in whatever place

List of generic forms in British place names

The study of place names is called toponymy; for a more detailed examination of this subject in relation to British place names, please refer to British toponymy. This article lists a number of common generic forms found in British place names, their meanings and some examples of their use.

Elements

Key to languages: C - Cumbric; K - Cornish; I - Irish; L - Latin; ME - Middle English; NF - Norman French; OE - Old English; ON - Old Norse; P - Pictish; SG - Scots Gaelic; W - Welsh

Term	Origin	Meaning	Example	Position	Comments
aber	C, W, P, K	mouth (of a river), confluence, a meeting of waters	Aberystwyth, Aberdyfi, Aberdeen, Aberuthven	prefix
ac, acc, ock	OE	acorn, or oak tree	Accrington, Acomb, Acton, Matlock
afon	W, SG, K	river	River Avon, Glanyrafon		W afon is pronounced "AH-von"; several English rivers are named Avon
ar,ard	I, SG	height	Armagh, Ardglass
ash	OE	ash tree	Ashton-under-Lyne
ast	OE	east	Aston	prefix
auch(en)-, ach-	I, SG	field	Auchendinny, Auchenshuggle, Achnasheen	prefix	anglicised from achadh. Ach- is generally the Highland form, and Auch- the lowland. Auchen- "means field of the X" (Achadh nan X)
auchter-	I, SG	height, top of something	Auchtermuchty, Auchterarder	prefix	anglicised from Uachdar
axe, exe, usk	Bry.	from isca, meaning water	Exeter, River Axe (Devon), River Exe, River Usk, Axminster.
ay, y, ey	ON	island	Ramsay, Westray, Lundy, Orkney	suffix (usually)
bal, balla, bally, ball	SG, I	farm, homestead	Ballachulish, Balerno, Ballymena, Ballinamallard	prefix	anglicised from baile
beck	OE,ON	stream	Holbeck, Beckinsale, Troutbeck, Cod Beck
berg, berry	OE/ON	hill (cf. 'iceberg')	Roseberry Topping,		In Farnborough (OE Fernaberga) , berg has converged toward borough
bex	OE	box, the tree	Bexley, Bexhill-on-Sea		The OE name of Bexhill-on-Sea was Bexelei, a glade where box grew.
blen, blaen	C, W	fell, hill, upland	Blencathra, Blencogo, Blaenau Ffestiniog
bost	ON	farm	Leurbost	suffix	cf. ster, (bol)staðr; this form is usually found in the Outer Hebrides
bourne, burn	OE	brook, stream	Bournemouth, Eastbourne, Ashbourne, Blackburn		see also Bourne (placename)
brad	OE	broad	Bradford	prefix
bre	C, W, K	hill	Bredon, Carn Brea	prefix
bury, borough, brough, burgh	OE	fortified enclosure	Aylesbury, Dewsbury, Bury, Middlesbrough, Edinburgh, Peterborough	(usually) suffix	See Borough for further information and other uses. Burgh is primarily Scots.
by	ON	settlement, village	Grimsby, Tenby	usually suffix but compare Bicker (the town marsh)	also survives in bylaw and by-election
carden	P	thicket	Kincardine, Cardenden	suffix
caster, chester, cester, ceter	OE (	camp, fortification (of Roman origin)	Lancaster, Doncaster, Gloucester, Caister, Manchester, Worcester, Chester, Exeter	suffix
caer, car	C, W (	camp, fortification	Caerdydd, Caerleon, Carlisle	prefix	derived from Brythonic "caer" cf Chester (OE.)/Castra (L.)
cheap, chipping	OE	market	Chipping Norton, Chipping Campden, Chepstow		also as part of a street name, e.g. Cheapside. 'Chippenham' is from a personal name.
combe	OE (	valley	Woolacombe (Devon), Doccombe, Ilfracombe		usually pronounced 'coo-m' or 'cum', cognate with cwm
coed	W	wood, forest	Betws-y-coed
cot, cott	OE	cottage, small building	Ascot, Draycott in the Clay, Swadlincote	suffix
