Geographical etymology: a dictionary of place-names giving their derivations

by Christina Blackie

F

FAGUS (Lat.),

a beech-tree; Fagetum, a place planted with beeches; e.g. La Fage, Le Faget, Fayet, Les Faus, Faumont, in France.

FAHR, FUHR (Teut. and Scand.),

a way or passage—from fahren, to go; e.g. Fahrenhorst (the passage at the wood); Fahrenbach, Fahrwasser (the passage over the water); Fahrwangen (the field at the ferry); Rheinfahr (the passage over the Rhine); Langefahr (long ferry); Niederfahr (lower ferry); Vere or Campvere, in Holland (the ferry leading to Kampen); Ferryby (the town of the Ferry), in Yorkshire; Broughty-Ferry, in Fife (the ferry near a brough or castle, the ruins of which still remain); Ferry-Port-on-Craig (the landing-place on the rock, opposite Broughty-Ferry); Queensferry, West Lothian, named from Queen Margaret; Connal-Ferry (the ferry of the raging flood), confhath-tuil, in Argyleshire; Fareham, Co. Hants (the dwelling at the ferry).

FALU, or FALVA (Hung.),

a village; e.g. Uj-falu (new village); Olah-falu (the village of the Wallachians or Wallochs, a name which the Germans applied to the Sclaves); Hanus-falva (John’s village); Ebes-falva (Elizabeth’s village), Ger. Elizabeth-stadt; Szombat-falva (the village at which the Saturday market was held); Balars-falva (the village of Blaise); Bud-falva (the village of Buda).

FANUM (Lat.),

a temple; e.g. Fano, in Italy, anc. Fanum-Fortunæ (the temple of fortune), built here by the Romans to commemorate the defeat of Asdrubal on the Metaurus; Famars, anc. Fanum-Martis (the temple of Mars); Fanjeaux, anc. Fanum-Jovis (of Jove); St. Dié, anc. Fanum-Deodati (the temple of Deodatus, Bishop of Nevers); St. Dezier, anc. Fanum-Desiderii (the temple of St. Desiderius); Florent-le-Vieul, anc. Fanum-Florentii (of St. Florentius); St. Flour, Fanum-Flori (of St. Florus).

FARR (Norse),

a sheep. This word seems to have given names to several places in the north of Scotland, as affording good pasture for sheep; e.g. Farr, a parish in Sutherlandshire); Farra, Faray, islands in the Hebrides and Orkneys; Fare, a hill in Aberdeenshire.

FEARN (Gadhelic),
FAUR, or VAUR (great)—v. MAUR,

the alder-tree; e.g. Fernagh, Farnagh, and Ferney (a place abounding in alder-trees), in Ireland; Glenfarne (alder-tree valley); Ferns, Co. Wexford, anc. Fearna (the place of alders); Gortnavern (the field of alders); Farney, Co. Monaghan, corrupt. from Fearn-mhagh (alder-tree plain); Altanfearn (the little stream of alders); Sronfearn (the point of alders)—v. p. 178; Fearns (the alder-trees), in Ross-shire; Fearn, also in Forfar; Ferney, on the Lake of Geneva, probably with same meaning as Ferney in Ireland.

FEHER (Hung.),

white; Szekes-Fehervar, Ger. Stulweissenburg (the throne of the white fortress).

FEKETE (Hung.),

black; e.g. Fekete-halam (black hill).

FEL (Hung.),

upper, in opposition to al, lower; e.g. Felsovaros (upper town); Alvaros (lower town).

