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Most English place-names are either Anglo-Saxon or Old Norse in origin but Celtic names are to be found over the whole country, most notably in Cornwall (see below) and counties bordering Wales. Other place-names are hybrids of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon elements.
Because of Roman dominance throughout Europe, many place names were altered or completely changed once Roman rule began, yet in some places such as Amiens and Rheims in France the names from pre-Roman times have survived, offering clues about the prehistoric Gaulish tribes that inhabited the area.
In this article, we’ll give you a brief history of how English places got their names and highlight the origins of some of our favourites.
The stories behind some of the UK's street names. Why is it a Royal Mile - and why aren't the Welsh Streets in Wales?
5 days ago · These fundamental principles of place name etymology are most clearly illustrated by the names which now have identical forms but which prove to have quite distinct origins: for example, the English name Broughton (found also in Wales) occurs several times but has no less than three different origins (‘brook farmstead’, ‘hill farmstead ...
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. Toponymy divides place-names into two broad categories: habitation names and feature names. A habitation name ...
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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.