("piece of land"). * Vicques, Calvados (''Wikes'' 1198; ''Wiches'', undated) similar to Wix (Essex, ''Wikes'' in 1191; ''Wiches'' 1198) from Saxon or Old English ''wic'' "settlement, village", p. 376 - 345. or "dairy farm". *place-names in ''-vieu(x)'' in Bessin, Normandy : ** Sommervieu (''Summerveium'') "summer wic" *place-names in ''-ham'' : **

Ouistreham Ouistreham () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France. Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders t ...

(Bessin, ''Ostrehan'' 1066-1083, ''Oistreham'' 1082) similar to

Westerham Westerham is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east of Oxted and 6 miles west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with both Greater London and Surrey. I ...

(Kent, ''Westarham'' 871 - 889, ''Oistreham'' 1086)

Galicia, northern Portugal, western Asturias

The

Suevi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...

spoke a West Germanic language: an

Elbe Germanic Elbe Germanic, also called Irminonic or Erminonic, is a proposed subgrouping of West Germanic languages introduced by the German linguist Friedrich Maurer (1898–1984) in his book, ''Nordgermanen und Alemanen'', to describe the West Germanic d ...

or a Weser–Rhine Germanic language. They left some toponyms and male personal names included or not in the Romance toponyms. * Calvos de Randín to ''Randini'', genitive of ''Randinus'' *

Gomesende Gomesende is a municipality in the province of Pontevedra, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and s ...

to ''Gumesindi'', genitive of ''Gumesindus'' * Rairiz de Veiga to ''Ragerici'', genitive of ''Ragericus''

Germany

Most place-names in Germany are derived from the West Germanic language German.

Italy

Northern Italy was settled in the 6th century AD by the Lombards, whose West Germanic language Lombardic was used in the region until around the 11th century AD. Some places in Italy have names of Lombardic origin, including: *

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

, Lombardy, from Germanic ''bergheim'' ("mountain home"). *

Valperga Valperga is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin, in the Canavese historical region. It is home to the Sacro Monte of Belmonte, a site of pilgrimage and wors ...

, Pietmont, from Lombardic ''berga'' ("mountain"). *

United Kingdom

England

The overwhelming majority of place-names in most parts of England are derived, at least in their present form, from the West Germanic language

, after that language became established in Britain during the Anglo-Saxon period (410–1066). For common Old English place-naming elements see the generic forms in place names in the British Isles. Some prominent place-names with common Old English naming suffixes are: *

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, from Old English ''Beorma-ingahām'' ("home of Beorma"). *

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, Yorkshire, from Old English ''brad-ford'' ("broad ford"). *

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, from Old English ''Bryċġ-stōw'' ("bridge place"). *

Heanor Heanor (/ˈhiːnə/) is a town in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. It lies north-east of Derby and forms, with the adjacent village of Loscoe, the civil parishes in England, civil parish and town council-administered area of He ...

, Derbyshire, from Old English ''heah-ofer'' ("high ridge") (cf.

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, Germany). *

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

, County Durham, from Old English ''sundor-land'' ("separate land"). *

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

, Warwickshire, from Old English ''Wær-ing-wic'' ("dwelling of the weir").

Scotland

Many place-names in parts of Scotland are derived from Old English or its descendant languages such as Scots. This is particularly the case in the south-eastern counties of Scotland such as Berwickshire, East Lothian and Roxburghshire, which were part of the Anglian kingdom of

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

at its height in the early 8th century. Prominent examples include: *

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Midlothian, from Old English ''*Edynburg'', with ''burg'' ("fort, stronghold"), a

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...

on the Cumbric name ''

Din Eidyn Eidyn was the region around modern Edinburgh in sub-Roman and early medieval Britain, approximately during the 5th–7th centuries. It centred on the stronghold of Din Eidyn, thought to have been at Castle Rock, now the site of Edinburgh Cast ...

''. * Gretna, Dumfriesshire, from Old English ''grēoten-hōh'' ("gravelly hill"). *

Prestwick Prestwick () is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, and the small vi ...

, Ayrshire, from Old English ''preostwic'' ("priest's dwelling"). *

Wigtown Wigtown ( (both used locally); ) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. It is known as "Scotl ...

, Wigtownshire, from Old English ''wigcton'' ("Wigca's farm"). Furthermore, there are a few place-names in Scotland derived from continental Germanic languages such as Dutch and German, mainly from the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

(16th-19th century): *

Friockheim Friockheim (pronounced like "frickum",) is a village in Angus, Scotland dating from 1814. It lies between the towns of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose, Angus, Montrose. History The name 'Friockheim', literally translated, means 'Heather ...

, Angus, German ''heim'' added to an existing place-name. * John O'Groats, Sutherland, from the Dutch personal name ''Jan De Groot'' ("John the large").

Wales

Place-names in Wales are overwhelmingly derived from the Celtic language Welsh or its predecessors, but a small number are of Old English origin. Examples include: * Buckley, Flintshire, from Old English ''buccleah'' ("wood/clearing of the bucks"). *

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest ( , ; ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a Community (Wales), community consisting of 12,042 people, making it the secon ...

, Pembrokeshire, from Old English ''heahfore-ford'' ("heifer ford") (+ ''west'' added later). *

Prestatyn Prestatyn (; ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085. Origin of name The name Prestatyn d ...

, Denbighshire, from Old English ''preost-tūn'' ("homestead of the priest").

References

{{reflist Place name etymologies

Toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper na ...

Comparative table

East Germanic

Southern France

Spain

North Germanic

Denmark

Norway

Republic of Ireland

Russia

Normandy

United Kingdom

England

Scotland

Wales

West Germanic

France

Galicia, northern Portugal, western Asturias

Germany

Italy

United Kingdom

England

Scotland

Wales

See also

References