FELD, or VELD (Teut.),

a plain or field; lit. a place where trees had been felled; e.g. Feldham (field dwelling); Feldberg (field fortress); Bassevelde, in Belgium (low plain); Gurkfeld (cucumber field); Leckfeld, Rhinfeld (the plain of the Rivers Leck and Rhine); Great Driffield, in Yorkshire (dry field); Huddersfield, in Doomsday Oderesfeld, from a personal name; Macclesfield (the field of St. Michael’s church); Sheffield, on the R. Sheaf; Mansfield, on the R. Mann; Lichfield, Co. Stafford (the field of corpses), A.S. Licenfelt, where, according to tradition, a great slaughter of the Christians took place in the reign of Diocletian; Wakefield (the field by the wayside, waeg); Spitalfields, (i.e. the fields near the hospital or place of entertainment), Lat. hospitalium. There is a watering-place near Berwick called Spital, also a suburb of Aberdeen called the Spital; Smithfield, in London, is a corruption of Smethfield (smooth field); Beaconsfield, Berks, so called from having been built on a height on which beacon fires were formerly lighted); Coilsfield, in Ayrshire (the field of Coilus or King Coil). There is a large mound near it said to mark the site of his grave.

FELL, FIALL, or FJELD (Scand.),
FEL, FELSEN (Ger.),

a high mountain or mountain range; e.g. Dovrefeld (the gloomy mountains); Donnersfeld (the mountain range of thunder or of Thor); Snafel, Iceland, and Sneefell, in the Isle of Man (snow mountain); Blaefell (blue mountain); Drachenfells (the dragon’s rock); Weissenfels (the white rock); Rothenfels (red rock); Scawfell (the mountain of the scaw or promontory); Hartfell (of harts); Hestfell (of the steed); Lindenfels (of the linden-tree); Lichtenfels (the mountain of light), a Moravian settlement in Greenland; Fitful Head, corrupt. from fitfioll (the hill with the promontory running into the sea), Old Norse fit—in Shetland; Falaise, in France, a promontory, derived from the Ger. fell; Fellentin (the fort, dun, on the rock), in France; Souter-fell, Cumberland; Saudfjeld, Norway; Saudafell, in Iceland (sheep hill), from Old Norse sauder, a sheep; perhaps Soutra Hill, in Mid-Lothian, may come from the same word; Criffel (the craggy rock), Dumfries; Felza, Felsbach (rocky stream), in France; Felsberg (rock fortress), in Germany; Goat-fell, in Arran, Gael. Gaoth-ceann (the windy point), to which the Norsemen added their fell.

FENN (Ger.),
VEN, or VEEN (Dutch),
FEN (A.S.),

a marsh; e.g. the Fenns or marshy lands; Fen-ditton (the enclosed town on the marsh); Fenny-Stratford (the ford on the Roman road, strat, in the marshy land); Fenwick, Fenton, Finsbury (the town or enclosed place on the marsh); Venloo, in Belgium (the place in the marsh); Veenhof, Veenhusen (dwellings in the marsh); Houtveen (woody marsh); Diepenveen (deep marsh); Zutphen, in Holland (the south marsh); Ravenna, in Italy, called Pludosa (the marshy). It was originally built in a lagoon, on stakes, like Venice; Venice, named from the Veneti, probably marsh dwellers; Vannes, in France, and La Vendée, may be from the same word, although others derive the names from venna (a fisherman), others from gwent, Cel. (the fair plain); Finland (the land of marshes). The natives call themselves Suomilius, from suoma (a marsh). Fang in German and Dutch names, and faing in French names, are sometimes used instead of fenn—as in Zeefang (lake marsh); Aalfang (eel marsh); Habechtsfang (hawk’s marsh); Faing-du-buisson, Dom-faing, etc., in the valleys of the Vosges.

FERN, or FARN (Teut.),

the fern; e.g. Ferndorf, Farndon, Farnham, Farnborough (dwellings among ferns); Farnhurst (fern thicket); Ferndale (fern valley); Farringdon (fern hill); Fernruit (a place cleared of ferns).

FERT,
FERTA (Gadhelic),

a grave or trench; e.g. Farta, Ferta, and Fartha (i.e. the graves); Fertagh and Fartagh (the place of graves); Moyarta, in Clare, Irish Magh-fherta (the field of the graves); Fortingall, in Perthshire, is supposed to have derived its name from this word, Feart-na-gall (the grave of the strangers), having been the scene of many bloody battles.

