Tribal
and National Identity in Germanic Place-Names
(Written: July 2002;
Last update: 23 March 2015)
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Colour Key:
maroon = modern names of regions
and nations;
blue
= modern individual settlement names;
green
= medieval forms of place-names and words
(Old English, Old Norse, Old Danish,
Middle High German, etc.).
Opening
remarks
In Germany,
particularly, ethnic names or the names of tribes have later taken on
territorial connotations and become the names of individual geographic or
political regions and states, e.g. Sachsen, Schwaben, Franken. The OHG
tribal name in the dative plural often refers to the territory or land occupied
by that tribe, e.g. (800s) hier in Vrankôn ("here among the Franks, in the
Franks' territory"), 1195: ze Swâben ("among the
Swabians, in their territory"), c.1200 (Nibelungenlied): dâ zen
Burgonden, so was ir lant genant ("there among
the Burgundians, which their land was also called"). Singular forms of the
Länder names begin to appear around 1250, where forms like MHG Swâbin (modern Schwaben) start to
be used.
ENGLAND: "land of the
Angles" (c.890: Englaland,
1000: Englaland)
from OE Engle
"Angles" (later "English") in genitive plural Engla and land. England came to mean "land of
the English" rather than merely "land of the Angles" as far back
into OE times as 880, when the adjective Englisc meant "English"
and not merely "Anglian". Other compounds found in OE found denoting
"England" are Angelcynn
and Angelþêod
(both meaning "the nation of the English") from 880 onwards.
Essex: "the East
Saxons" (later coming to denote the territory settled by them) (894: East Seaxe, 904: East Sexe, 1086: Exsessa; OE êast + Seaxe
"Saxons").
Sussex: "the South
Saxons" (later coming to denote the territory settled by them) (607: Suð Seaxe, 722: Suþ Seaxe, 773: Suþ Seaxna lond, 895: Suð Seaxum, 1086: Sudsexe; OE sûð + Seaxe "Saxons").
Wessex (now only in historical
usage): "the West Saxons" (later coming to denote the territory
settled by them - the OE kingdom was centred on Winchester) (709: West Seaxna
lond, 871:
West
Seaxe; OE west + Seaxe "Saxons").
Middlesex: "the Middle
Saxons" (later coming to denote the territory settled by them) (704: Middelseaxan, 767: Middil Sæxum, 1086: Midelsexe; OE middel + Seaxe "Saxons").
Norfolk: "the northern
folk" (1043-5: Norfolk,
1075: Norðfolc,
1086: Nordfolc;
OE norð
+ folc
"people"). This name separated them from the "southern
folk", i.e. those of Suffolk.
In the Old English Bede, Norþfolc
is used to refer to dwellers north of the Humber.
Suffolk: "the southern
folk" (895: Suthfolchi,
1055: Suðfolc,
1086: Sudfulc,
1095: Sudfolka;
OE sûþ
+ folc
"people"). This name separated them from the "northern
folk", i.e. those of Norfolk.
Surrey: "the southern district" (but
see below) (722: Suþrige,
871-89: Suþregum,
1011: Suðrig,
1086: Sudrie;
OE sûþer-gê, where gê means
"district"). The context of a form from 823, Suþrige, and the Suðrigena land (i.e. "land of the
dwellers in the south") which is found in Bede, suggests at least a
partial derviation from an OE term for "folk, people". This supposes
that the second element of the form in Bede is an element derived from OE gê and means "inhabitant
of a district", thus giving a possible meaning of "inhabitants of the
southern district" which later became the name of the region (cf. Gothic gauja).
Northumberland: "land north of the
Humber" (867: Norþhymbre,
985: Norðhymbraland).
OE Norþhymbre
originally meant "Northumbrians, those of the Angles who live north of the
Humber" and the OE forms reflect a time when the area covered by the name
was much larger than is the case today. Northumbria is now only used in
an historical sense. Northumberland
is first recorded in its modern sense in 1130, after English territory in the
Lowlands had been ceded and York and Durham had been granted their own district
territories.
Mercia: "boundary
dwellers" (OE Merce)
- probably refers to this Midlands kingdom's boundary with Wales but may
alternatively refer to the border with Deria to the north. Mercia bordered all the original
OE kingdoms except Kent and Sussex.
East Anglia: is a Latinisation of OE Êast Engle "the East
Angles". Such was originally a folk-name, covering at least the Angles of Norfolk and Suffolk, which later became the
name of the district they lived in. The term today unofficially covers Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and
(illogically) Essex.
DANMARK: "boundary of the
Danes" (i.e. against the Saxons in the south) and the folk-name underlying
it was first recorded in 551 in the Latin name of the tribe Dani. From
the late 800s, we have the first recorded form of the country itself in OE Denamearc (from Wulfstân's account
of his trade route to Hedeby in King Alfred's adaptation of Orosius),
compounding the genitive of Dene
"Danes" and mearc
"boundary, border". OHG Denemarca is also recorded and the later ON Danmörk from the folk-name Danir "Danes". We have
to wait until the first of two great runestones erected at Jelling in Jylland
to get a native version of the name. On Jelling I (c.935 AD), erected by Gorm
the Old, we read tanmarkar
(in the genitive singular) and on Jelling II (c.985 AD), raised by son Harald
Bluetooth, a tanmaurk
is carved. No attempt will be made here to go into the etymology of the stem
word.
Jylland (English
Jutland): "territory of the
Jutes" - the name "Jute" is known first from OE sources of the 6th
century (Êotas,
Iotas) and possibly had an
original meaning of "man" from a supposed *jótr (cf. ON ýtar). The Jutes numbered among
the tribes who took part in the Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain in the 5th
century. Later forms include OE Gotland (890s), 1075: ODan. Jutland, Iutland (from ODan. Iûtar "Jutes"), ON Jótland (from ON Jótar "Jutes, Danes").
Adolf Noreen has linked the name to the first element in the Swedish lake names
Juten, Jutern and therefore postulated the alternative
interpretation "waterland" (de Vries).
Himmerland (an area between Ålborg and
Hobro): "(home-)land of the Cimbrians" (1231: Himbersysel, 1268: Ymbersusyl, 1450: Himmerland) - the first element is
probably from an inhabitant-name connected to the Cimbrians, a tribe who early
in the 2nd century BC migrated to Rome. However, the name still
remains somewhat shrouded in mystery. Noreen has linked the tribal name to the
bird name ON himbri,
Nynorsk imbre "the great northern diver" (de Vries).
Hardsyssel (Ringkøbing amt): "district of the
forest dwellers" - (c.1187: Hartesyssel, 1231: Harthæsysæl) includes the old
folk-name harderne which contains ODan.*harth "forest" and
hence the folk-name ODan.*harthar
means "the forest dwellers", just as ON hörðar are preserved in Hordaland.
ODan.*harth
is only known in Danish place-names but recorded as an independent active word
in Old Saxon and Old High German.
Angeln (a former region of
Denmark between the river Schlei and the Flensburger Förde in eastern
Schleswig, now part of Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein, Germany): may be a
derivation from an ON adjective öngr "narrow, tight" and give
the noun *angul,
*ængil which answers well to
small watercourses. If this is correct, the regional name probably stems from
the name of the local fiord. German linguist Dieter Berger prefers a German
view, rather than a Scandinavian one, and derives the name from the Old Saxon
adjective engi
"narrow, thin" (cf. OHG engi, older angi). These Scandinavian and
West Germanic offerings clearly go back to a common Germanic root and either
may be the source for Angeln.
It is well to remember that Danish eng "narrow, tight" (early
modern Danish eng)
is a loan from German anyway and the Scandinavian solution given by Jørgensen
assumes an unrecorded form in Old Danish. For that reason, I prefer the
German-based interpretation of the name.
This regional name is mentioned
because it clearly recalls the name of one of the West Germanic tribes who took
part in the Germanic conquest of eastern and southern Britain in the 500s AD,
i.e. the Angles (OE Engle).
