How did Stonehenge get its name?

Answer 1

because it's a henge and it's made of stone. A Henge is a circular or oval area set aside for ceremonial purposes. There are lots of them, some surrounded by earth banks, some by ditches, some by wooden palisades, and some, natch, of stone.

The above answer is partly right. The English chronicler Henry of Huntingdon (c1085-1152) writing around 1130 he made a passing reference to the stones in the preface to his Historia Anglorum. 'Stanehenges, where stones of wonderful size have been erected after the manner of doorways ...' Hence the word 'Henge'' comes from 'Stanehenges', only relatively recently was the term used by archaeologists to describe a type of prehistoric earthwork that may or may not have contained timber of stone structures. Paradoxically Stonehenge is now regarded as an anomalous example of a 'henge'!

Answer 2

Henge is a circular earth mound, Stoneheng is a complex of stone circles.