LA FERTE,

contracted from the French La fermeté, from the Lat. firmitas (strength), applied in topography to a stronghold; e.g. La Ferté Bernardi (Bernard’s stronghold); Ferté-freshal, from Firmitas Fraxinelli (the stronghold of little ash-trees); La Ferté, in Nièvre and in Jura, etc.

FESTE (Ger.),
VESTING (Dutch),
FAESTUNG (Scand.),

a fortress; e.g. Altefeste (high fortress); Franzenfeste (the fortress of the Franks); Festenburg (the town of the fortress); Ivanich-festung (John’s fortress), in Croatia.

FEUCHT (Ger.),
VOICHTIG (Dutch),

moist, marshy; e.g. Feuchtwang (the marshy field), in Bavaria, formerly called Hudropolis, in Greek, with the same meaning; Feucht (the damp place), also in Bavaria; Viecht-gross and Viecht-klein (the great and little damp place), in Bavaria.

LES FÈVES (Fr.),

beans, Lat. faba, from which come such places in France as La Favière, Favières, Faverage, Favray, Faverelles, etc.

FICHTE (Ger.),

the pine-tree; e.g. Schoenfichten (the beautiful pine-trees); Finsterfechten (the dark pine-trees); Fichthorst (pine-wood); Feichheim (a dwelling among pines). In topography, however, it is difficult to distinguish this word from feucht (damp).

FIN, FIONN (Gadhelic),

fair, white, Welsh gwynn; e.g. Findrum (white ridge); Fionn-uisge (the clear water). The Phœnix Park, in Dublin, was so called from a beautiful spring well on the grounds; Findlater (the fair slope, leiter); Fingart (fair field); Finnow, Finnan, and Finglass (fair stream); Finglen (fair glen); Knockfin (fair hill); Loch Fyne (clear or beautiful lake); Fintray, in Aberdeenshire; Fintry, in Stirling (fair strand, traigh); Ventry, Co. Kerry, i.e. Fionn-traigh (fair strand); Finnow (the fair stream).

FIORD, or FJORD (Scand.),

a creek or inlet formed by an arm of the sea, Anglicised ford, or in Scotland firth; e.g. Selfiord (herring creek); Laxfiord (salmon creek); Hvalfiord (whale creek); Lymefiord (muddy creek); Skagafiord (the inlet of the promontory, skagi); Halsfiord (the bay of the neck or hals, i.e. the narrow passage); Waterford, named by the Danes Vadre-fiord (the fordable part of the bay)—the Irish name of the town was Port-lairge (the port of the thigh), from its form; Wexford (the western creek or inlet), also named by the Danes Flekkefiord (the flat inlet)—its Irish name was Inverslanie (at the mouth of the Slaney); Strangford Lough (i.e. the loch of the strong fiord); Carlingford, in Irish Caerlinn, the fiord having been added by the Danes; Vaeringefiord, in Norway (the inlet of the Varangians or Warings); Breidafiord (broad inlet), in Ireland; Haverford, probably from Scand. havre (oats).

FLECKE (Teut. and Scand.),

a spot or level place, hence a hamlet; e.g. Flegg, East and West, in Norfolk; Fleckney (the flat island); Fletton (flat town); Pfaffenfleck (the priest’s hamlet); Amtsfleck (the amptman’s hamlet); Schœnfleck (beautiful hamlet); Marktflecten (the market village); Fladda, Flatholme, Fleckeroe (flat island); Fladstrand (flat strand).

