Toponymical 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 |
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 a West Saxon word meaning division.
England
Type: T = Traditional county. M = Metropolitan county (post 1974). N = New county (post 1974)
| County name | Type | Language of origin | Earliest form | Derivation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avon | N | Brythonic | n/a | Named after the River Avon. Avon is a Brythonic word meaning river. |
| Bedfordshire | T | Old English | Beadafordscir[1] | Shire of Bedford. Bedford itself derives from Bieda's ford |
| Berkshire | T | Brythonic + Old English | Bearrucscir[1] | Shire of Berrock Wood.[2] Berrock possibly from Brythonic "Hilly place". |
| Buckinghamshire | T | Old English | Buccingahamscir[1] | Shire of Buckingham. Buckingham itself means Home of Bucca's people. |
| Cambridgeshire | T | Old English | Grantabrycgscir[1] | Shire of Cambridge. Cambridge was previously known as Grantbridge (OE Grantanbrycg), meaning Bridge on the River Granta. There is a reference in Gildas to Caer Grawnt indicating an earlier Brythonic origin. The name of the city became Cambridge due to the Norman influence within the city in the 12th century. The name of the river Cam within Cambridge is a backwards derivation. |
| Cheshire | T | Old English | Legeceasterscir, later Ceasterscir[1] | Shire of Chester. Chester derives from the OE ceaster meaning a old Roman town or city. This itself stems from the Latin word castra, meaning 'camp' (or 'fort'). The city's former name was Legacæstir (circa 8th century) meaning 'City of the legions'. |
| Cleveland | N | English | n/a | Named after the Cleveland area of North Yorkshire, which encompasses the hills and coast of the Whitby area. This historic area was partially included in the new county created in 1974, which also included the urban areas of Teesside. Cleveland is derived from Old English and literally means 'Cliff land'. |
| Cornwall | T | Brythonic + Old English | Westwealas [1] | The late Roman name for Cornwall was Cornubia, from the name of the tribe which lived there, the Cornovii. Cornovii means 'people of the peninsula', either derived directly from the latin cornu (horn), or the Brythonic word cern (also meaning horn). The suffix 'wall' is derived from the OE wealas meaning 'foreigners', as was also applied to the Celtic people of Wales. In the 6th/7th century AD, the Anglo-Saxons referred to Cornwall as 'Westwealas' to differentiate it from the more northerly land that eventually became Wales. Cornwall is thus derived from a compound of Cornubia + Wealas. |
| Cumberland | T | Brythonic + Old English | Cumbraland[1] | 'Cumber' is derived from Cymry, the word that the Brythonic inhabitants of the region used to identify themselves (similar to the Welsh name for Wales, Cymru). Thus Cumberland means 'Land of the Cumbrians'. |
| Cumbria | N | Latin | n/a | 'Cumbria' is derived from Cymry, the word that the Brythonic inhabitants of the region used to identify themselves (similar to the Welsh name for Wales, Cymru). Cumbria is a latinised version of this word, which was chosen in 1974 for the name of the new country. |
| Derbyshire | T | Old Norse + Old English | Deorbyscir[1] | Shire of Derby. Derby itself derives from the ON meaning 'Animal settlement'. |
| Devon | T | Brythonic | Defnascir[1] | Originally 'Shire of Defnas', but the shire has subsequently been lost. Defnas is derived from the Celtic tribal name Dumnonii, which is of unknown origin. The Welsh name for Devon is Dyfnaint. |
| Dorset | T | Old English | Dorsæt[1] | Literally 'People of Dorchester' (cf. Somerset). Dorchester (originally Dornwaraceaster) is an Old English name probably derived from the Roman name Durnovaria, with the addition of the suffix 'ceaster' (denoting an old Roman town). Durnovaria is in turn derived from a lost Brythonic name meaning fist (possibly place with fist-sized pebbles). |
| County Durham | T | Old English | Named after Durham. Durham is derived from the OE Dunholm meaning 'Hill island'. | |
| Essex | T | Old English | East Seaxe[1] | Literally 'East Saxons'. The county was the former petty Kingdom of the East Saxons. |
| Gloucestershire | T | Old English | Gleawcesterscir[1] | Shire of Gloucester. Gloucester is derived from the Old English name Gleawcester', meaning approximately 'Roman town called Glevum'. Glevum is in turn derived from a Brythonic name meaning bright place. |
| Greater London | M | English | n/a | Greater metropolitan area of London. |
| Greater Manchester | M | English | n/a | Greater metropolitan area of Manchester. Manchester itself is OE version of the Roman name Mancunium. The first part of the name in turn derives from Mamm, a Brythonic word meaning 'breast-like hill'. |
