Llansantffraid - 'Church of St. Bridget'. Ham 1 (spelled חם and probably pronounced as Cham) is the youngest son of Noah (Genesis 9:24). Kettering - The Place of Ketter's people. Specific (personal or animal) names and general words or phrases are used, sometimes translated and sometimes not. Man-made landscape features that have been given names include roads and trackways as well as burial mounds, etc. There are also place names from Old English and Scots, such as Edinburgh. Glad you found it interesting. Some historians have argued that the Viking invasions involved very large numbers of people because there are so many Viking place names. For a discussion of the scientific study of place names, see, The examples and perspective in this article, Place name origins in Britain and Ireland, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Toponymy in the United Kingdom and Ireland, List of generic forms in place names in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom, List of Australian place names of Aboriginal origin, List of reduplicated Australian place names, "What's in a Name? This article lists a number of common generic forms in place names in the British Isles, … [20] (see List of counties in Michigan.) Carson City, for instance, was named for Kit Carson. Although the origin of many place names is now forgotten, it is often possible to establish likely meanings through consideration of early forms of the name. However, often the name may be recycled and altered in some way. Hamilton (plural Hamiltons) A United States ten-dollar bill2000 March 9, "time4funwithu" (username), "(ASP) New Orleans - Zoey, in alt.sex.prostitution, Usenet: I think the girls all work for $200 p/hr, give or take a few Hamiltons. However, some names come directly from the English language or Scots language, and a handful come from Old Norse. When Europeans began arriving in New Zealand from the 17th century they gave their own names to many geographical features and settlements, often after places in Britain or important settlers or famous British people. and directly from Medieval Latin placea "place, spot," from Latin platea "courtyard, open space; broad way, avenue," from Greek plateia (hodos) "broad (way)," fem. Many English places derive part of their name from the river upon which they were built, but in the 16th century many English rivers were renamed with back-formations from towns on their banks. In general, the Anglo-Saxon and Norse place names tend to be rather mundane in origin, the most common types being [personal name + settlement/farm/place] or [type of farm + farm/settlement] (almost all towns ending in -wich, -ton, -ham, … Most pre-modern settlement names contain a generic element describing the place's function (e.g. Maine has 32, Vermont 36. Similarly, Negaunee, Michigan's name is derived from the Ojibwe word nigani meaning foremost, in advance, leading, which was determined to be the closest Ojibwe approximation to the English word pioneer. Cambridge, perhaps uniquely, illustrates both effects: originally Grontabricc, a bridge on the Granta, the name became Cantebruge and then Cambrugge, from which the river was renamed Cam. The British town Bristol was … The fall of the Roman Empire in the British Isles allowed the Germanic tribes such as the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes to take over huge swathes of the southern half of the British Isles. Rhode Island has the fewest — 15 of them, from Bradford to Wickford. The vast majority of placenames in Ireland are anglicizations (adaptations to English phonology) of Irish language names. From an English surname that was originally derived from place names meaning "ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English æsc and leah. They may also have more linguistically diverse place names; for instance in England place names may have Pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norse, or Norman-French origins. Bacillus botulinum was later placed in the genus Clostridium (from Greek kloster meaning spindle), while some debate still existed over the basis for the species name. Many others are of French origin, such as Detroit, Michigan, which was established along the banks of the river they called le détroit du lac Érié, meaning the strait of Lake Erie. It will provide you with a name's meaning and a break-down of the different parts of the name (its 'elements') and the language(s) of those elements. For example, Derby can be broken down to this basic explanation. A good example of this is England's second city- Birmingham. Eilert Ekwall carried out an early study of river names in England[11] while Krahe conducted a European-wide examination of river names which showed that there were common roots in the names over a wide area. English: topographic name from Old English hamm, denoting a patch of flat, low-lying alluvial land beside a stream (often a promontory or water meadow in a river bend), or a habitational name from any of numerous places named with this word, for example in Gloucestershire, Greater London, Kent, Somerset, and Wiltshire. type. HAM. The Old English ham which means variously "homestead, village, manor, estate" (Mills, p. 381) and hamm which means "enclosure, land hemmed by water or marsh or higher ground, land in a river­bend, river­meadow, promontory" (Mills, p. 381) both appear as ­ham in modern names. That notwithstanding, it is probable that the origins of the names of both settlements and natural features is the same, namely to distinguish one from another; and thus that both should be considered place names. Abbreviation tends to break down a name into a more easily pronounced form, e.g. Words from nature whether mineral, water, plants, animals, or mixed forms. HAMPTON. By Tim Lambert. A good example of this is England's second city- Birmingham. Therefore was England truly conquered in 1066 by a foreign power? BELANGER English From the given name BERENGAR. Other terms relate to the expansion of farming. Some terms, like cumb and penn, were adopted from Celtic by Anglo-Saxons. William The Conqueror army was only 33% Norman + 33% French + 33% Welsh