FLEOT, FLIEZ (Teut.),
VLIET (Dutch),

a flush of water, a channel or arm of the sea on which vessels may float; e.g. Fleet (a river name), in Kirkcudbright; Fleet Loch; Swinefleet (Sweyn’s channel); Saltfleetby (the dwelling on the salt water channel); Shalfleet (shallow channel); Depenfleth (deep channel); Adlingfleet (the channel of the Atheling or noble); Ebbfleet, a place which was a port in the twelfth century, but is now half a mile from the shore; Purfleet, Co. Essex, anc. Pourteflete (the channel of the port); Fleetwood (the wood on the channel of the R. Wyre); Mühlfloss (mill channel); Flushing, in Holland, corrupt. from Vliessengen (the town on the channel of the R. Scheldt). In Normandy this kind of channel takes the form of fleur, e.g. Barfleur (the summit or projection on the channel); Harfleur or Havrefleur (the harbour on the channel); Biervliet (the fruitful plain on the channel). Flad as a prefix sometimes signifies a place liable to be flooded, as Fladbury, Fledborough. The Lat. flumen (a flowing stream) is akin to these words, along with its derivations in the Romance languages: thus Fiume (on the river), a seaport in Croatia, at the mouth of the R. Fiumara; Fiumicina, a small seaport at the north mouth of the Tiber; Fiume-freddo (the cold stream), in Italy and Sicily; Flims, in Switzerland, Lat. Ad-flumina (at the streams); Fiume-della Fine, near Leghorn, is a corrupt. of its ancient name, Ad-Fines (the river at the boundary).

FÖLD (Hung.),

land; e.g. Földvar (land fortress); Alfold (low land); Felföld (high land); Szekel-föld (the land of the Szeklers); Havasel-föld (the land beyond the mountains), which is the Hungarian name for Wallachia.

FONS (Lat.),
FONTE (It. and Port.),
FONT, FONTAINE (Fr.),
FUENTE, and HONTANA (Span.),
FUARAN and UARAN (Gadhelic),
FFYNNON (Cym.-Cel.),

a fountain, a well; e.g. Fontainebleau, corrupt. from Fontaine-de-belle-eau (the spring of beautiful water); Fontenoy (the place of the fountain); Fontenay (the place of the fountain); Les Fontaines, Fontanas (the fountains); Fontenelles (the little fountains); Fontevrault, Lat. Fons-Ebraldi (the well of St. Evrault); Fuente (the fountain), the name of several towns in Spain; Fuencaliente (the warm fountain); Fuensagrada (holy well); Fuente-el-fresna (of the ash-tree); Fuente-alamo (of the poplar); Fontarabia, Span. Fuentarrabia, corrupt. from the Lat. Fons-rapidans (the swift-flowing spring); Fuenfrido (cold fountain); Fossano, in Italy, Lat. Fons-sanus (the healing fountain); Hontanas, Hontanares, Hontananza, Hontangas (the place of springs), in Spain; Hontomin (the fountain of the R. Omino), in Spain; Pinos-fuente (pine-tree fountain), in Granada; Saint-fontaine, in Belgium, corrupt. from Terra-de-centum fontanis (the land of the hundred springs); Spa, in Belgium, corrupt. from Espa (the fountain)—its Latin name was Fons-Tungrorum (the well of the Tungri); Fonthill (the hill of the spring). The town of Spalding, Co. Lincoln, is said to have derived its name from a spa of mineral water in the market-place. The Celtic uaran or fuaran takes the form of oran in Ireland: thus Oranmore (the great fountain near a holy well); Knock-an-oran (the hill of the well); Ballynoran (the town of the well); Tinoran, corrupt. from Tigh-an-uarain (the dwelling at the well); Foveran, in Aberdeenshire, took its name from a spring, fuaran, at Foveran Castle; Ffynon-Bed (St. Peter’s well), in Wales.