cul	C	narrow	Culcheth	prefix
cwm, cum	W, C	valley	Cwmaman, Cumdivock	prefix	Borrowed into old English as suffix "coombe". 'Cwm' in Welsh and 'Cum', in Cumbric.
cum	L	with	Salcott-cum-Virley	hyphenized between two other names	Used where two parishes were combined into one. Unrelated to Cumbric cum.
dal	SG, I	meadow, low lying area by river	Dalry, Dalmellington	prefix	Cognate with and probably influenced by P Dol
dale	OE/ON	valley OE, allotment OE	Airedale i.e valley of the River Aire, Rochdale, Saxondale	suffix	Cognate with thal (Ger.), dalr (ON)
dean, den	OE	valley (dene)	Croydon, Dean Village, Horndean, Todmorden	suffix	the geography is often the only indicator as to the original root word (cf. don, a hill)
din, dinas	W	fort	Dinas Powys	prefix	homologous to 'dun'; see below
don, den	OE	hill	Abingdon, Bredon, Willesden	suffix
drum	SG, I	ridge, back	Drumchapel, Drumnacanvy, Drumnadrochit	prefix	anglicised from druim
dun, dum	SG, I	fort	Dundee, Dumbarton, Dungannon	prefix	derived from dùn
ey, ea, eg, eig	OE eg	island	Romsey, Athelney, Ely
ey	OE haeg	enclosure	Hornsey, Hay (-on-Wye)		separate meaning to -ey 'island' - see above
field	OE	open land, a forest clearing	Sheffield, Wakefield, Huddersfield	suffix
fin	SG	white, holy	Findochty	prefix	anglicised from 'fionn'
firth	OE	wood or woodland	Holmfirth, Chapel-en-le-Frith	suffix
firth	ON	fjord, inlet	Burrafirth, Firth of Forth		from Norse fjorðr
ford, forth	OE	ford, crossing	Bradford, Ampleforth
fos, foss	L, OE	ditch	River Foss, Fangfoss		Separate from ON 'foss, force' - see below
foss, force	ON	waterfall	Aira Force, High Force		Separate from L/OE 'fos, foss' - see above
gate	ON	road	Gate Helmsley, Holgate
garth	ON	enclosure	Aysgarth
gill, ghyll	ON	ravine, narrow gully	Gillamoor, Garrigill, Dungeon Ghyll
glen	SG, I	narrow valley, dale	Rutherglen, Glenarm		anglicised from gleann
ham	OE	farm, homestead, [settlement]	Rotherham, Newham, Nottingham	suffix	often confused by hamm, an enclosure
hithe, hythe	OE	wharf, place for landing boats	Rotherhithe, Hythe, Erith
holm	OE	island	Holmfirth, Hempholme
hope	OE	valley, enclosed area	Woolhope, Glossop
hurst	OE	(wooded) hill	Dewhurst, Woodhurst
ing	OE ingas	people of	Reading , the people (followers) of Reada, Spalding, the people of Spald	suffix	sometimes survives in an apparent plural form e.g. Hastings; also, often combined with 'ham' or 'ton'; 'homestead of the people of' (e.g. Birmingham, Bridlington)
inver	SG	mouth of (a river), confluence, a meeting of waters	Inverness	prefix	cf. 'aber'.
keld	ON	spring	Keld, Threlkeld
keth, cheth	C	wood	Penketh, Culcheth	suffix	cf. W. 'coed'
kil	SG, I	monastic cell, old church	Kilmarnock, Killead	prefix	anglicised from Cill
kin	SG, I	head	Kincardine, Kinallen	prefix	anglicised from Ceann
king	OE/ON	king, tribal leader	King's Norton, King's Lynn, Kingston, Kingston Bagpuize, Coningsby
kirk	ON	church	Kirkwall, Ormskirk, Colkirk
kyle	SG	narrows	Kyle of Lochalsh	prefix	anglicised from Caol
lan, lhan, llan	C, K, P, W	church, churchyard, village with church, parish	Lanteglos (Cornwall), Lhanbryde (Moray), Lanercost,	prefix
lang	OE	long	Langdale, Great Langton, Kings Langley	prefix
law, low	OE	from hlaw, a rounded hill	Charlaw, Tow Law, Lewes, Ludlow	often standalone	often a hill with a barrow or hillocks on its summit
