The Origins Behind the Name of Every City in England

Linguist Rob Watts of RobWords took a very detailed look at the etymological origins behind cities in England, noting that the names are influenced by the country’s long and rich history of conquerers and uninvited guests. This includes Celtic Britons, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Anglo-Normans, all of whom left their names on the English map.

First some quick context: England’s place  names are a product of England’s history. They’ve been influenced by …Celtic Britons who were around from the Iron Age, the Romans who spent a few centuries there, the Anglo-Saxons who came after them, the Vikings who took control of a massive chunk of England, and then William the Conqueror’s Normans. Throw in some Christianity and a  millennium of lazy pronunciation and mishearings and you get to  the place names we have today.