| Hampshire | T | Old English | Hamtunscir[1] | Shire of Southampton; the county has occasionally been called the 'County of Southampton'. Southampton was known in Old English as Hamwic or Hamtun[1] 'home farm'. 'South' was added later to distinguish Southampton from Northampton, but the county name was not similarly treated. |
| Hereford and Worcester | N | English | n/a | Combination of Herefordshire and Worcestershire |
| Herefordshire | T | Old English | Herefordscir[1] | Shire of Hereford. Hereford is OE meaning 'ford suitable for the passage of an army'. |
| Hertfordshire | T | Old English | Heortfordscir[1] | Shire of Hertford. Hertford is OE meaning 'ford frequented by deer'. |
| Humberside | N | English | n/a | Area around the River Humber. Humber is a pre-Celtic word of unknown origin. |
| Huntingdonshire | T | Old English | Huntadunscir[1] | Shire of Huntingdon. Huntingdon is OE meaning 'Hunters' hill'. |
| Isle of Wight | T | English + Brythonic | Wiht[1] | The OE Wiht may mean 'place of division'. Alternatively, it may be derived from the Brythonic "eight-sided"; cf. Welsh wyth ('eight'). The Roman name was Vectis. |
| Kent | T | Brythonic or earlier |
Cent or Centlond[1] | (Land of the) Cantii or Cantiaci, a Celtic tribal name possibly meaning white, bright. |
| Lancashire | T | Old English | Shire of Lancaster. Lancaster itself derived from the name of the River Lune (Lune is a Brythonic word meaning 'pure'), and the OE suffix 'ceaster', denoting a Roman town. | |
| Leicestershire | T | Old English | Lægreceastrescir[1] | Shire of Leicester. Leicester itself derives from Ligore, a Celtic tribal name of unknown origin, with the OE suffix 'ceaster', denoting a Roman town. |
| Lincolnshire | T | Old English | Lincolnescir[1] | Shire of Lincoln. Lincoln is derived from the Roman name Lindum, which in turn derives from the Brythonic Lindon ('The pool'). |
| Merseyside | M | English | n/a | Area around the River Mersey. Mersey is an Old English word meaning 'boundary river'. |
| Middlesex | T | Old English | Middelseaxe[1] | Literally 'Middle Saxons'. |
| Norfolk | T | Old English | Norþfolc[1] | 'Northern people' |
| Northamptonshire | T | Old English | Norðhamtunescir[1] | Shire of Northampton. Northampton was originally 'Hamtun', and the county Hamtunescir; the North was added later to distinguish it from Southampton. Hamtun means 'home farm' in OE. |
| Northumberland | T | Old English | Norðhymbraland[1]. Older Norþanhymbrarice for the Kingdom of Northumbria.[1] |
Territory of those living north of the River Humber. Humber is a pre-Celtic word of unknown origin. |
| Nottinghamshire | T | Old English | Snotingahamscir[1] | Shire of Nottingham. Nottingham itself derived from OE name meaning 'home of Snot's people'. |
| Oxfordshire | T | Old English | Oxnafordscir[1] | Shire of Oxford. Oxford means derives from the OE name 'ford used by Oxen'. |
| Rutland | T | Old English | Roteland | 'Rota's territory'. |
| Shropshire | T | Old English | Scrobbesbyrigscir[1] | Shire of Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury is derived from the OE name 'Scrobbesbyrig' meaning 'scrubland fort' |
| Somerset | T | Old English | Sumorsæt[1] | 'People of Somerton'. Somerton is OE for 'farm used in the summer'. Alternatively, Somerset may be derived from 'people of the summer land', with Somerton derived from thereafter. |
| Staffordshire | T | Old English | Stæffordscir[1] | Shire of Stafford. Stafford is OE meaning 'ford by a landing place'. |
| Suffolk | T | Old English | Suþfolc[1] | 'Southern people' |
| Surrey | T | Old English | Suþrige[1] | 'Southern district', referring to its position south of the River Thames |
| Sussex | T | Old English | Suþ Seaxe[1] | Literally 'South Saxons'. The county was the former petty Kingdom of the South Saxons. |
| Tyne and Wear | M | English | n/a | Area between the River Tyne and River Wear. Tyne is an alternative Brythonic word for 'river' and Wear is a Brythonic word meaning 'water'. |
| Warwickshire | T | Old English | Wæringscir[1] | Shire of Warwick. Warwick is OE for 'Dwellings by the weir' |
| West Midlands | M | English | n/a | Area in the west of the English Midlands, centred on Birmingham. |
| Westmorland | T | Old English | Westmoringaland[1] | Literally 'land west of the moors'. |
| Wiltshire | T | Old English | Wiltunscir[1] | Shire of Wilton. Wilton is OE for 'willow farm' An older OE name for the people of Wiltshire was Wilsæt[1] (cf. Dorset, Somerset). |
| Worcestershire | T | Old English | Wigreceastrescir and variants[1] | Shire of Worcester. Worcester itself is derived from an OE name meaning 'Roman town of the Weogora'. Weogora is a Brythonic name meaning 'from the winding river'. |
| Yorkshire | T | Middle English | Eoferwicscir[1] | Shire of York. York is directly derived from the ON Jorvik ('horse bay'). However, Jorvik was the Norse interpetation of the OE Eoforwic ('boar town'), which itself was an interpretation of the Roman name for York, Eboracum. This is in turn derived from a Brythonic name, Eboracon probably meaning place of yew trees. |