Roman historian Tacitus mentions them in his Germania (Latin Anglii,
Angli) but does not state their location. The Anglo-Saxon historian
Bede, writing in the first part of the 8th century, claims that the
region had been deserted since the migration of the Angles to England (c. 450
AD, possibly before) and his own time: "… is þæt land ðe
Angulus is nemned … and is sæd of ðære tide þe hî ðanon gewiton oð tôdæge þæt hit
wêste wunige".
The region was under the control of Swedish vikings about 900 AD (King Olaf and
sons Gnupa, Gurd and Sigtryg ruled in Hedeby until 934), and in the 1200s was a
possession of the Danish crown. It later became the seat of the Holsteinish
nobility.
Bornholm (an island belonging to
Denmark in the Baltic): the first recorded form is OE Burgenda land (late 800s) from Old
English and means "land of the Burgundians" (cf. OE Burgendas "Burgundians"
perhaps meaning the "high-lying"). From ON records of c.1000 AD, we
find an at hólme
but without any mention of tribal connections. A later ON Borgundarholmr "islet of the
Burgundians" does appear. Danish first supplies a Burghændæholm in 1231 and the modern
form of the name first appears c.1450, probably owing to Middle Low German
influence. The first element of the compound is probably the genitive plural of
the folk-name Burgunder "Burgundians" but may alternatively
derive from an older name *Burghund
for the island itself.
Thy (northwest part of
Jutland, between Limfjorden and the Atlantic): possibly "district of the
people". Older forms (such as 1075: Thuit, 1231: Thiud, 1253: Thuit) show that the name is in
origin identical with ODan.*thiûth
"folk, people" (cf. OE þêod, ON þjóð, OS thiod) which expanded in meaning
to "folk-area" in other names for districts such as Sveþiuþ "nation of the
Svea" in Swedish Uppland. Another interpretation, sees the name of the
district derive from a related inhabitant-name, ODan.*thýthir, which corresponds to teuton
and accords with a belief that the Teutons originally spread from this area.
SVERIGE "kingdom or realm of
the Svea" is already found in OSwed. as Svearike, Sverghe and ON Svíaríki (cf. OE Swêorîce). This name comes from the
period after the Svea (i.e. the ancient Swedes - OSwed. svear, ON Svíar, OE Swêon) had moved southwards to
conquer those territories which were formerly held by the götar (the ancient inhabitants
of present Väster and Öster Götland), thus forming a new kingdom which bore the
name of their tribe as conquerors. An older regional name is OSwed. Svethiudh, Sveþiuþ, ON Svíþjóð "nation of the
Svea" (cf. OE Swêoþêod),
referring in ON and medieval Swedish sources to Swedish Uppland with its centre
in Old Uppsala. The name Svealand is quite young and is a large area of
Sweden covering modern Uppland, Södermanland, Närke, Dalarna, Västmanland and
Värmland, and contains the old tribal name svear. The name svear itself is debated. One
suggestion finds in it ComGerm.*swê- "own, belonging to
oneself" and therefore the tribal name would have originally meant
"their own, belonging to them". Another suggestion is a side-form *siwi- to the ComGerm. root *saiwi- "sea". The svear would have therefore
denoted "the people by the sea".
Götaland: comprises a very large
region of Sweden, including Västergötland,
Östergötland, Småland, Öland, Dalsland,
Bohuslän, Halland, Blekinge, Skåne and Gotland (the Baltic island). In
the regional name, and in the district names Västergötland (1070: Westragothia) and Östergötland, we have the tribal name
OSwed. götar (ON
gautar, OE geatas; thence OSwed. Götland, ON Gautland "Götland"). In
ablaut form, OSwed. göt
"Götalander" also appears in the name of the island Gotland (OSwed. Gotland, OGnutish Gutland), which contains the
folk-name gute,
plural gutar "Gotlander(s)".
The present form with -o- is probably due to Middle Low German influence
and confusion with gotar.
Etymologically related to götar "Götalanders",
and linguistically identical to gutar "Gotlanders", is the name
of the Germanic tribe gotar
(ON gotar,
OE
Gotan)
"Goths", whose own name for themselves was Gutþiuda "nation of the
Goths". Although the linguistic relations have been determined and these
have shed a little light on the social and historical relations, the exact
relation between the three etymologically related terms and those regions or
toponyms named after them is still unclear. It seems for certain that both Gotland and Götaland refer to the Goths but the
precise circumstances and relations remain shrouded in mystery.
NORGE, NOREG: the first recorded form
denoting Norway comes from Latin of c.840, where Nortuagia is found -
surely a Latinisation of a Germanic term. From about 880 AD, we have the first
record of the name in a Germanic language, OE norðweg "the North way".
This comes from the Norwegian Óttar's (OE Ohthere) account of his trade route
from northern Norway towards the south in King Alfred's translation and
adaptation of Orosius. In this account, OE Norðmanna land "land of the
northmen" is also found (cf. later ON norðmanna land "Norway"). The
oldest Scandinavian form comes from the Jelling II runestone from Jutland,
Denmark, and is dated c.985 AD. Here it is written that King Harald Bluetooth
"conquered all Nuruiak
(ODan.*Norwegh)
for himself". Swedes and Danes called the inhabitants of Norway norðmenn and so did the
Anglo-Saxons. Old Norse literature records two differing forms Norvegr (or Norveghr) and Noregr (or Noreghr) from assumed older *Norðrvegr. The debate then becomes
one of which of these is the elder and whether they actually do derive from the
older supposed form or have some other derivation. Earlier scholars naturally
enough assumed that the second element was ON vegr "way" (cf. the
OE name) but recent research in Norwegian dialects has thrown up the
possibility instead of ON ríki
"kingdom, realm" (cf. ON Svíaríki "kingdom of the Swedes").
It is almost universally agreed that the first element is ON norðr "north" and the
name (if we accept the first interpretation) would then mean "the north
way" or perhaps "the land which lies to the north" (cf. ON suðrvegr "lands to the
south" i.e. Italy, Germany, etc.). Certainly OE Norðweg and later English Norway,
German Norwegen, all suggest that the coast of Norway was seen as a
guide to sail along to the north, i.e. "the north way". The name
probably originally referred to the coastal strips of the west and north of the
country and only later to the east and interior of the country. It may have
been a term imported from Sweden or Denmark. The current standard term (at
least in areas where Bokmål is dominant), Norge, appears to have gained
currency via an East Norse influence (i.e. Danish or Swedish) on Norwegian
written forms in the Middle Ages and early modern period. The form Norge (/når'ge/) is now almost
the norm everywhere, but in the past pronunciation and written form varied a
good deal according to region or dialect. Norrig(e) is sometimes found in the poetic
language of 1700s and 1800s Dano-Norwegian (and hence accords well with the
"ríki"
theory of origin). Norig
was used in landsmål from about 1850 until the early 1900s (with Noreg as a side-form) and Noreg has been the official
Nynorsk term since 1938. The debate still goes on about the original provenance
of both forms (i.e. Norge
and Noreg) - are they East Norse
terms or native forms? - and Norwegian dialect forms, regional forms and their
pronunciation have often been brought into the argument. The matter is still
not resolved and is too complex to outline here.
Finnmark (the name of a fylke): "mountainous
forestland controlled by the Lapps". The name compounds ON finn "Lapp" and mörk "forest". In ON
times, Finnmörk
was used not only about the present region of Norway but also the Russian,
Swedish and Finnish "Finnmarks" and the interior mountainous and
wooded regions further south.
Hordaland (the name of a fylke):
"land of the hörðar" (ON Hörðaland - compounding the genitive
plural of hörðar,
the name of a local tribe living around the Hardangerfjord, whose name is
congruent with ComGerm.*haruðôz,
(cf. OE Hæredas,
runic Swedish Haruþs).
The stem in compounds *haruð-,
probably means "warrior, hero" and must have marked out the tribe as
noted for their prowess in war. De Vries however links the stem to the OE word harað "wood" found in
place-names and MLG hart
"forest".
