Place name etymology book

An easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples, and reproducible quizzes. Place name definition of place name by the free dictionary. The unique heritage of placenames in north west england. While this book does contain reference to other name origins french, norman, latin, etc this is in the section labelled irish first names not a list of irish origin names, but rather of first names. From the gaelic name niall, which is of disputed origin, possibly meaning champion or cloud. Minnesota place names minnesota historical society. It will provide you with a names meaning and a breakdown of the different parts of the name its elements and the languages of those elements. Instead it is a story of minnesota and of the families who settled here and in many cases gave their names. The unique heritage of placenames in north west england geoffrey leech, lancaster university, uk 1. The most place families were found in the usa in 1880. Absco, a southern pacific station, was coined in the 1920s from the name of the american beet sugar company, which had a factory in oxnard. A dictionary of iowa placenames university of iowa press. You can use the key to search for a particular place name, or to browse through the names of a particular county.

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name triplett. The vast majority are taken verbatim from an 1870 book, irish local. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This anniversary edition concentrates on the origins of the names currently used for the cities, towns, settlements, mountains, and streams of california, with. Actually, dalai is a mongolian word meaning ocean and lama is a tibetan term corresponding to the indian word guru, which denotes a teacher. Finally, the many california place names of american indian originsuch as yreka, shasta, napa, sonoma, tamalpais, yosemite, lompoc, mugu, coachella, or powayreceive particular attention from editor william bright. In fact, it is the most complete such guide to be found in a single reference. The denver public library colorado place names preface this is hardly a colorado history book. The origin of place names we can learn a huge amount about the history of great britain by studying the origin of place names from across the country.

Praise for the previous edition of minnesota place names. Dictionary of british place names oxford reference. Search names, name meanings, etymology and history of names, surnames, cities and more. For example, the word etymology comes to us from the ancient greek language. The study of such place names is known as toponymics or toponymya branch of onomastics. Adrian room, a notable toponymist, maintains the high standards of his other books on placenames and word origins. Pochea is an indian village site in riverside county, said to. The origin of certain place names in the united states. Another volume for every local historians bookshelf local historianthis revised edition of the dictionary of british placenames includes over 17000 engaging. The proper name of a locality, either natural as of bodies of water, mountains, plains, and valleys or social as of cities, counties, provinces, nations, and states. Origins of place names virtually all of the place names decided on up to around the 14th century were due to the environment of the area. The colorful history and culture of wisconsin are reflected in its place names, from those created by native americans, french explorers, and diverse european settlers to more recent appellations commemorating political figures.

Whether a place is named after a saxon chief who had a short temper hastings or refers to the fact that you used to fish for eels there ely or has the name it has today because the normans couldnt pronounce its original one cambridge and nottingham, to name two of many almost everywhere has a story to tell. Latin and sanskrit also have words for writing that are based on tree names birch and ash, respectively. Heres a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead. I love place names and the meanings behind them, once you have the basics you can work out what a lot of place names mean but this book is good as it will.

This book belongs in every iowa history collection. If there is one indispensable arizona book, barness arizona place names is it. William bright like its predecessors, this edition concentrates on the origins of the names currently used for the cities, towns, settlements, mountains, and streams of california, with engrossing accounts of the. The work responded to the presence of classics in the antarctic, in the place names given by british public schooleducated explorers there is extensive use of place names without accompanying maps throughout the book, and many of the maps provided lack keys and scales the townland survey not only mapped the townlands but also collected information on local antiquities and place names. Stewart theorized, in his book names on the globe, that hellespont originally meant something like narrow pontus or entrance to. Place name expert richard morgan has shed light on these questions, and many more beside, in a new book. Toponymy or toponomastics is the study of place names toponyms, their origins, meanings. The annals of iowa it is one of the beauties of iowa that travel across the state brings a person into contact with so many wonderful names, some of which a traveler may understand immediately, but others may require a bit of investigation. Pochea is an indian village site in riverside county, said to mean where the rabbit went in. Types of toponym include agronym the name of a field or pasture, dromonym the name of a transportation route, drymonym the name of a forest or grove, econym the name of a village or town, limnonym the name of a lake or pond, and necronym the. Sara groves 406 4445357 helena among montanas most enduring legacies are the names assigned to its geographic features and places found on the state map. Buy a dictionary of british placenames oxford paperback reference rev.

A guide to latin place names and their meanings latinitium. This was the name of a semilegendary 4thcentury irish king, niall of the nine hostages. Place names of illinois, by edward callary, is such a book, as entertaining and. History of montanas place names now available on web. Place names of colorado denver public library history. A dictionary of british placenames oxford quick reference. The origin and etymology of current geographical names. The place name press, c1945 page images at hathitrust see also whats at your library, or elsewhere. No previously published directory comes close to its extent or depth of coverage. The origin and history of irish names of places by joyce, p. 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.

A companion to his study of indian place names in alabama, this long outofprint guide offers a new introduction from patricia wickman in which she provides current understandings of seminole language and derivations and a brief analysis of reads contribution to the. Place names is a modest description, for the listings unleash a flow of history, folklore, geography, and etymology. Appears in 32 books from 18831965 page 14 iteyond the rocky mountains and the far west, by. The surname place was first found in various counties throughout ancient britain as the name is derived from a geographical locality. This is a special order and it costs a bit more than most of the other books here, but we probably would have paid more for it had we known how delightful it would be. You have came to right place to find thousands of names and meaning of names. For example, there are some cases where the origin of the name are clear, such as with newcastle, but there are other places that have been heavily affected by the influences of old languages. For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a roman fort on a hill, from the roman caster and celtic don. The origin of place names of the countries within britain are discussed below. A dictionary of british placenames oxford paperback. The words dalai lama mean different things to different people, that for me they refer only to the office i hold. In the early middle ages the name was adopted by viking raiders and settlers in ireland in the form njal. This revised edition of the dictionary of british placenames includes. Key to english placenames, the reference to the origins of placenames compilied by the institute of namestudies university of nottingham.

The origin of certain place names in the united states second edition, by henry gannett. Edward callary unearths the origins of names of nearly three thousand illinois. This book traces the origins of place names such as california, named after the mythical black queen califia, and the town of peanut, named by a postmaster. Florida placenames of indian origin and seminole personal. The place family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. Virtually all of the place names decided on up to around the 14th century were due to the environment of the area. The book of london place names, an excellent guide by caroline taggart. This book, however, differs from orbis latinus in that it not only contains. The meaning and history of surnames behind the name names. New york had the highest population of place families in 1840.

The old english word originally meant any written document. Their origin and meaning, including the nomenclature of the streams and mountains piedmont, wv. This was about 35% of all the recorded place s in the usa. Youve encountered a latin place name and cant find the meaning. If you want a dictionary that includes extensive etymology more than most then the oxford dictionary of the english language is awesome. It will provide you with a name s meaning and a breakdown of the different parts of the name its elements and the languages of those elements. And compare french livre book, from latin librum, originally the inner bark of trees see library. Find the meaning, history and origin of surnames, also called last names or family names, as well as famous bearers and usage statistics. This section is from the book chamberss concise gazetteer of the world, by david patrick.

There are many lists of irish place names and their meanings online. The meaning and history of surnames behind the name. The meaning and history of first names behind the name. Various names have been used for the island of britain, see britain name. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the usa, and how they made the journey from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.