Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom is a list of the origins of the names of counties of the United Kingdom. For England and Wales it includes ancient and contemporary counties.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Throughout the histories of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom a variety of languages have been used to name places. These languages were often used in parallel with each other. As a result it is often difficult to assess the genuine etymology of a placename, hence some of the entries below are assigned more than one meaning, depending on which language was used to originally give the place its name.
One of the most common words used in county names in the United Kingdom is the suffix shire. This is an Anglic word meaning administrative district.
[edit] England
| County name | Language of origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Avon | Brythonic | After the River Avon (Avon is a Brythonic word meaning river) |
| Bedfordshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Bedford: Bieda's ford |
| Berkshire | Brythonic | Hilly place (+ shire) |
| Buckinghamshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Buckingham: Bucca's home |
| Cambridgeshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Cambridge: Bridge on the River Cam (Cam is a derivation of Granta, of uncertain meaning). The city was previously known as Grantbridge, meaning Bridge on the River Granta though the county has always been known as Cambridgeshire. |
| Cheshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Chester: From the Old English ceaster meaning Roman town or city. This itself stems from the Latin word for a fortress. The city's former name Legacæstir (circa 8th century) means literally 'City of the legions'. |
| Cleveland | Anglo Saxon | Cliff land |
| Cornwall | compound of Brythonic and Anglo-Saxon | (Territory of) Brythons of the Cornovii Tribe (Cornovii is a Brythonic word meaning people of the peninsula) |
| Cumberland | Anglo Saxon | Region of the Cumbrian Brythons |
| Cumbria | Welsh | Territory of the Cymry (Cymry was the Brythonic word to describe Brythons, similar to 'Cymru' (Wales)) |
| Derbyshire | Old Norse | Shire of Derby: Animal village |
| Devon | Brythonic | Territory of the Dumnonii (The Celtic tribal name Dumnonii is of unknown origin) |
| Dorset | Anglo Saxon | Settlement of Dorchester: Roman town at Durnovaria (Durnovaria is a Brythonic name meaning place with fist-sized pebbles) |
| County Durham | Old Norse | from Dunholme: Island with a hill |
| Essex | Anglo Saxon | Eastern Saxons |
| Gloucestershire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Gloucester: Roman town called Glevum (Glevum is a Brythonic name meaning bright place) |
| Hampshire | Anglo Saxon | Formerly known as 'Southamptonshire', meaning is 'shire of Southampton': Southern town of Hamo (Hamo refers to a 5th century Saxon invader and settler) |
| Hereford and Worcester | English | Combination of Herefordshire and Worcestershire |
| Herefordshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Hereford: Ford suitable for the passage of an army |
| Hertfordshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Hertford: Ford frequented by harts or stags |
| Humberside | English | Beside the River Humber (Humber is a Brythonic word and is of unknown origin) |
| Huntingdonshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Huntingdon: Hunta's hill |
| Isle of Wight | Compound of English and Brythonic | Island at the place of division. More likely to be Old British "eight-sided", cf Modern Welsh wyth - eight. |
| Kent | Brythonic | (Land of the) Cantii or Cantiaci: a Celtic tribal name possibly meaning white, bright |
| Lancashire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Lancaster: Roman fort on the River Lune (Lune is a Brythonic word meaning pure) |
| Leicestershire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Leicester: Roman town of the people called Ligore (Ligore is a Celtic tribal name of unknown origin) |
| Lincolnshire | Compound of Brythonic and Latin | Shire of Lincoln: Roman colony by the pool |
| Greater Manchester | Compound of English, Brythonic and Latin | Greater county of Manchester: Roman town at Mamm (Mamm was the Brythonic name for Manchester and means breast-like hill) |
| Merseyside | English | Beside the River Mersey (Mersey is an Anglo Saxon word meaning boundary river) |
| Middlesex | Anglo Saxon | (Place of) the Middle Saxons |
| Norfolk | Anglo Saxon | Northern people |
| Northamptonshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Northampton: Northern home farm |
| Northumberland | Anglo Saxon | Territory of those living north of the River Humber (Humber is a Brythonic word of unknown origin) |
| Nottinghamshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Nottingham: Snot's home |
| Oxfordshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Oxford: Ford used by Oxen |
| Rutland | Anglo Saxon | Rota's territory |
| Shropshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Shrewsbury: Fortified place near scrubland |
| Somerset | Anglo Saxon | Settlers around Somerton: Farm used in the summer |
| Staffordshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Stafford: Ford by a landing place |
| Suffolk | Anglo Saxon | Southern people |
| Surrey | Anglo Saxon | Southern district. |
| Sussex | Anglo Saxon | South Saxons |
| Tyne and Wear | English | Area between the River Tyne and River Wear (Tyne is an alternative Brythonic word for river, Wear is a Brythonic word meaning water) |
| Warwickshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Warwick: Dwellings by the weir |
| West Midlands | English | West middle lands |
| Westmorland | Anglo Saxon | District west of the moors |
| Wiltshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Wilton: Farm where willow trees grow |
| Worcestershire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Worcester: Roman town of the Weogora tribe (Weogora is a Brythonic name meaning from the winding river) |
| Yorkshire | Compound of Brythonic and Old Norse | Shire of York: Originally Brythonic meaning yew tree, which was misunderstood by the English and Vikings to mean boar settlement. They subsequently named it Jorvik meaning Boar Estuary. |
[edit] Scotland
| County name | Language of origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire | Pictish | Shire of Aberdeen: Mouth of the River Don (Don refers to the Celtic goddess Devona) |
| Angus | Pictish | Oengus (8th century king of the Picts) |
| Argyll | Gaelic | Earra-Ghaidheal - Coastland of the Gaels |
| Ayrshire | Gaelic | Shire of Ayr: Inbhir Àir - "The mouth of the (River) Ayr". Ayrshire is Siorrachd Inbhir Àir. |
| Banffshire | Gaelic | Shire of Banff: Possibly "piglet", though likely from Banba - a name for Ireland. |
| Berwickshire | Anglic | Shire of Berwick: Barley farm |
| Bute | Gaelic | Likely from bót - fire |
| Caithness | Old Norse | Cat headland, from the tribal name of those who inhabited the area. The Gaelic name for Caithness is Gallaibh, meaning "territory of the foreigners" ie the Norse who extensively settled the area. |
| Clackmannanshire | Brythonic | Shire of Clackmannan: "The stone of Manau", a district of the Brythonic people of the Forth area. |
| Cromartyshire | Gaelic | Shire of Cromarty: Chrombaigh - crooked bay |
| Dumfriesshire | Gaelic | Shire of Dumfries: Uncertain - perhaps Fort of the Frisians (Frisian is of uncertain origin but is thought to mean curly, as in curly hair) or Dun-phris (fort of the thicket), or Druim Phris (ridge of the thicket). |
| Dunbartonshire | Anglic | (Formerly spelled 'Dumbartonshire') Shire of Dumbarton: Dunbar's town (after Hugh Dunbar), or Dùn Breatainn (fort of the Brythons). |
| East Lothian | Brythonic | (Place of) Leudonus |
| Fife | Pictish | (Place of) Fib of the Picts |
| Inverness-shire | Gaelic | Shire of Inverness: Mouth of the River Nis. Nis is Gaelic, but the original (ancient) meaning of the river name is elusive. It is unrelated to the common suffix ~ness, found all over Scotland. |
| Kinross-shire | Gaelic | Shire of Kinross: Cinn Rois - head of the wood (or possibly promontory) |
| Kirkcudbrightshire | Gaelic | Stewartry of Kirkcudbright: Cill Chuithbeirt - Church of Saint Cuthbert. |
| Lanarkshire | Brythonic | Shire of Lanark: (Place in the) glade |
| Midlothian | Brythonic | (Place of) Leudonus |
| Moray | Brythonic | Moray: Sea settlement |
| Nairnshire | Brythonic | Shire of Nairn: Penetrating (river) |
| Orkney | Old Norse | Islands of the Orkos (Orkos is suggested to have come from a Gaelic tribal name meaning boar) |
| Peeblesshire | Brythonic | Shire of Peebles: Uncertain - possibly pebyll, "pavillions". |
| Perthshire | Pictish | Shire of Perth: (Place by a) thicket |
| Renfrewshire | Brythonic | Shire of Renfrew: Rinn Friù - point of the current |
| Ross | Gaelic | Rois - either "forest" or "headland". |
| Roxburghshire | Anglic | Shire of Roxburgh: Hroc's fortress |
| Selkirkshire | Anglic | Shire of Selkirk: Church by a hall |
| Shetland | Old Norse | Sealtainn in Gaelic. Origin disputed, but may refer to a personal name (Zet's land) or be an Anglicisation of the Old Norse Hjältland. The old Gaelic name for the islands was Innse Cat, "islands of the Cat people": the same people that Caithness is named after. |
| Stirlingshire | Not known | Shire of Stirling: Sruighlea in Gaelic. Origin uncertain. Folk Etymology has it as ""dwelling place of Melyn". |
| Sutherland | Old Norse | Southern territory. The Gaelic name for the region is Cataibh, which refers to the same tribe that Caithness takes its name from. |
| West Lothian | Brythonic | (Place of) Leudonus |
| Wigtownshire | Anglic | Shire of Wigtown: Dwelling place. In Gaelic, it's Baile na h-Ùige, "town on the bay". |
[edit] Wales
| County name | Language of origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Anglesey | Old Norse | Ongull's Island |
| Brecknockshire | Welsh | Brycheiniog + shire : Brychan's territory |
| Caernarfonshire | Welsh | Shire of Caernarfon: Fort opposite Fôn (Môn is the Welsh name for Anglesey, fon is its lenited form, used here after a preposition) |
| Cardiganshire | Welsh | Ceredigion+shire (Cardigan town is a back-formation) : Ceredig's territory |
| Carmarthenshire | Welsh | Shire of Carmarthen: Fort at Maridunum (the Roman place name Maridunum means fort by the sea) |
| Clwyd | Welsh | from the River Clwyd (the river name means hurdle) |
| Denbighshire | Welsh | Shire of Denbigh: Little fortress |
| Dyfed | Welsh | (District of the) Demetae (Demetae is of unknown origin but describes the pre-Roman settlers of the area) |
| Flintshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Flint: (Place of) hard rock |
| Glamorgan | Welsh | Morgan's shore |
| Gwent | Welsh | Trading place |
| Gwynedd | Welsh | After Cunedda. The Roman name for this district was Venedotia, seemingly cognate with Gwynedd, thus preceding Cunedda. More likely to be "the place of white-topped mountains". |
| Merionethshire | Welsh | Meirionnydd+shire : (Place of) Meirion |
| Monmouthshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Monmouth: Mouth of the River Monnow (Monnow is a Brythonic word meaning fast flowing) |
| Montgomeryshire | Norman | Shire of Roger de Montgomery |
| Pembrokeshire | Welsh | Shire of Pembroke: Land at the end |
| Powys | Compound of Latin and Welsh | Provincial place |
| Radnorshire | Anglo Saxon | Shire of Radnor: Red bank |
[edit] Northern Ireland
| County name | Language of origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Antrim | Irish | One house |
| Armagh | Irish | Macha's height |
| Londonderry | Irish | Derry from the Irish Doire, meaning oak grove. |
| Down | Irish | County of Downpatrick: Patrick's fort (formerly Dún Lethglaise or Fort by the stream) |
| Fermanagh | Irish | Men of Manach (a tribal name) |
| Tyrone | Irish | Territory of Eoghan (a personal name) |
[edit] References
- The Oxford Dictionary of Placenames by A.D. Mills and Adrian Room (1991) Oxford University Press
- Pàrlamaid na h-Alba: Ainmean-àite le buidheachas do dh' Iain Mac an Tailleir
- The Celtic Place-names of Scotland by W.J. Watson (Birlin 2004) ISBN 1-84158-323-5