Rogaland (the name of a fylke):
"land of the rygir" - the East Germanic tribal name rugii is first mentioned c.100
AD by Tacitus and then in several younger sources. The rygir are a tribe who probably
entered Norway during the Völkerwanderungszeit. The name of the Rogaland fylke compounds the
genitive of ON plural rygir
+ land.
In OE sources they were called the Rugas and their tribal identity appears in
such personal names as Germanic Rugila and OHG Rugolf (de Vries).
Ryfylke is a province and judicial
district in Rogaland
and is recorded as ON Rygjafylki,
from the folk-name rygir.
It thus means "fylke of the rygir"; cf. ON Rygr "man from Rogaland".
Telemark (name of a fylke
and a province in ON times) "forest of the teler" (ON Þelamörk, compounding the folk-name
þilir in the genitive plural and
mörk "forest". The
name þilir
may have a connection with ON þel "base, bottom" or ON þeli "frost".
(NEDERLAND) Drenthe
(province
in the northeast of the Netherlands, whose capital is Assen) is recorded in 944
as Thriente. According to Moerman, the complex derivation assumes that
the name has been massively syncopated during its lifetime, but it appears
noneless to have originally contained a tribal name. Firstly, the initial
element can be taken to mean "three" (Dutch drie) and suggests
that this region was tripartite at one time. The second element can in part be
explained by the Germanic suffix -ante, which appears in
tribal names (cf. Twente, whose older form of 797 tuianti clearly
shows this suffix). Drenthe has originally been a compound tribal name *tu-ab-ante according
to Moerman (the suffix -ab also appears in tribal names; this ab-ante later
becomes bant in some place-names e.g. Testerbant, German Sachsenbande) with the
word "three" comprising the initial element (later thri-ente). In the
Roman period, the Tubantes lived in Twente. I have to admit I still find
Moerman's explanation unclear.
Friesland
"land of the Frisians" is first recorded in 1285 in a chronicle
written in Dordrecht (South Holland) as Vrieselant. It is
also found in Jacob van Maerlant: Spieghel Historiael (1288) but begun
in 1285; Part one - Van Cycile. XXXIII:
Al Vrieselant verre ende na,
Tusscen der Elven ende Sincval,
Rekent men te Sassen al.
("All Friesland far and near between the Elbe river and
the Zwin (in Flanders) is reckoned to Saxony.")
DEUTSCHLAND as a
geo-political name has only existed since 1871 and, of course, the name does
not refer to a particular Germanic tribe of antiquity. Before the Holy Roman
Empire (ended by Napoleon), there were only various Germanic tribes who gave
names to the regions in which they lived. However, various similar formulations
denoting affinity to the land or tribal states composing the now modern Germany
are known long before then. The very first appearence is in the Annolied
of c.1100 AD, the oldest known significant historical work in German, in which
we meet the expression in diutischemi lande (lit. "in the lands of the folk"
(i.e. fellow Germans)), the adjective OHG diutisc
"German" (lit. "of the people"; cf. OSax. thiodisc) is also
found in this text. From the Kaiserchronik of c.1150 AD we find in Diutisk lant, while
other early forms include MHG daz tiusche lant (plural: diu tiuschen
lant) and MHG 1400s: Tiutschland. As a compound, Deutschland (in
contemporary spelling) does not become the norm however until the 16th
century. The adjective modern German deutsch, from which the name Deutschland is
derived, stems from West Germanic *þêodisk "belonging to
the people", from Common Germanic *þeudô
"folk, nation" (cf. OHG diota (from which the
adjective is derived), Gothic þiuða, OE þêod, ON þjóð, OSax. thioda, MDu diet
"nation, people").
Bayern is a Land in which the
core settlers originally were the West Germanic Bajuwaren. Their name stems from
Latin Baiochaimai "dwellers of the Boierland", which was one
of the homelands of the Bavarians before they emigrated. Boierland is
from OHG Beheim
"Boier-home", referring to the Celtic peoples conquered by the
Germanic Marcomanni.
The province is thus named after a
tribe of immigrant settlers who take their name from one of their original
homelands, itself named after the original Celtic inhabitants whom they
conquered.
Fläming (Upper and Lower) is a
sandy ridge of highland ("Landrücken") in the middle Elbe region,
southwest in Landkreis Brandenburg, between Belzig and Jüterborg. It was
settled in the 1100s by colonists from the Niederrhein and Netherlands, and
subsequently named after them (Latin Flamingia) "land of the
Flemmings" (here meaning Dutchmen) - cf. MHG Vlæminc "Flemming".
Franken is an historic region in
the area of Upper and Middle Main, spanning the Landkreise Bayern and
Baden-Württemburg. It now represents only a small part of the once great
Frankish kingdom of Charlemagne and his sucessors (Latin Franconia). The
name of the region is identical with the tribal name Franken "Franks"
(3rd century Latin Franci), OHG Franchun, OE Francan, ON Frakkar (all in the plural),
except the geographical name appears in the dative plural OHG Vrankôn (OHG Francôno lant "land of the Franks"
in the genitive plural is also recorded). Ôstirvranchin ("East
Franconia") appears in the 1200s to refer to the land on the Main. The
etymological background behind the Germanic tribal name is slightly obscure but
is thought to derive from the supposed Germanic adjective *franka "brave,
courageous" (cf. OE fram
"bold, strong, active", ON framr "capable;
brave").
Niedersachsen first appears as a
regional name in the 1300s and then denoted the old territory of the Saxons
(cf. OE Eald-Seaxan "old Saxony"),
in contrast to the Meissen Saxons. Middle Low German Nêdersassen ("Low Saxony")
is recorded and so are the older sassenlant, dat lant to Sassen "land of the
Saxons". The present day regional name has developed its cultural and
historic consciousness from this once merely geographical name and was formed
in 1946 with the union of the then Prussian province of Hannover with
neighbouring Braunschweig (Brunswick), Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe.
Ostfriesland (an area of Niedersachsen)
is so named from an earldom that was created in 1464 (that of Ostfriesland)
which unified the regions of Emden, Aurich, Leer and Norden into one territory.
In terms of cultural and linguistic ties, Ostfriesland is considerably closer to
the Niedersachsen of which it constitutes a
part, than to the Dutch West Friesland or the Frisians in the
Schleswig-Holstein.
Hessen is called Hassia in
10th century Latin, which stems from the dative plural of the tribal
name Hessen.
In 1074 Hessun
provinica is recorded, while in MHG
we find daz lant ze Hessen (and so distinguishing the tribe from
the land which is not now the case). Derivation is thought to be from the still
unexplained West Germanic tribal name Chattern (Latin Chatti),
which in 750 AD is found as ad Chassos. In Middle Latin the name appears
as Hassi, Hessiones (presumably through native influence) and the
later earldom of Hessen was already known in 897 AD as Hessa. The modern region was
first called Großhessen through the union of the Prussian provinces of
Kurhessen and Nassau with the Volkstaat Hessen.
Sachsen the name for the
geographical region is a result of medieval political-dynastical developments
of the Low Saxon northwest transferred to the central German eastern areas. The
old German duchy of Sachsen (Latin Saxonia) arose about 900 in
the regions occupied by the Old Saxon tribe comprising modern Westfalen,
Ostfalen and Nordalbingen. Modern Sachsen has nothing in common but the name
with this ancient duchy, being at least 150 miles southeast in a border region
conquered by dukes from Slavic Wends.
Sachsen-Anhalt was one of the two Länder
or states created by the Soviets in the German territory occupied by them after
the War. The other was Sachsen.
The West Germanic tribal name Sachsen
(OHG/OSax. Sahsun,
OE Seaxe)
is a derivation from the Germanic substantive OHG/OSax. sahs, OE seax, ON sax "knife, short
sword" which was a characteristic weapon of the oldest Saxons. Such a
sword may have originally been made from stone and the word is related in form
to Latin saxum "stone, rock".