FORD (A.S.),
FURT, or FURTH (Ger.),
VOORD (Dutch),

a shallow passage over a river; e.g. Bradford (the broad ford), in Yorkshire, on the R. Aire; Bedford, Bedican ford (the protected ford), on the Ouse; Brentford, on the R. Brenta; Chelmsford, on the Chelmer; Camelford, on the Camel; Charford (the ford of Ceredic); Aylesford (of Ægle); Hacford and Hackfurth (of Haco); Guildford (of the guilds or trading associations); Hungerford, corrupt. from Ingle ford (corner ford); Oxford, Welsh Rhyd-ychen (ford for oxen); Ochsenfurt, in Bavaria, and probably the Bosphorus, with the same meaning; Hertford (the hart’s ford); Hereford (the ford of the army), or more probably a mistranslation of its Celtic name, Caer-ffawydd (the town of the beech-trees); Horsford, Illford, and Knutsford (the fords of Horsa, Ella, and Canute). Canute had crossed this ford before gaining a great battle; Watford (the ford on Watling Street); Milford, the translation of Rhyd-y-milwr (the ford of the Milwr), a small brook that flows into the haven; Haverford West—v. HAVN—the Welsh name is Hwlfford (the sailing way, fford), so called because the tide comes up to the town; Tiverton, anc. Twyford (the town on the two fords); Stamford, A.S. Stanford (stony ford), on the Welland; Stoney Stratford (the stony ford on the Roman road); Stafford, anc. Statford (the ford at the station, or a ford crossed by staffs or stilts); Crayford, on the R. Cray; but Crawford, in Lanarkshire, is corrupt. from Caerford (castle ford); Wallingford, anc. Gual-hen, Latinised Gallena (the old fort at the ford); Thetford, anc. Theodford (the people’s ford), on the R. Thet; Dartford, on the R. Darent; Bideford, in Devonshire (by the ford); Furth and Pforten (the fords), in Prussia; Erfurt, in Saxony, anc. Erpisford (the ford of Erpe); Hohenfurth (the high ford), Bohemia; Frankfort, on the Maine and on the Oder (the ford of the Franks); Quernfurt and Velvorde (the fords of the Rivers Quern and Wolowe); Steenvoord (stony ford); Verden, in Hanover (at the ford of the R. Aller).

FORS, FOSS (Scand.),

a waterfall; e.g. High-force, Low-force, on the R. Tees; Skogar-foss (the waterfall on the promontory), in Ireland; Wilberforce, in Yorkshire (the cascade of Wilbera); Sodorfors (the south cascade), in Sweden; Foston (the town of the waterfall).

FORST, VORST (Teut.),

a wood; e.g. Forst-lohn (the path through the wood); Forst-bach (forest brook); Eichenforst (oak forest); Forstheim (forest dwelling).

FORT,

a stronghold; from the Lat. fortis, strong—akin to the Irish Longphorth (a fortress), and the French La Ferté, abridged from fermeté—v. p. 79; e.g. Rochefort (the rock fortress); Fort Augustus, named after the Duke of Cumberland; Fort-George (after George II.); Fort-William, anc. Inverlochy (at the mouth of the lake), and surnamed after William III.; Fortrose (the fortress on the promontory); Fort-Louis, in Upper Rhine, founded and named by Louis XIV.; Charles-Fort, in Canada, named after Charles I. In Ireland the town of Longford is called in the annals Longphorth O’Farrell (the fortress of the O’Farrells). This Irish word is sometimes corrupted, as in Lonart for Longphorth, and in Athlunkard for Athlongford (the ford of the fortress).

FORUM (Lat.),

a market-place or place of assembly; e.g. Forli, anc. Forum-Livii (the forum of Livius), in Italy; Feurs, in France, anc. Forum-Segusianorum (the forum of the Segusiani); Forlimpopoli (the forum of the people); Ferrara, anc. Forum-Alieni (the market-place of the foreigner); Fornova (new forum); Fossombrone, anc. Forum-Sempronii (of Sempronius); Fréjus and Friuli, anc. Forum-Julii (of Julius); Frontignan, anc. Forum-Domitii (of Domitius), also called Frontiniacum (on the edge of the water); Voorburg, in Holland, anc. Forum-Hadriani (the market-place of Hadrian); Klagenfurt, anc. