History and hidden meanings of Britain's brilliant place names from Ordnance Survey

Seemingly ordinary place names on the map of Great Britain often hide fascinating stories of the landscape and local history. And it’s not just in Great Britain that this heritage is felt. Many towns and cities in America and the Commonwealth were named after British places and have their complicated roots here.

Unravelling how place names originated and what they really mean can be fascinating. The next time you are exploring the British countryside on foot, by bike or by car, take a moment to consider the places around you. There may be more to them than meets the eye.

Places were originally named in Old English, Norse, Scots, Welsh, Gaelic or Cornish, according to landscape features (topography), nature of settlement (habitat – city, town, village, fortifications) or the people or tribe living in the area, often combining two or three descriptive terms in one name. These names were then influenced and modified at various historical periods through language shift driven by socio-economic and political changes.
These sometimes introduced new language influences, such as French from the Norman Conquest.

A word of caution… some modern names can deceptively cloak the true origins and meanings because these place names may have been modified quite dramatically over the centuries. Always try to look for the oldest usage of any place name for a more accurate interpretation of its original meaning.
The origins of English place names are particularly complex, with very few general rules that can be applied. Details of the English Place-Name Society, which is a good source of information, are given below.

Useful links

The information in these pages explaining the influence of these languages on our place names has developed over many years. You can read the background to that development in How Ordnance Survey helped trace the roots of British place names.

More information on place names is available through other organisations.

The English Place-Name Society is a good source of information, and will answer specific place name queries by email.
The Scottish Place-Name Society provides coverage of Scotland.
In Wales, the Welsh Language Board is running a Place Name Standardisation Project.
The Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland provides a forum for those with an interest in place names (and personal names), whatever their origins.