Toponymy of England - Toponymy By Region

Toponymy By Region

Most English place names are Old English. Personal names often appear within the place names, presumably the names of landowners at the time of naming. In the north and east, there are many place names of Norse origin; similarly, these contain many personal names. In general, the Old English and Norse place names tend to be rather mundane in origin, the most common types being or ; most names ending in wich, ton, ham, by, thorpe, stoke/stock are of these types.

In Cumbria there remain a number of place names from Cumbric, the former Brythonic language of this region, examples including Carlisle, Helvellyn and Blencathra.

Further information: Cumbrian placename etymology

Most old Roman settlements, whether actually inhabited or not, were given the title of chester/caster in Old English (from the Latin castrum, for 'camp'); the specific names for each may only have little relation to the Roman names (e.g. modern Chester was actually called Deva by the Romans). Modern Winchester was 'Venta Belgarum', the 'Win-' element deriving from 'Venta' in a similar way to the names Caerwent and Gwent from Venta Silurum in south Wales.

In Cornwall most place names, especially in western areas, are Cornish in origin; e.g. Penzance (Holy Head). Cornish being a Brythonic language, such names show some similarity to Welsh and Breton. In Eastern Cornwall the placenames show a stronger English influence.

In Northern England, particularly Yorkshire, names record significant Scandinavian influence. For example, the names Howe and Greenhow (both in North Yorkshire) reflect the Old Norse word haugr meaning a hill or mound.