Northern Ireland
| County name | Language of origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Antrim | Irish | One house |
| Armagh | Irish | Macha's height |
| Londonderry | Irish (excluding London) | Derry from the Irish Doire, meaning oak grove and London from the Plantation of Ulster by the livery companies of the City of London. |
| 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) |
Scotland
| County name | Language of origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire | Pictish | Shire of Aberdeen: Aberdeen originally spelled as Aberdon, meaning mouth of the River Don (Don refers to the Celtic goddess Devona) |
| Angus | Gaelic | Oengus (8th century king of the Picts) |
| Argyll | Gaelic | Earra-Ghaidheal - Coastland of the Gaels |
| Ayrshire | Brythonic | Shire of Ayr: Old Welsh Aeron[3] - The (River) Ayr. |
| Banffshire | Gaelic | Shire of Banff: Possibly "piglet", though likely from Banba - a name for Ireland. |
| Berwickshire | Old English | Shire of Berwick: Possibly meaning Barley farm. wick appears to be from a Norse word, vik, meaning bay, but also berewick, a term for farm or settlement dependent on a main settlement. |
| Buteshire | Gaelic | Likely from bót - fire |
| Caithness | Old Norse and non-diagnostic Celtic | Cat headland, from the tribal name of those who inhabited the area. The Gaelic name for Caithness is Gallaibh, meaning "among the Strangers" ie the Norse who extensively settled the area. |
| Clackmannanshire | Brythonic and Gaelic | 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 | Brythonic or 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 | Gaelic | (Formerly spelled 'Dumbartonshire') Shire of Dumbarton: Dùn Breatainn (fort of the Britons). |
| East Lothian | Possibly Brythonic with English ("East") | Prob. named from a Gododdin chief, (whom mediæval tradition named Leudonus) by way of Old English Loðene[1] |
| Fife | Gaelic from Celtic | Meaning unclear |
| 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; Kirk is either from Norse or Old/Middle English, but the word order is Celtic |
| Lanarkshire | Brythonic | Shire of Lanark: (Place in the) glade |
| Midlothian | Brythonic with English (Mid) | Prob. named from a Gododdin chief, (whom mediæval tradition named Leudonus) by way of Old English Loðene[1] |
| Morayshire | Non-diagnostic Celtic | Moray: Sea settlement |
| Nairnshire | Non-diagnostic Celtic | Shire of Nairn: Penetrating (river) |
| Orkney | Old Norse and non-diagnostic Celtic | 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 | Probably Pictish | Shire of Perth: (Place by a) thicket |
| Renfrewshire | Goidelic/Brythonic | Shire of Renfrew: Rinn Friù - point of the current |
| Ross-shire | Gaelic | Rois - either "forest" or "headland". |
| Roxburghshire | Old English | Shire of Roxburgh: Hroc's fortress |
| Selkirkshire | Old English | Shire of Selkirk: Church by a hall |
| Shetland | Old Norse and non-diagnostic Celtic | Origin disputed, but may be an Anglicisation of the Old Norse Hjältland (in the Scots Language a "z" is pronounced as a "y" in modern English), or suggested to refer to a personal name (Zet's land). Sealtainn in Gaelic. The old Gaelic name for the islands was Innse Cat, "islands of the Cats": the same people that Caithness is named after. |
| Stirlingshire | Non-diagnostic Celtic | 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 today is Cataibh ("among the Cats"), which refers to the same tribe that Caithness takes its name from, and was originally the name for both Caithness and Sutherland together. |
| West Lothian | Brythonic with English (West) | Prob. named from a Gododdin chief, (whom mediæval tradition named Leudonus) by way of Old English Loðene[1] |
| Wigtownshire | Norse and/or Middle English | Shire of Wigtown, from vik meaning a bay. In Gaelic, it is Baile na h-Ùige, "town on the bay". |
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 | Old English | Shire of Flint: (Place of) hard rock |
| Glamorgan | Welsh | Morgan's land (Welsh Gwlad Morgan) |
| Gwent | Welsh | From Venta (Silurum), perhaps originally meaning trading place, the name of the Roman administrative centre later known as Caerwent. |
| Gwynedd | Welsh | According to folklore, after Cunedda. The Roman name for this district was Venedotia, seemingly cognate with Gwynedd, thus preceding Cunedda. More likely therefore to be "the place of white-topped mountains". |
| Merionethshire | Welsh | Meirionnydd+shire : (Place of) Meirion |
| Monmouthshire | Old English | 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 | Old English | Shire of Radnor: Red bank |
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
See also
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