Schwaben is an area in southwest
Germany between the Black Forest, Lech and the Bodensee. It is the core area of
the old tribal duchy of Schwaben. The name stems from Germanic *swêba- probably meaning
"free, unbounded", and the name of the tribe is found in OHG Swâba ("erst im 8.Jh.
taucht dann der Volksname Schwaben auf" (Berger)), Latin Suêbi.
The Swabians were a West Germanic tribe known from Caesar's "Gallic
Wars", probably based in the present day Brandenburg region. The modern
name descends from forms like MHG ze Swâben (1195), Swâbin (c.1250), which stem from the
dative plural of OHG Swâba.
Thüringen was formed in 1920 through
the union of four Saxon duchies and named after the historic Thüringen
super-regional landgrave. Between the 12th and 15th
centuries, this was the most important territorial power in this part of the
kingdom. The name goes back to 600s Latin Thoringia, Thuringia
(hence the English name) which lay between the Thüringer Wald and the Elbe
river. The Thuringians were a Germanic tribe who were absorbed in 531 by the
allied Saxons and Franks. Late OHG provides us with 1073: Dyringen, 1074: Duroingen (both representing the
dative plural) and MHG Türingen daz lant "land of the Thuringians", derived from the
tribal name MHG Duringe
(Latin Thuringi is first recorded in the late 300s AD). As concerns
etymology, some scholars have seen a Germanic substantive corresponding to ON þori "part, greater
part", with the suffixed name forming element -ing. More likely, however, is
a corrupted derivation from the Germanic tribal name Hermunderen (Latin Hermundari)
who in the first couple of centuries AD occupied the middle Elbe region. Their
name stems from Germanic *irmino
"great, extensive" (cf. OE eormengrund, ON jörmungrund).
ENGLAND
Note: as the
OE nouns tûn and hâm and the ON noun bý can have several
varying meanings according to the type of settlement denoted, these words are
retained in the interpretations of the names, since it cannot be known for
certain which meaning they may have had in any particular name. This practice
is also often followed in textbooks on place-names.
OE tûn may
denote "enclosure", "farmstead", "estate",
"village" with an approximate development from the first of these
meanings to the latter over the OE period.
OE hâm may
denote "village", "manor", "homestead,
household".
ON bý may
denote "farmstead, individual dwelling", "settlement",
"hamlet", "village" (the meanings of by in the
various Scandinavian countries across time is complex and controversial and not
important here).
Low
Germanic Tribes
Friston (ESussex) "tûn
of the Frisians" (1086: Frisetuna; OE Frîsatûn), Friston (Suffolk) "tûn
of the Frisians" (1086: Frisetuna; OE Frîsatûn), Freston (Suffolk) "tûn
of the Frisians" (995: Fresantun;
OE Frîsatûn),
Friesthorpe (Lincs.) "emigrant
settlement of the Frisians" (1086: Frisetorp), Frieston (Lincs.) "tûn
of the Frisians" (1086: Fristune; OE Frîsa "of the
Frisians" + tûn),
Frieston (Lincs.) "tûn
of the Frisians" (1086: Fristun; OE Frîsa "of the
Frisians" + tûn),
Frisby
by Galby
(Leics.) "bý of the Frisians" (1086: Frisebi OE Frîsa "of the
Frisians" + ON bý),
Frisby
on the Wreak
(Leics.) "bý of the Frisians" (1086: Frisebie; OE Frîsa "of the
Frisians" + ON bý),
East
Firsby, West Firsby
(Lincs.) "bý of the Frisians" (1086: Frisebi; OE Frîsa "of the
Frisians" + ON bý),
Firsby (Lincs.) "bý
of the Frisians" (1202: Frisebi; OE Frîsa "of the
Frisians" + ON bý),
Monk
Fryston
(Barkston Ash Wapentake, WYorks.) "tûn of the Frisians"
(c.1030: Fristun,
1166: Munechesfryston; OE Frîsa
"of the Frisians" + tûn + munuc added later in relation to
Selby Abbey), Water Fryston
and Ferry Fryston
(Osgoldcross Wapentake, Yorks.) "tûn of the Frisians" (1086: Friston), Frankby (Merseyside) "bý
of a Frank (Frenchman)" (1315: Frankeby; OE Franca "Frank,
Frenchman" + ON bý;
this is disputed and the toponym may compound ODan. Franki, a personal-name), Englebourne (Devon) "stream of
the Angles" (1086: Engleborne;
OE Engla
"Angles" + burna
"stream, brook"), Englefield
(Berks.) "open land of the Angles" (871: Engla feld), Engleton (Staffs.) "tûn
of the Anglians" (1242: Engleton; OE Engla + tûn(?) - probably a settlement
of East Anglians in Mercia), Saxham (Suffolk) "hâm of the
Saxons" (1086: Saxham, Sexham;
OE Seaxe
"Saxons" + hâm),
Saxondale (Notts.) "valley of
the Saxons" (1086: Saxeden,
c.1225: Saxendal;
OE *Seaxnadenu
or *Seaxnadæl),
Saxton (Cambs.) "tûn
of the Saxons" (c.1080: Sextuna; OE *Seaxtûn), Saxton (WYorks.) "tûn
of the Saxons" (1086: Saxtun;
OE *Seaxtûn),
Exton (Hants.) "tûn
of the East Saxons" (940: æt East Seaxnatune, 1086: Essessentune; an East Saxon colony in
Wessex), Markfield
(Leics.) "open land of the Mercians" (1086: Merchenefeld; OE *Mercnafeld), Markingfield (WYorks.) "open land
of the Mercians" (1086: Merchefeld; OE *Mercnafeld), Markington (WYorks.) "tûn
of the Mercians" (1030: Mercingatun, 1086: Merchinton), Canterton (Hants.) "tûn
of the Kentishmen" (1086: Cantortun; OE *Cantwaratûn; Kentish (Jutish?)
settlers in Wessex during OE period), Conderton (Worcs.) "tûn
of the Kentishmen" (875: Cantuaretun; OE Cantwaratûn).
Ingleby (Derbys.) "the bý
of the English" (1009: Englabi,
1086: Englebi;
ON *Englarbý),
Ingleby (Lincs.) "the bý
of the English" (1086: Englebi;
ON *Englarbý),
Ingleby
Arncliffe
(NYorks.) "the bý of the English" (1086: Englebi; ON *Englarbý; Arncliffe means
"eagle cliff" OE earn
+ ON klif),
Ingleby
Barwick
(NYorks.) "the bý of the English" (1086: Englebi; ON *Englarbý), Ingleby Greenhow (NYorks.) "the bý
of the English" (1086: Englebi;
ON *Englarbý;
Greenhow means "green hill" OE grêne "green" + ON haugr "hill, mound"), Inglewood Forest (Cumb.) "wood of the
English" (1150: Engleswod;
OE *Englawudu;
apparently an English settlement in northern Welsh territory).
Flempton (Suffolk) "tûn of the Flemings" (1086: Flemingtuna), Flimby (Cumb.) "bý of the Flemings" (1174: Flemingby; ON Flæmingr + bý).
Lost
names:
Flemingaland "open land of the Flemings" (recorded 1075); Frismarsh (EYorks.) "marsh of the Frisians" (probably a post-1086 name; OE Frísa "Frisians" + OFrench mareis "marsh").