lea, ley, leigh	OE	from leah, a woodland clearing	Barnsley, Hadleigh, Leigh	(usually) suffix
lin, llyn	C, W	lake (or simply water)	Lindow, Lindefferon,	usually prefix
ling, lyng	OE	heather	Lingmell
magna	L	great	Appleby Magna,Chew Magna, Wigston Magna		Primarily a medieval affectation
mere	OE	lake, pool	Windermere, Grasmere, Cromer
minster	OE	large church, monastery	Westminster, Wimborne Minster
moss	OE	Swamp, bog	Mossley, Lindow Moss, Moss Side
mynydd	W	mountain	Mynydd Moel	prefix
nan, nans	K	valley	Nancledra (Cornwall)	prefix
nant	C, W	ravine or the stream in it	Nantgarw, Nantwich	prefix	same origin as nan, nans above
ness	OE, ON	promontory, headland (literally 'nose')	Sheerness, Skegness, Inverness, Furness	suffix
nor	OE	north	Norton, Norbury, Norwich	prefix
pant	W	a hollow	Pantmawr
parva	L	little	Appleby Parva, Wigston Parva
pen	C, K, W	head (headland or hill)	Penzance, Pendle, Penrith	prefix	also Pedn in W. Cornwall
pit	P	portion, share, farm	Pitlochry (Perthshire), Pitmedden, Pittodrie	prefix	homologous with K peath
pol	C, K	pool or lake	Polperro (Cornwall), Poltragow	prefix
pont	L, K, W	bridge	Pontypridd, Pontheugh	prefix	can also be found in its mutated form bont, e.g, Pen-y-bont (Bridgend); originally from Latin pons
porth	K, W	harbour	Porthcawl	prefix
shaw	OE	a wood	Penshaw, Openshaw	standalone or suffix	a fringe of woodland
shep, ship	OE	sheep	Shepshed, Shepton Mallet, Shipton, North Yorkshire	prefix
stan	OE	stone, stony	Stanmore, Stamford, Stanlow	prefix
stead	OE	place, enclosed pasture	Hampstead, Berkhamsted	suffix
ster	ON	farm	Lybster, Scrabster	suffix	cf. -bost from (bol)staðr
stoke	OE stoc	dependent farmstead, secondary settlement	Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke Damerell, Basingstoke	(usually) standalone
stow	OE	(holy) place	Stow-on-the-wold, Padstow, Chepstow, Stowmarket
strath	SG	wide valley, vale	Strathmore (Angus)	prefix	derived from srath (but conflated with Brythonic "Ystrad")
street	L, OE	road (roman)	Spittal-in-the-Street, Chester-le-Street		derived from strata, L. 'paved road'
sud, sut	OE	south	Sudbury, Sutton	prefix
swin	OE	pigs, swine	Swinton, Swinford (Leicestershire)
tarn	ON	lake			In modern English, usually a glacial lake in a coombe.
thorp, thorpe	ON	secondary settlement	Cleethorpes, Thorpeness		an outlier of an earlier settlement
thwaite, twatt	ON thveit	a forest clearing with a dwelling, or parcel of land	Huthwaite, Twatt	suffix
tre	C, K, W	settlement	Trevose Head, Tregaron, Trevercraig	prefix
tilly	SG	hillock	Tillicoultry, Tillydrone	prefix
toft	ON	homestead	Lowestoft	usually suffix
treath	K	beach
tun, ton	OE tun	enclosure, estate, homestead	Tunstead, Brighton, Coniston		OE pronunciation 'toon'. Compare en. town, nl. tuin (garden) and ger. Zaun (fence); all derived from Germanic root 'tun
weald, wold	OE	high woodland	Wealdstone, Stow-on-the-Wold Southwold
wick, wich, wych, wyke	L, OE	place, settlement	Norwich, Ipswich, Alnwick	suffix	related to Latin 'vicus'(place), cf. nl. 'wijk'
wick	ON vik	bay	Runswick, Wick, Lerwick	suffix	cf. Jorvik (modern York)
whel	C	mine or cave	Wheldrake
worth, worthy, wardine	OE	enclosure	Tamworth, Farnworth, Holsworthy, Bredwardine	usually suffix
ynys	W	Island	Ynys Mon (Anglesey)