List of generic forms in British place names

List of generic forms in British place names

The study of place names is called toponymy; for a more detailed examination of this subject relative to British place names please refer to British toponymy.

This list gives a number of common generic forms found in British place names. It is not uncommon to find a number of these in combinative compounds. An interesting example of place naming is Torpenhow Hill, in Cumbria; the name seems to have grown by waves of new inhabitants using the name given by the previous occupants, and adding to it: the three syllables, tor, pen, how, each mean "hill" in a different language. Moreover, there are a number of ambiguities, corruptions in spelling over the year, changes in meaning, etc. to further complicate the issue.

In places where the Danelaw prevailed and there is uncertainty over the origin of a place name, it is common sense to prefer the Viking meaning to the Anglo-Saxon, often, however, the two are coterminous. Taking Askrigg[?] in Yorkshire, for example, "a place where ash trees grew", while the spelling of asc is indubitably Nordic, had the place been further south it could easily have represented a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon ash.

Unlike e.g. Anglo-Saxon place names, Cornish place names are resolved in reverse order, e.g. Tregonebris is Tre + Conebris i.e. "the settlement of Cunebris"

The terms Old English language and Anglo-Saxon language are fundamentally equivalent in meaning and represent the hybrid Germanic non-Celtic, non-Nordic, language between the Roman abandonment of Britain, and up to about 100 years after the Norman invasion in 1066.

Key to languages: L - Latin/Roman OE - Old English V - Viking/Norse K - Cornish W - Welsh SG - Scots Gaelic P - Pictish

British Place Names
Term Origin Meaning Example Position Comments

aber W,P,K mouth of (a river), confluence, a meeting of waters Aberystwyth, Aberdyfi, Aberdeen prefix

ac, acc OE acorn alt. association with oak Accrington, Acomb[?]

afon W,SG,K river Aberafon[?] afon is pronounced "AA von". A number of UK rivers are named "Avon"

ay (also ey) V island Ramsay, Lundy, Orkney Islands suffix (usually)

axe, exe OE from isca, meaning water Exeter, River Axe, River Exe[?], River Usk, Axminster,Axmouth[?], etc

beck V stream Holbeck[?], Beckinsale[?], Costa Beck[?], Cod Beck[?]

Bex OE box[?], the tree Bexley, Kent[?] Bexhill-on-Sea (the OE name of Bexhill-on-Sea was Bexelei, a glade where box grew.

bourne OE brook, stream Bournemouth, Sittingbourne[?]

bre OE hill Bredon[?] prefix

by V settlement, village Grimsby suffix

carden P thicket Kincardine[?], Cardenden[?] suffix

caster, cester, caer L camp, fortification Lancaster, Doncaster, Gloucester, Caister, Caerdydd, Caerleon suffix Also can be corrupted e.g. Exeter, Uttoxeter

Chipping, Cheap- OE Market Chipping Norton[?], Chipping Campden[?], Chippenham Also as part of a street name eg Cheapside

cwm w valley Cwmbran prefix

King OE Cyning King, tribal leader King's Norton[?], Kingston, Kingston Bagpuize[?]

deanas OE valley Croydon, Dean Village suffix The geography is often the only indicator as to the original root word (cf. don, a hill)

don OE hill Bredon[?] suffix

fax OE, V fair, pale Halifax

Fin P Hill (?) Findochty[?] prefix Possibly related to Pen

glen SG Valley Rutherglen

ham OE settlement, town Oldham suffix Often confused by hamm, an enclosure

hurst OE wooded hill Dewhurst[?]

ing OE: ingas descendants or followers of Reading i.e. the subjects of Reada[?] suffix sometimes survives in its plural form e.g. Hastings

Inver SG mouth of (a river), confluence, a meeting of waters Inverness prefix

Kin SG Head Kincardine[?] prefix

Lan, Lhan, Llan K, P, W church, church-site Llanteglos, Cornwall[?], Lhanbryde, Moray[?] Llanfair PG prefix

Law OE from hlaw, a rounded hill Charlaw[?] Warden Law[?] (usually) standalone often a hill with a barrow[?] or hillocks on its summit

lea, ley OE derived from leah, a woodland clearing Wembley (usually) suffix

Mon P ? Moniave[?] prefix

nan, nans K valley Nancledra, Cornwall[?] prefix

nant W stream Nantgarw prefix

pen K, OE hill Penzance, Cornwall prefix

pit P farm Pitlochry, Perthshire[?] prefix

pol K pool or lake Polperro, Cornwall[?] prefix

pont L, K, W bridge Pontypridd prefix Can also be found in its unmutated form "bont", e.g Pen-Y-Bont (Bridgend); originally from Latin pons

shaw V a wood; is a corruption of howe (cf.) Penshaw[?] Standalone or suffix

Stoke OE stoc Dependent farmstead, settlement Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke Damerell[?] (Usually) standalone