Danes
and (Irish-)Norsemen
Danby (Langbargh East Wapentake,
NYorks.) "the Danes' bý" (1086: Danebi; ON *Danabý), Danby on Ure (Hang West Wapentake,
NYorks.) "the Danes' bý" (1086: Danebi; ON *Danabý), Danby Wiske (Gilling East Wapentake,
NYorks.) "the Danes' bý" (1086: Danebi; ON *Danabý), Danthorpe (Holderness Wapentake,
EYorks.) "the Danes' emigrant settlement" (1086: Danetorp; ODan.*Danaþorp), Denaby "the Danes' bý"
(1086: Denegebi;
Denigea from OE Dene "Danes"), Upper Denby (WYorks.), Lower Denby (WYorks.), Denby (Derbys.) "the Danes'
bý" (1086: Denebi;
OE Dena
"of the Danes" + ON bý), Denby Dale (WYorks.) "the Danes'
bý" (1086: Denebi;
OE Dena
"of the Danes" + ON bý), Denny (Cambs.) "the Danes's
island" (1176: Daneya;
found in other forms Deneia,
Deneya; OE Dena "of the Danes" +
êg "island"), Denver (Norfolk) "the
thoroughfare of the Danes" (1086: Danefella; probably a corruption of
OE *Denafær),
Normanby (Lincs.) "the
Norwegians' bý" (1086: Normanebi, 1115: Nordmanabi; ON *Norðmannabýr), Normanby (Langbargh East Wapentake,
NYorks.) "the Norwegians' bý" (1050: Norðmannabi, 1086: Normanebi; ON *Norðmannabýr), Normanby (Ryedale Wapentake,
NYorks.) "the Norwegians' bý" (1086: Normanbi; ON *Norðmannabýr), Normanby (Whilby Strand Wapentake,
NYorks.) "the Norwegians' bý" (1110: Normanneby; ON *Norðmannabýr), Normansburgh (Norfolk)
"Norwegian's hill" (1100s: Normanesberht; ON Norðmaðr "Norwegian"
(could be a personal-name though)), Normanton (Derbys.) "tûn
of the Norwegians" (1086: Normantune; late OE Norðman "Norwegian" + tûn), Normanton (Leics.) "tûn
of the Norwegians" (c.1215: Normantona; late OE Norðman "Norwegian" + tûn), Normanton le
Heath
(Leics.) "tûn of the Norwegians" (1209-35: Normenton; late OE Norðman "Norwegian" + tûn), Normanton (Lincs.) "tûn of
the Norwegians" (1086: Normenton;
late OE Norðman
"Norwegian" + tûn),
Normanton (Notts.) "tûn
of the Norwegians" (958: Normantun; late OE Norðman "Norwegian" + tûn), Normanton upon
Trent
(Notts.) "tûn of the Norwegians" (1086: Normentune; late OE Norðman "Norwegian" + tûn), Normanton (Rutland) "tûn
of the Norwegians" (1183: Normanton; late OE Norðman "Norwegian" + tûn), Normanton (Agbrigg Wapentake,
WYorks.) "tûn of the Norwegians" (1086: Normantone; late OE Norðman "Norwegian" + tûn), Norman Cross (Hunts. - a hundred name;
963: Norðmannescros,
1086: Normannescros)
"cross of a Norwegian (or Norseman)" - (probably a Norwegian among
Danish settlers), Ferrensby
(WYorks.) "bý of a man from the Faroe Isles" (1086: Feresbi, 1239: Feringeby; ON færeyingr "Faroe Islander"
+ bý).
Irby (Ches.) "bý of
the Irish-Norsemen" (1100: Erberia, 1190: Irrebi; ON *Írabý), Irby up on
Humber
(Lincs.) "bý of the Irish-Norsemen" (1086: Iribi; ON *Írabý), Irby in the
Marsh
(Lincs.) "bý of the Irish-Norsemen" (1115: Irebi; ON *Írabý), Irby (NYorks.) "bý
of the Irish-Norsemen" (1086: Irebi; ON *Írabý), Ireby (Cumb.) "bý of
the Irish-Norsemen" (1185: Yrebi; ON *Írabý), Ireby (Lancs.) "bý
of the Irish-Norsemen" (1086: Irebi; ON *Írabý), Ireleth (Lancs.) "hill-slope
of the Irish-Norse" (1190: Irlid, 1200: Ireleyth; ON Írar "Irishmen" + hlíð "hill-slope"), Kirk Ireton (Derbys.) "tûn
of the Irish-Norse" (1086: Iretune; ON Írar + tûn; "Kirke" from ON
kirkja "church" added
later), Little Ireton
(Derbys.) "tûn of the Irish-Norse" (1086: Iretune; ON Írar + tûn; "Little" added
later), Irton
(Cumb.) "tûn of the Irish-Norse" (1086: Iretune; ON Írar + tûn).
Swaffham Bulbeck (Cambs.) "settlement of the Swæfas (i.e. Swabians)" (c.1050: Suafham; OE Swæfhâm), Swaffham (Norfolk) "settlement of the Swæfas (i.e. Swabians)" (1086: Suafham; OE Swæfhâm).
Lost
names:
Normanby (Halikeld Wapentake,
Yorks.) "the Norwegians' bý" (1086: Normanebi).
DENMARK
Low Germanic tribes
Frisenborg (in Kolstrup, Stepping
Sogn, Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland) "hill (or perhaps "fortified
settlement") of the Frisians", Frisenbjærg (natural feature near
Kolstrup, Stepping Sogn, Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland) "hill of the
Frisians" (1716-18: Frießen birr;
tribal name sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" recorded with German -en plural ending), Frisenlund (Ketting Sogn, Als,
Sønderjylland) "grove of the Frisians" (1790: Frisenlund; tribal name sønderjysk Frise "Frisians"
recorded with German -en plural ending + Old Danish (?) lund "grove, copse"),
Frisbjærg (Spandet Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "hill of the Frisians" (1778-83: Friesbierg, 1912: Frisbjerg; tribal name sønderjysk Fris "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) biargh
or perhaps the male personal-name Frise, Frese), Frisbæk (the name of a section of Lobæk,
Nørre-Løgum Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "stream of the
Frisians" (1704: Friesbeck,
1912: Friisbæk;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) bæk "stream,
brook"), Frisbækhoved
(Nørre-Løgum Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "Frisians' stream
hill" (1704: friesbeck hoi,
1801: Friesbeck Hoiv
(-hoved
"head" appears to be a later corruption); sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) bæk
"brook, stream" + Old Danish (?) høgh "hill, mound"), Frisholm (Nørre-Løgum Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "islet of the Frisians" (1801: freesholm; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) holm),
Friskær (Nørre-Løgum Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) either "scrubwood of the Frisians" or
(with the newer meaning of kær)
"marsh of the Frisians" (1802: Frieskier; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) kiær
"scrub, brushwood" but later "marshland"), Frisvad (Nørre-Løgum Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "ford of the Frisians" (1802: Frieswoy, 1912: Friisvoj; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) wath
"ford, wade"), Frisvad Høj
(Nørre-Løgum Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "Frisians' ford
hill" (1531: Frijsway høy;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) wath "ford, wade" +
Old Danish høgh
"hill, mound"), Frisvad Løkke
(Arrild Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "enclosure at the ford of the
Frisians" (early modern (?): Friiswaadlykke, 1912: Frisvadlykke; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) wath
"ford, wade" + Old Danish lykki "enclosure"), Friskærbæk (Arrild Sogn, Tønderområdet,
Sønderjylland) "brook at the Frisians' scrubland (or marshland)"
(1912: Friiskærbæk;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) kiær "scrub,
brushwood" or "marshland" + Old Danish (?) bæk "stream,
brook"), Fristoft
(Mjolden Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "croft of the Frisians"
(1929: Fristoft;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) toft "land for settlement,
building"), Frisefenne
(Højer Landsogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "paddock or enclosed
pastureland of the Frisians" (early modern (?): Frieszfenne; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" +
Middle Low German venne
or Old Frisian fenne
> Danish fenne
"paddock, enclosed marshland"), Frisvad (Tinglev Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "ford of the Frisians" (1800s (?): Friiswoy, 1912: Frisvaj; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) wath
"ford, wade"), Frisvej
(Burkal Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "road or track used especially
by Frisians" (1912: Fritsvei;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) wægh "way, road,
track"; Gammel Frisvej
in Tinglev Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland is of the same origin), Frismose (Abild Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) "moor of the Frisians" (1855: Friismoosen, 1912: Friesmose; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) mosæ
"low lying marshy land, moor"), Frisen (Øster-Løgum Sogn,
