Table of Contents
- 1 Why do British town names end in shire?
- 2 Why do London boroughs end in ham?
- 3 What does ham mean in Birmingham?
- 4 What does ham mean in London?
- 5 Why do places in Norfolk end in ham?
- 6 What does the suffix shire mean?
- 7 What does the suffix ham mean in a name?
- 8 What is the etymology of ‘Ham’ and ‘Shire’?
Why do British town names end in shire?
The suffix -shire is attached to most of the names of English, Scottish and Welsh counties. Essex, Kent, and Sussex, for example, have never borne a -shire, as each represents a former Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Similarly Cornwall was a British kingdom before it became an English county.
Why do London boroughs end in ham?
More than fifty years ago, the London Government Act 1963 received Royal Assent. It paved the way, two years later, for radical changes in London’s political boundaries. The 32 boroughs that we still know, love and pay our council tax to, were created. So here’s our guide to the etymology of London’s boroughs.
Why do so many places end in ham?
The suffix ‘ham’ could be derived from one of two words, ‘Ham’, the Saxon word meaning ‘settlement’, or ‘hamm’, meaning ‘water meadow’. A ‘ham’ can also be a geographical feature roughly corresponding to a peninsula surrounded on three sides, usually by marsh.
What does Ham mean at the end of a place name?
Towns and Villages
| Anglo Saxon Word | Meaning | Examples of place name |
|---|---|---|
| ham | village | Birmingham |
| hamm (a different way of spelling of ham) | enclosure within the bend of a river’ | Southhampton Buckingham |
| hurst | wooden hill | Staplehurst Chislehurst |
| leigh / lee / ley | forest clearing | Henley |
What does ham mean in Birmingham?
Originally Answered: what does -ham mean in English place names like Nottingham or Birmingham? 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 more modern sense.
What does ham mean in London?
“Ham” means place or settlement.
Why do English towns end in by?
A popular (and fairly obvious) theory links the name to deer — a settlement important for deer hunting — but no one is sure. The -by, incidentally, is a common ending for towns inhabited by the Vikings during the Danelaw settlement.
Why do English towns end in wich?
A “-wich town” is a settlement in Anglo-Saxon England characterised by extensive artisanal activity and trade – an “emporium”. The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon suffix -wīc, signifying “a dwelling or fortified place”. In names of salt-working towns …
Why do places in Norfolk end in ham?
It comes from Old French hamelet, a diminutive form of hamel, which was itself a diminutive form of ham ‘village’. This was borrowed from a Germanic word related to English home, and to the -ham in many English place names.
What does the suffix shire mean?
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 share/division.
What does the suffix -shire mean in a city name?
“-shire” is a suffix given to the names of certain counties. There are >no< cities or towns in the UK that have the suffix “shire”. Note also that here in the UK the word ‘city’ has a precise legally defined meaning- I believe in the US the word ‘city’ is used to mean more or less any type of habitable area- this isn’t the case here.
What does Ham mean in geography?
Meaning: Dwelling; “ham” meaning an enclosure in the bend of a river and “ton” meaning farmstead or settlement. Commentary: England is full of towns that end with ham or ton. This is probably the largest of all categories. They are so common that there are many towns that contain both “ham” and “ton” like Hampton!
What does the suffix ham mean in a name?
The suffix “ham” comes from old Saxon words mean either “settlement” or hamm, meaning “meadow”. It doesn’t take great imagination to name a town “somethingtown” but often nobody bothers to be imaginative. Shire is similarly unimaginative as just a name for a administrative division.
What is the etymology of ‘Ham’ and ‘Shire’?
“Ham” means place or settlement. The prefix before “ham” is usually derived from a person’s name, often going back to Saxon, Roman or even pre-Roman times. Shire is used to denote a county. I’m not sure about the etymology but the expression “the shire counties” is often used.