Strath P Valley Strathmore, Angus[?] prefix

thorp, thorpe V village, settlement Cleethorpes, Thorpeness[?]

thwaite V thveit a forest clearing with a dwelling Huthwaite[?] suffix

tre K settlement Trevose Head[?] prefix

tun, ton OE: tun enclosure, farmstead, manor, estate Tunstead[?], Tonbridge[?] i.e. the bridge of the estate; Charlton[?] (AS: ceorla-tun, "farmstead of the churls")

**British Place Names**
Term	Origin	Meaning	Example	Position	Comments
aber	W,P,K	mouth of (a river), confluence, a meeting of waters	Aberystwyth, Aberdyfi, Aberdeen	prefix
ac, acc	OE	acorn alt. association with oak	Accrington, Acomb[?]
afon	W,SG,K	river	Aberafon[?]		afon is pronounced "AA von". A number of UK rivers are named "Avon"
ay (also ey)	V	island	Ramsay, Lundy, Orkney Islands	suffix (usually)
axe, exe	OE	from isca, meaning water	Exeter, River Axe, River Exe[?], River Usk, Axminster,Axmouth[?], etc
beck	V	stream	Holbeck[?], Beckinsale[?], Costa Beck[?], Cod Beck[?]
Bex	OE	box[?], the tree	Bexley, Kent[?] Bexhill-on-Sea (the OE name of Bexhill-on-Sea was Bexelei, a glade where box grew.
bourne	OE	brook, stream	Bournemouth, Sittingbourne[?]
bre	OE	hill	Bredon[?]	prefix
by	V	settlement, village	Grimsby	suffix
carden	P	thicket	Kincardine[?], Cardenden[?]	suffix
caster, cester, caer	L	camp, fortification	Lancaster, Doncaster, Gloucester, Caister, Caerdydd, Caerleon	suffix	Also can be corrupted e.g. Exeter, Uttoxeter
Chipping, Cheap-	OE	Market	Chipping Norton[?], Chipping Campden[?], Chippenham		Also as part of a street name eg Cheapside
cwm	w	valley	Cwmbran	prefix
King	OE Cyning	King, tribal leader	King's Norton[?], Kingston, Kingston Bagpuize[?]
deanas	OE	valley	Croydon, Dean Village	suffix	The geography is often the only indicator as to the original root word (cf. don, a hill)
don	OE	hill	Bredon[?]	suffix
fax	OE, V	fair, pale	Halifax
Fin	P	Hill (?)	Findochty[?]	prefix	Possibly related to Pen
glen	SG	Valley	Rutherglen
ham	OE	settlement, town	Oldham	suffix	Often confused by hamm, an enclosure
hurst	OE	wooded hill	Dewhurst[?]
ing	OE: ingas	descendants or followers of	Reading i.e. the subjects of Reada[?]	suffix	sometimes survives in its plural form e.g. Hastings
Inver	SG	mouth of (a river), confluence, a meeting of waters	Inverness	prefix
Kin	SG	Head	Kincardine[?]	prefix
Lan, Lhan, Llan	K, P, W	church, church-site	Llanteglos, Cornwall[?], Lhanbryde, Moray[?] Llanfair PG	prefix
Law	OE	from hlaw, a rounded hill	Charlaw[?] Warden Law[?]	(usually) standalone	often a hill with a barrow[?] or hillocks on its summit
lea, ley	OE	derived from leah, a woodland clearing	Wembley	(usually) suffix
Mon	P	?	Moniave[?]	prefix
nan, nans	K	valley	Nancledra, Cornwall[?]	prefix
nant	W	stream	Nantgarw	prefix
pen	K, OE	hill	Penzance, Cornwall	prefix
pit	P	farm	Pitlochry, Perthshire[?]	prefix
pol	K	pool or lake	Polperro, Cornwall[?]	prefix
pont	L, K, W	bridge	Pontypridd	prefix	Can also be found in its unmutated form "bont", e.g Pen-Y-Bont (Bridgend); originally from Latin pons
shaw	V	a wood; is a corruption of howe (cf.)	Penshaw[?]	Standalone or suffix
Stoke	OE stoc	Dependent farmstead, settlement	Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke Damerell[?]	(Usually) standalone
Strath	P	Valley	Strathmore, Angus[?]	prefix
thorp, thorpe	V	village, settlement	Cleethorpes, Thorpeness[?]
thwaite	V thveit	a forest clearing with a dwelling	Huthwaite[?]	suffix
tre	K	settlement	Trevose Head[?]	prefix
tun, ton	OE: tun	enclosure, farmstead, manor, estate	Tunstead[?], Tonbridge[?] i.e. the bridge of the estate; Charlton[?] (AS: ceorla-tun, "farmstead of the churls")

External links and references

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/institutes/sassi/spns/index.htm - The Scottish Place-Name Society