Åbenråområdet, Sønderjylland) "Frisians or (pertaining to) things
Frisian" (1912: Friesen;
this was probably formed with the jysk adjective frisisk "Frisian" in
analogy with other place-names containing the names of nations), Frisløkke (1 - Rise Sogn,
Åbenråområdet, Sønderjylland; 1799: Frieslucke; 2 - Bjolderup Sogn,
Åbenråområdet, Sønderjylland) "Frisians' enclosure" (presumably
related to the nearby Frisvej),
Frisvej (Bjolderup Sogn,
Åbenråområdet, Sønderjylland) "road or track especially used by
Frisians" (1771: Friese Vey;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) wægh "way, road,
track"), Frisvej
(Hjordkær Sogn, Åbenråområdet, Sønderjylland) "road or track especially
used by Frisians" (1912: Friisvej; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) wægh
"way, road, track"), Frisvej (Uge Sogn, Åbenråområdet,
Sønderjylland) "road or track especially used by Frisians" (1778-82: vesten
Friisveyen,
1782: Friis Veyen,
1912: Frisvej;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) wægh "way, road,
track"; the road goes from Lovtrup to Åbenrå, taking in Bolderslev en
route), Frismose
(Bov Sogn, near Vejbæk, Åbenråområdet, Sønderjylland) "moor of the
Frisians" (1798: Nörrfrismoos;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) mosæ "low lying marshy
land, moor"), Frisholm
(Sønder-Hygum Sogn, Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland) "islet of the
Frisians" (1774-6: Friis Holm;
sønderjysk Frise
"Frisians" + Old Danish (?) holm), Friskær (1 - Branderup Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland, 1772-4: Friiskiær, 1794-1806: Frieskier; 2 - Rurup Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland, 1815: Friskjær (a copse on the road from
Branderup to Rurup); 3 - Branderup Sogn, Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland, 1928:
Friskjær; all are sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish (?) kiær
"scrub, brushwood" but later "marshland" and therefore
either "scrubwood of the Frisians" or (with the newer meaning of kær) "marsh of the
Frisians"), Frisgrov
is the name of a ditch in Tønder Amt, Sønderjylland, Frisvad (a village northeast of
Varde, Esbjergområdet, Jylland) "Frisians' ford (over the Nøgelbæk)"
(1502: Friswadh;
probably containing the inhabitants' name ODan. Fris(e) + wath "ford, wade"), Fristrup (a village west of Hobro
and east of Møldrup, Himmerland, Jylland) "emigrant settlement of the
Frisians" (1466: Friisdruup,
1499: Fresdrup;
ODan. Fris(e) + þorp "emigrant, daughter
settlement"), Fristrup
(hamlet south of Aabybro, Vendsyssel, Nørrejylland) "emigrant settlement
of the Frisians" (ODan. Fris(e) + þorp "emigrant, daughter
settlement"), Fristrup
(small settlement north of Brønderslev, Vendsyssel, Nørrejylland)
"emigrant settlement of the Frisians" (ODan. Fris(e) + þorp "emigrant, daughter
settlement"). These last three place-names may all alternatively contain
the male personal-name Fris
and this is how Aage Houken views them.
Frisenvænge (northeast of Fåborg,
Svendborgområdet, Fyn) looks unlikely to refer to Frisians this far northeast,
but it may possibly refer to a immigrant colony. Frislund is a wood south of Langå,
Viborgområdet, Jylland and Frisenlund
is the same (north of Søllested, Lolland) both of which may contain ODan. Frise "Frisians".
Only Saksborg (Burkal Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland) appears to have any likelihood of containing
ODan. Saxæ
"Saxons" (1685: Sax borgh,
1799: Saxborg;
the second element is ODan. burgh
- either "hill" or "fortified settlement"), while identical
Saksborg (Ullerup Sogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland; 1912: Saksborg) may also have the same
origin. Alternatives may be the more common referent of saks "sword, knife"
(this is the favoured interpretation), the Old Danish personal name Saksi, Saxe (ruled out by the older
forms lacking a possessive), while the original meaning of ODan. sax "rock, boulder"
renders the compound tautological.
Lost name:
Frisby "settlement of the
Frisians" (is according to local tradition, the name of a now lost
settlement in Sønderjylland (earlier: Friesby; sønderjysk Frise "Frisians" + Old
Danish by
"settlement" (cf. ON býr "farm") - names with this
element are probably older rather than more recent, although in Denmark the
element has been productive from the Viking period down to the modern age; note
the English instances of Frisby,
Firsby
above! The
English names' second elements are due to the settlement of Danes in north and
eastern England).
“False Friends”:
Family-name Fris etc.: Frisestoft (Svenstrup Sogn, Als,
Sønderjylland; 1770: Frieses Tofft,
Frisens
Tofft,
contains a family-name Fries),
Friskær and Fristoft (Fjelstrup Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland) and Fristoft (Skrave Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland) probably contain the family-name Fris.
Man's name Frise: Frisballe (Nordborg Landsogn, Als,
Sønderjylland) derives from the man's name ODan. Frise, as does Frisroj (Vedsted Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland; 1789: Friesrey).
Personal-name ODan. Saxe, Saksi: Sakstoft (Tønder Landsogn,
Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland), Saksmose (Tønder Landsogn, Tønderområdet,
Sønderjylland; 1613: Sachßmoes),
Saksbjærg (Notmark Sogn, Als,
Sønderjylland; perhaps though from sax "knife"), Sakservej (Bevtoft Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland; 1785: Saxe Veyen), Sakservej (Skrydstrup Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland; 1638: Sauffsewei), Sakstrup (Bjærgby Sogn, north of
Hjørring, Vendsyssel, Nørrejylland).
Substantive ODan. sax "knife, short
sword"
(an implement for hunting is often implied): Saksbæk (1 - Hørup Sogn, Als,
Sønderjylland; 2 - Arrild Sogn, Tønderområdet, Sønderjylland), Saksgaard (Ulkebøl Sogn, Als,
Sønderjylland), Sakslund
and Saksmark
(Ketting Sogn, Als, Sønderjylland), Saksmade (Jegerup Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland), Saksvad (Skrave Sogn, Haderslevområdet,
Sønderjylland), Saksholm
(1 - Sønder-Hygum Sogn, Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland; 2 - Gran Sogn,
Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland; 3 - Obbekær Sogn, Tønderområdet,
Sønderjylland), Saksholt
(Vejstrup Sogn, Haderslevområdet, Sønderjylland), Sakskøbing (a town in Lolland)
"marketplace at Sax ford" (i.e. the ford over the river Sax, so named
since some part of it reminded of a knife shaft) is how Jørgensen interprets it
(although other interpretations read ODan. personal-name Saxi).
Several instances of Saksager and more Saksmose are also irrelevant to the
investigation.
A Tyskland (Uge Sogn, Åbenråområdet,
Sønderjylland) literally "Germany" appears to be rather young (1798: Teuschland-Aecker) and probably a
Danicisation of a name first given by German settlers. There are several other
local names containing tysk-
but all appear not to be very old.
(SWEDISH)
FINLAND
Svenskby (Västra Nyland)
"village of the Swedes" (1451: Swenska bol "settlement of the
Swedes"), Finnby
(Västra Nyland) "village of the Finns" (1410: Finby, 1540: Finby), Finnby (Strömfors, Östra Nyland)
"village of the Finns" (1451: Finneby) - both of these must have
been in Swedish dominated areas where Finnish settlements were the exception, Svenskby (Strömfors, Östra Nyland)
"village of the Swedes" (1458: Svenskby), Sviby (Jomala) "settlement
of the svear" (i.e. Swedes) (1486: Swiaby, 1496: Swiaby; OSwed. Svear "Swedes" and by "settlement"), Suila (Sydösterbotten) is a
Finnicized form of earlier 1550: Oluff Swi (apparently "Olaf the
Swede"), 1699: Jacob Swij
(apparently "Jacob the Swede"), which distinguish the owner of the
land as a Swede, Svenskas
(a farm name, Kronoby socken, near Gamlakarleby town, Österbotten) was recorded
in 1699 as Peer Carlson Swensk "Peter Carlson the Swede" and marking out its
owner as an immigrant.