speaking Bretons. If, for whatever reason, a new language becomes spoken in the area, a place name may lose all meaning. Recently there has been a movement to revive some Maori names. They also named geographical features for … Cambridge perhaps uniquely illustrates both normal and back formation. Additionally, the Anglo-Saxons used tree names in conjunction with ‘ley’, which means wood or clearing. Often the Roman name for their settlements had become absorbed and adapted by successive invaders. Do they basically translate as South town town and North town town? The (-by) has since passed into common usage in the English language and can be seen in 'by-law' which means the local law of the town or village. … Rotherham was the village by the Rother. Until the 1960s it was more commonly given to boys in the United States, but it is now most often used on girls. from each other, then these features can be thought of as places, in that they represent distinct geographic locations. Another class studied was those relating to particular people, example: the Ancient British. There are also aboriginal place names. For every sensible sounding location such as a Southampton or Northampton, there is a Wetwang or a Caistor that can be located on the same map. In this time period, the Anglo Saxon inhabitants were joined by Scandinavian settlers and they lived under the rule of their Norse neighbours. Stead The suffix “–stead” comes from the word “stede” or staddt if you look at the Germanic version of it, and it translates simply to “place”. Before the arrival of invaders and settlers across the sea, the Ancient Britons had already named many of the original settlements but they would give way to more modern sounding cities and towns. Each country is divided into a number of counties. Many in the former New Netherland colony are of Dutch origin, such as Harlem, Brooklyn and Rhode Island. Any place which has caistor or chester in their name usually denotes a settlement with a direct link to the Roman Military encampments. Hamm tun meant hamlet by the water meadow. Replaced Old English stow and stede. This is a list of place names in which the origin is Old Norse. There is still controversy over the language of these roots. Other cities and towns with a similar heritage are Bradford, Thetford and Sleaford. The place names also can be based upon the nature of the occupation of the people in that area or the particular function performed by the people in that area. Obviously, whether a name element was originally ham or hamm would make a major difference in meaning. If, as is probable, natural features were originally given names to distinguish nearby hills, streams etc. Manchester, future home of the Northern Powerhouse. Virtually all of the place names decided on up to around the 14th Century were due to the environment of the area. The Normans were ancestral Vikings-North-man-emasculated by the Francs, after having conquered Normandy. If so, why combine the two into a place name like Southampton or Northampton? This thread is archived. From the portrait of Alexander Hamilton featured on them.. Noun []. It was Beormund's eg. For instance, if a name no longer means anything in the modified language, it may drift towards a new form; e.g. Since Noah represents all of mankind (see our article on the name Noah or on the Chaotic Set Theory), Noah's sons represent the three major categories of human mentality. Originally, This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 13:17. The case is slightly more ambiguous for natural features, depending on how exactly 'place' is defined, and what exactly the concept of a 'place' is used for. From an English place name meaning "Becca's homestead". Between 1880 and 2018 there were 7 births of Ham in the countries below, which represents an average of 0 birth of children bearing the first name Ham per year on average throughout this period. When you find (-ham) in a place name, it tells us that the settlement was once a village. Topographical names were held in low esteem by early place name scholars but their importance was raised in a book by Margaret Gelling, first published in 1978. Water was of major importance to the early settlers of an area, both for subsistence and for religious reasons. Place names often need specialists to interpret their meanings. Many are Gaelic, but many are also from the Brythonic branch of Celtic languages (such as Ayr). Many topographical words convey not just an image of the place but also a wealth of information about the likely size, status and pattern of farming practised by the community living there.[10]. Place names in the United States tend to be more easily traceable to their origins, such as towns simply named after the founder or an important politician of the time, with no alterations except a simple suffix, like -town. The Maori named most of New Zealand's natural features. Version Française disponible ici Prénom Ham The notion of "amateurish" led to the sense of "amateur radio operator" (1919). The exceptions are places with the prefix Llan, meaning 'Church', which often contain the name of the Saint the church is dedicated to e.g. You can use the Key to search for a particular place-name, or to browse through the names of a particular county. On the last available year for each country, we count 0 birth. Etymology. Invasion from the Germanic Tribes has made a lasting impression on the landscape of England. Amsterdam ('River Amstel dam'), Liechtenstein ('Light-stone'), Copenhagen ('Merchants' harbour), Paris ('Home of the Parisii'), Shanghai (approximately 'Seaport'), Tashkent ('Stone city'). Other examples include Manchester and Cirencester. The is no black and white facts when it comes to history. Colchester is a prime example. In contrast, in the "New World" (roughly North America, South America, and Australasia), many place names' origins are known. The area that incorporates Yorkshire, East Anglia, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire show heavy Viking settlement in their place names, this is due to the existence of the Danelaw between the ninth and eleventh century. It was a colony of the Danish leaders and it kept the Anglo-Saxon leaders on edge for many generations. Most place names derive from Norman-French. The “ham” suffix in a place name is widely accepted to mean “home” or “settlement” from an etymological point of view, although it can also be interpreted as meaning “town” in a … Connecticut 31, including Hartford, an archaic spelling of Hertford (the birthplace of one of Thomas Hooker’s assistants, the Rev. Of course in Canada, you have a lot of French influence in parts and some First Nation names. Many place names were shaped so long ago that nobody can be certain if any one explanation is correct. Related: Hammed; hamming. Names are given to water features, hills and valleys, islands and marshes, as well as woods and districts. The Vikings were responsible for originating the names of many English towns and villages. Many, many place names in New England came from places in England. usage origin Close. The use of (-ham) in a place name is a clear piece of evidence to suggest Anglo-Saxon involvement in its evolution. Personal names of individuals, groups, or deities. Scunthorpe translates as either Scun's farm or Scun's land. The answer is No. This indicates "people" in a place name. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. In general, the Anglo-Saxon and Norse place names tend to be rather mundane in origin, the most common types being [personal name + settlement/farm/place] or [type of farm + farm/settlement] (almost all towns ending in -wich, -ton, -ham, -by, -thorpe, -stoke/stock are of these types). He has been on HubPages for many years. For example, the river running through Rochdale became known as the 'Roch' through this process. . There is a high level of personal names within the place names, presumably the names of local landowners at the time of naming. Many of the native British place names have been lost to us but the foreign tongue of the recent occupier often allude to the nature of the environment. 'farm', 'market', 'fort') or a prominent natural feature, or both; if only one of these is present, it is often modified by a personal name or an adjective. The latter in particular can result in dramatic shifts in place names, since the original meaning (and often sounds) are not conveyed in the new language, the place name thus shifts to a form appropriate for the new language. Place names in the United States are often taken from the European nation that first colonized the land. The Roman settlements in England still exist, yet they have grown considerably since the fall of Rome and the Roman towns have morphed into cities with global recognition. Since the 17th century a number of suggestions have been made that relate the name Ham to a Hebrew word for "burnt", "black" or "hot", to the Egyptian word ḥm for "servant" or the word ḥm for "majesty" or the Egyptian word kmt for "Egypt". In Yorkshire alone there are over 200 (-by) place names, this was due to the large Yorkshire coastline acting as a gateway to fresh settlement from Scandinavia. French, English, Latin and Gaelic derived names occur in Canada. The capital city. Massachusetts has the most, with at least 104 English names for cities, towns and counties, starting with Amesbury and ending with Yarmouth. Swaledale) clearly represents a definable geographic location. In Shropshire and Herefordshire many Welsh place names are found in the borderlands such as Pontrilas and Trefonen. report. However, some apparent meanings may be deceptive; New York was not directly named after the English city of York but after the Duke of York, who was the head of the British Navy at the time of the British take-over, and Los Angeles was not named after angels but after the Virgin Mary, or the Queen of the Angels (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles). 2. Southampton was hamm tun then Hamtun. If you know the meaning of a place name that is not here, you are encouraged to submit it. Welsh place names tend to be associated with natural features rather than people, hence elements describing rivers, hills and valleys are common. These elements are also clearly present in the less 'weathered' New World place names - e.g. If I understand correctly, -ham and -ton have the same meaning (town). Oakham and Hexham are further examples. In Cornwall most place-names are Cornish in origin, whilst in Cumbria there remain a number of place names in Cumbric, the Brythonic language of this region; examples including Carlisle, Helvellyn and Blencathra. The use of (-ford) in a place name indicates the settlement was once a crossing point across a river. The Author of this hub is well read in history, having studied history at University in England. Carson City, for instance, was named for Kit Carson, and Belo Horizonte means "beautiful view". In some cases the native meanings of a place name are wholly lost, despite guesses and theories, for example Tampa and Oregon. Many experts believe that Londinium is a Romanized name and its name has its true origins in the language of the Ancient Britons. In a two-element name, we call the first part the 'prefix' and thesecond part the 'suffix'. See also: Norman Place Names in England Norman Place Names Other place-names are hybrids of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon elements. I do find the subject very interesting. However, as names are applied on a larger scale, they may become less useful as place names. These (-by) endings, effectively meant it was a village or settlement. Their idea was to explain the origin of Africans by tracing African languages back to a certain part of the world. Other English places with Roman origins in their name include... Over the passage of time, these settlements have become anglicized but the route of the name is very clear. Many topographic elements become incorporated into settlement names, together with plant, creature names or personal names. Some general conclusions about the nature of place names, and the way in which place names change, can be made and are examined below. There are several clearly definable types of place name, the primary division being between the names of natural features and the names of human settlements. With every successive immigration, we find a different way to describe the land. Roman occupation of England left a lasting reminder that can still be seen in place names. Many English place names can be peculiar and perplexing, even to those who live there. Ireland is no exception, except that its placenames can trace their ancestry to three language families: Gaelic, English and Viking. Modern London has changed drastically since the time of Roman Londinium. Etymology Of British Place-names: Source: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isle date c 1900. The historic market town of Stamford (Stone-crossing) is a surviving Anglo-Saxon settlement. Most English place-names are made up of two elements (though some are threeor more). Finally, we come to the use of (-ing). “Another volume for every local historian's bookshelf” - Local HistorianThis revised edition of the Dictionary of British Place-Names includes over 17,000 engaging and informative entries, tracing the development of the featured place-names from earliest times to the present day. This is due to a general set of processes through which place names evolve over time, until their obvious meaning is lost. Note: at this point this site's collection is quite small and somewhat uneven. Nine counties in the U.S. state of Michigan have names invented by Henry Schoolcraft, usually adapted from parts of Native American words, but sometimes having parts from Greek, Arabic and Latin roots. Jurisdictional terms of seats of government, justice, or punishment 4. Many place names are taken from the languages of native peoples. THE ORIGIN OF PLACE NAMES IN LONDON. of platys "broad," from PIE root *plat-"to spread.". Many other types of place name can be defined, for example those relating to tribal or personal names. England had been already ruled by a Danish King in Canute. The determinant words have many variants but can be categorized: 1. For instance, a relatively small, distinct upland valley (e.g. The capital city of England rests upon the foundations of the Roman town of Londinium. Most places ending in –ham, –ton or –ington are named after otherwise forgotten Anglo-Saxon chiefs. 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. ; 2006 September, Josh Norem, a review in Maximum PC, page 78: Fort Knox, Thunder Bay, Little Rock and so on. In the two thousand years since the Romans founded it, London has survived and thrived. Place names ending in -by , such as Selby, Grimsby, Derby or Whitby are places that the Vikings first settled. Barking Barking was Berica ingas, which means Berica's people. Etymology 2 []. Conversely, countries with a more uniform cultural/linguistic history tend to have less broken down and diverse place names - Wales for instance (especially when compared to neighbouring England). New Zealand place names derive mostly from Maori and from British sources. Places such as Luton, Bolton, Accrington, Malton and Stilton are towns that grew under the Anglo-Saxons. Many a ham and tun was also named for a person, such as Birmingham, the ham of Beorma’s people (Beormingas). Experts in the history of names can tell uswhich were Viking names, so when we come across one, we can be sure that thiswas a settlement which came into Scandinavian possession. It gave its name … In the Highlands, the names are primarily in Scottish Gaelic, with emphasis on natural features; elements such as Glen- (valley) and Inver- (confluence, mouth) are common. share. (Click herefor a complete list of U.S. places named after places in England.) Most place-names are of Gaelic or Norse origin but there are traces of an earlier language in some names. These basic elements can also be found in place names in other countries; e.g. 3. This article is about the origins of place names themselves. This is true of any culture (eg English -borough, -pool, -ham, -cester, -town; French -ville, German -burg). The Norse settlers also added other place names to the landscape. Life would have continued without too much drastic change, but new words would enter the embryonic English language and they would appear in the names of new settlements. The processes by which place names change include abbreviation, conflation, convergence, development in the parent language (but stasis in the place name[vague]) and replacement of the parent language. Shem stands for the mindset that allows a worldview irrespective of the self. Most old Roman settlements, whether actually inhabited or not, were given the title of -chester/caster in Anglo-Saxon (from the Latin castrum, 'camp' or its plural form castra); the specific names for each may only have little relation to the Roman names (e.g. Beverley in East Yorkshire was named due to the Beavers that once resided along the banks of the river. The use of (-ton) in a place name harks back to a time on enclosed settlements. Previously names relating to pagan religion were extensively studied as these were thought to be early. Oakham and Hexham are further examples. However, evolution of the parent language permits other processes to occur. Various names have been used for the island of Britain, see Britain (name). However, the broad, extended valley of a major river, such as the Trent, is not easily understood as a single location. THE following Glossary contains the principal components of the place-names in the British Isles, and with its aid the derivation of many names may be ascertained, and something may be learned of the physical condition of various localities in early times. -ham, -ton, and -hampton as place name suffixes. In the north and east, there are many place names of Norse origin; similarly, these contain many personal names. [21]. At its most severe, the name may be completely replaced. The name of a place provides hints not only about who used to live there, but about how they made their living, who their leaders were and what gods they worshiped. Basically translate as South town etymology ham place names most of New Zealand 's natural features a. 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