Elsewhere in Finland, we have evidence
of German immigrant settlement (presumably the greater part during the Hansa
period): "En rätt talrik grupp bevarar minnen om Finlands medeltida
förbindelser med Nordtyskland…" (Nordisk Kultur V, p.186). The
author of the section, T.E. Karsten, goes on to cite some examples of these
place-names: Saksa
and Sassi (northern
Germans), Friisilä and Frisans (West
Frisians), Flander and Flaaminki-Flemming (probably
Dutchmen) and
adds that there are many more. At present I have no more data for these names
and others like them.
NORWAY
Nordmannvik (gard in Kåfjord kommune,
Tromsø) "inlet of the Norwegians" where nordmann is used to
distinguish Norwegians from Lapps (Sami) and Finns who have always constituted
a large part of the local population, Finnsnes (gard and village in
Lenvik kommune, Tromsø) "the Finns' headland" (c.1400: Finznes; probably ON *Finnisnes), Finnskogane (stretch of woodland east
in Solør, Hedemark) "the Finns' forests" - name taken from the the
Finlanders who colonised the area in the 1600s and the locality represents the
strongest Finnish influence in southern Norway, Finneid (1 - gard and village in
Fauske kommune, Nordland) "gangway of the Lapps" (1567: Finndeid) and (2 - gard in Hemnes
kommune, Nordland) "gangway of the Lapps" (1567: Findiedt; both names probably
involve finn(ar) "Sami" and ON eið "gangway"), Hordvik (gard in Bergen)
"inlet of the Hörðar" (see discussion on Hordaland above) from ON *Horðavík, Hordnes (gard in Bergen)
"headland of the Hörðar" (c.1520: Hornes, Horrenes, Hordenes; probably from ON *Horðanes - see discussion on Hordaland above), Trondheim (kommune in Sør-Trøndelag)
"dwelling or home of the Trønders" (ON: Þróndheimr, Þrándheimr; first element is probably
the tribal or folk-name ON Þrændr
(Norwegian Trønder),
which is the present participle of ON þróask "grow" - the
folk-name perhaps means "the strong, the fertile"), Hardanger (area
around Hardanger fiord, Hordaland) probably "ford or inlet of the Hörðar"
(ON Harðangr, 1300s: i Harðangre; ON tribal name hörðar (see discussion on Hordaland above) and angr "inlet,
fiord"; however, not all scholars interpret it this way).
NETHERLANDS
Low Germanic Tribes
Vreeswijk (Nieuwegein parish,
Utrecht) "settlement of the Frisians" (918/48: Fresionwic, 1217: Vresewik; ODu. wic "settlement" + Fresia "of the
Frisians"), Vriezekoop
(Jacobswoude parish, Zuid-Holland) "purchased land of the Frisians"
(1275: Vrisencop,
1316: Vriesencoep;
ODu. cope
"land obtained by purchase" (cf. OE cêap, ODan. køp) + the tribal name Friesen), Vriezenveen (Vriezenveen parish,
Overijsel) "peat moor of the Frisians" (1413: Vrezevene), Engelum, Fris. Ingelum (Menaldumadeel parish,
Friesland) one possibility is "home of the Angles" (1335: Anglum, 1399: Anglim, 1439: Yngelim; from ODu.*Angla-haim), Englum (Zuidhorn parish,
Groningen) one possibility is "home of the Angles" (1529: Englum; from ODu.*Angla-haim), Sassenheim (Sassenheim parish,
Zuid-Holland) "homestead or dwelling of the Saxons" is one
interpretation (1100s: Sasheim,
Saxheim; from ODu.*Saksa-haim, where the first element
means "of the Saxons"), Fransum (Zuidhorn parish, Groningen)
"homestead of the Franks" is one interpretation (1285: Franchim, Frenchem; from ODu.*Franka-haim, where the first element
denotes "of the Franks"), Frieswijk (Diepenveen parish,
Overijsel) "district of the Frisians" (1457: Vriezewijk), Vriezendijk (once an island north of
Tolen, Zeeland) "dyke or ditch of the Frisians" (1264: Vrysendyke, 1290: Vriesendike).
GERMANY
Low
Germanic Tribes
Sachsenburg (Sachsen) "fortified
place of the Saxons" (first known in the 1100s), Sachsenburg (Westfalen)
"fortified place of the Saxons", Sachsenburg (near Thumby, River
Schlei, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein) "fortified place of the
Saxons", Sachsenbande
(southwest of Neumünster, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein) "district or
boundary of the Saxons", Sachsenbande (near Heide, Dithmarschen, Landkreis
Schleswig-Holstein) "district or boundary of the Saxons" (both
apparently from OSax. bant
(cf. OHG banz)
"district, boundary, frontier"), Sachsenheim (town northwest of
Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg; formed by the union of Großsachsenheim and Kleinsachsenheim in 1971) "home
dwelling of the Saxons" (1138-52: Sahsenheim, 1298: Sachsenhein, 1408: Sachsinhein; formed from the tribal
name Sachsen,
OHG Sachsen
and heim
"home" therefore *OHG Sachsenheim; this was very likely a settlement of
Saxons established by Charlemagne after the Franco-Saxon wars), Sachsenwaldau (near Reinbek, southeast
of Hamburg) "wooded island of the Saxons" (compounds MLG wold "wood" or
"wooded uplands" with OHG ouwa, auwia, MHG ouwe "island" (cf. OE
êg, ON ey, OFris. ei "island") with
the tribal name OHG Sachsen
"Saxons"), Frankenberg
(Sachsen) "fortified place of the Franks" (1214: Vrankenberch, 1350: Frankinberg; Berger comments: "wohl
mit dem Volksnamen Franken gebildet wie der Name des benachbarten Ortes Sachsenburg
mit dem der Sachsen." (p.109)), Frankenburg-Eder (Hessen) "fortified
place of the Franks (on the Eder)" (1243: Frankenberg; from this Berger
concludes, we can assume "dass bereits in der Karolingerzeit hier eine
fränkische Grenzburg gegen die Sachsen stand." (p.109), Frankenfeld (Westfalen), Frankenhausen (town east of
Sonderhausen, Thüringen) "settlement of the Franks" (998: Franconhus, 1100s: Franchenhusen), Frankenthal (town in the Vorderpfalz,
Rhineland-Pfalz) "valley (settlement) of the Franks" (772: Franconadal, 792: Frankondal), Frankfurt am Main (city in Hessen)
"ford of the Franks" (794: Franconofurd, 888: Frankenfurt), Frankfurt/Oder (a town on the middle
Oder, east of Berlin, Brandenburg) "Frankfurt on the Oder"
(1253 (MLG): Vrankenvorde,
1258: Vrankinfort,
later HG: Franchenvurt,
Franckfurt "ist wohl schon
durch die ersten Ansiedler von Frankfurt am Main her übertragen worden."
(Berger, p.111), Frankenstein
(Schlesen), Holzendorf
(Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) "village of the Holsteiners", Flemmingen (southwest of Naumburg,
Sachsen) "the Dutchmen" (c.1140: Flemmingen; first as an occupant name
but by 1161 had become the name of the village - 50 Dutch colonists were
settled here before 1140), Friesoythe
(town in the north of Oldenburgish Münsterland, Niedersachsen) "region
with many islands owned by the Frisians" (?) (1322: Vrysoyte, 1582: Frieß Oitha; the second element
appears to be a compound of OSax. -ithi (a collective suffix - here
presumably indicating land ownership) and ODu. ô, MDu. ô, ooch "island" and the
whole might therefore mean "region with many islands"), Friezenburg (in Deezbüll,
Nordfriesland, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein) "fortified place of the
Frisians", Friesenheim
(northeast of Bredtstedt, Nordfriesland, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein)
"dwelling of the Frisians", Friesenhof (1 - east of Kiel and
south of Schlesen, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein; 2 - southeast of Sieverstedt,
Angeln, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein; 3 - southwest of Tönning, Eiderstedt,
Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein) "large house, dwelling of the Frisians"
(tribal name Friesen
and OHG hof
"house, large dwelling" (cf. etymologically identical but differing
in meaning OE hof
and ON hof),
Friesentreu (small settlement west of
Flensburg, Angeln, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein) "___ of the
Frisians", Friesick
(village southeast of Wanderup, Angeln, Landkreis Schleswig-Holstein)
apparently "settlement, dwelling of the Frisians" (compounding tribal
name Friesen
and OSax. wîk
or OFries. wîc
"settlement, dwelling" (cf. OE wîc "settlement, dairy
farm"); the name must have marked out the presence of (North) Frisians
among their Saxon neighbours and the antiquity of the name is indicated by the
second element which is not known in HG).
Sachsenhausen (a district on the left
bank of Frankfurt, Hessen) Berger expressly points out, is probably named after
a man called Sahso and has (according to Prietze) nothing to do with a
local legend that defeated Saxons were transplanted there by Charlemagne after
the 782 Massacre of Verden.
Other
Germanic Tribes
Düringsdorf (near Halle,
Sachsen-Anhalt) "village of the Thuringians", Schwabach (town south of Nürnberg,
Bayern) "river of the Swabians" (1021: Suabaha, 1117: Suabach, 1348: Swabach; compound of OHG swâbo "Swabian" and
OHG aha
from Gmic.*ahwô
"flowing water"), Schwoosdorf
(near Lausite) "village of the Swabians", Bardowick (north of Lüneburg,
Niedersachsen) "village of the (Lango)Bards" (805: Bardaenowic, 800s: Bardunwich, 955: Bardewic, 1124: Bardewich; Bardowick was a suburb of the older Bardengaues - (892: Barthunga, 1006: Bardaga) which was named after
resident Langobards before their migratation to the south), Dürkheim (town in Rheinland-Plalz)
"home dwelling of the Thuringians" (778: Turincheim, 946: Thuringeheim, 1035: Dorenkheim, 1559: Durckheym, 1847: Dürkheim; it attests to a colony of
Thuringians settled by the Frankish king), Dorn-Dürkheim (near Worms,
Rheinland-Pfalz) "dry Dürkheim" (825: Thuringoheim, 1299: Durrendurckheim; as Dürkheim above, originally
"home dwelling of the Thuringians" with MLG durre "arid, dry"
affixed in medieval times), Rheindürkheim (at
Worms, Rheinland-Pfalz) "Dürkheim on the Rhine" (812: Durincheim, 1026: Duringeheim; therefore OHG *Thuringoheim "home dwelling of the
Thuringians" with
Rhein- a much more recent
affix), Dörnbach (near
Rockenhausen, Rheinland-Pfalz) "brook of the Thuringians" (1315: Duringebach, 1355: Dorngebach; OHG Thuringo "of the
Thuringians" and OHG bah,
MLG bach
"brook"), Türkheim
"home dwelling of the Thuringians", Bayreuth (town on Roten Main,
Bayern) "clearning of the Bavarians" (1194: Baierute, 1321: Beierreut, 1488: Bayreut, 1633: Bayreuth; compound of the tribal
name Bayern,
OHG Beiera
"Bavarians" and OHG riuti "clearing" (cf. ON ryðning) and Bavarian settlers are
supposed to have made the initial clearing).
*Sources:
A
Dictionary of English Place-Names by A.D. Mills, Oxford: Oxford U.P.,
1998;
Altnordisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch by Jan de Vries, zweite
verbesserte Auflage, Leiden: Brill, 2000;
Dansk Etymologisk Ordbog by Niels Åge
Nielsen, København: Gyldendal, 1989;
Das Geheimis der deutschen Ortsnamen. Neue Kunde aus alter Zeit
by Hermann A. Prietze, Pähl: Verlag Hohe Warte, 1955;
Die germanischen Sprachen: Ihre Geschichte in Grundzügen by Claus
Jürgen Hutterer, Wiesbaden: VMA-Verlag, 4. Auflage, 2002;
Die skandinavischen Sprachen. Eine Einführung in ihre Geschichte
by Einar Haugen, Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag, 1984;
English Place-Names by Kenneth Cameron, London: B.T. Batsford
Ltd., 3rd ed., 1988;
English Place-Name Elements by A.H. Smith, 2 Vols., English
Place-Name Society Vols. 25 + 26, Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1987;
Geographische Namen in Deutschland: Herkunft und Bedeutung der Namen von
Ländern, Städten, Bergen und Gewässern ed. by Dieter Berger, Duden
Taschenbücher, Mannheim: Dudenverlag, 1993;
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by T.E. Karsten, Stockholm: Bökförlaget Natur och Kultur, 1925;
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Studium by Wilhelm Schmidt, Stuttgart: Hirzel, S., 7. verb. Aufl.,
1996;
Håndbog i danske stednavne by Houken, Aage,
København: Rosenkilde og Bagger, 1956;
Introduction to the Survey of English Place-names (Vol. 1) ed.
Mawer, A. & Stenton, F.M. Part 1: Introduction, Cambridge: Cambridge U.P.,
1925;
Íslensk Orðabók by Árni Böðvarsson, Reykjavík:
Menningarsjóður/Mál og Menning, 1996;
Kortfattad Svensk Språk Historia by Gösta Bergman, Stockholm:
Prisma Bokförlaget, 1995;
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Naaml. Venn. Standaard-Boekhandel, 1956;
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by van Berkel, G. & Samplonius, K., Utrecht: Het Spectrum, 1995;
Nordiska: Våra Språk förr och nu by Jóhanna Barðdal, et al.,
Lund: Studentlitteratur, 1997;
Norsk Språkhistorie by Vemund Skard, Oslo: Universitetsforlaget,
1977;
Norsk Stadnamngranskning edited by Ola Stemshaug, Oslo: Det
Norske Samlaget, 1973;
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Ola (ed.), Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget, 1998;
Ortnamnen i Sverige by Bengt Pamp, Lund: Studentlitteratur, 1970
(a good general textbook);
Ortsnamen. Ihre
Entstehung und Bedeutung by Prof. Johannes Feldmann, Halle:
Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, 1925;
Our Forefathers: the Gothonic Nations by Gudmund Schütte,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2 Vols.), 1929;
Place-Name Evidence for the Anglo-Saxon Invasion and Scandinavian
Settlements, Nottingham: English Place-Name Society, 1987;
Problems of Place-Name Study (Being a Course of Three Lectures
delivered at King's College), by A. Mawer, Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1920;
The Scandinavian Languages: An Introduction to their History by
Einar Haugen, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard U.P., 1976;
Signposts
to the Past
by Margaret Gelling, Sussex: Phillimore, 1988;
Stednavne Vol. V of Nordisk Kultur published by
Magnus Olsen, København-Oslo-Stockholm, 1939;
Stednavne og Kulturhistorie by Kristian Hald, København: Dansk
Historisk Fællesforenings Håndbøger, 2.oplag, 1969;
Stednavnordbog by Bent Jørgensen (Gyldendals små røde ordbøger),
København: Gyldendal, 1994;
Sønderjyske Stednavne (Danmarks Stednavne nr. 3) udgivet af
Stednavneudvalget, København: G.E.C. Gads Forlag, 19 vols (1931-44);
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names by E.
Ekwall, Oxford: Oxford U.P., 1960;
The Origin of English Place-names by P.H. Reaney, London:
Routledge & Keegan Paul, 1960;
Vad våra Ortnamn berätta by Jöran Sahlgren, Stockholm: Bonniers
Förlag, 1932;
Vore Stednavne by Kristian Hald, København: G.E.C.
Gads Forlag, 2. rev. udgave, 1965 (An excellent textbook on Danish place-names in general);
Words and Places by Isaac Taylor, London: J.M. Dent & Sons
Ltd., 1864;
Ættegård og Helligdom by Magnus Olsen, Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co., 1926.
© Edward Smith 2015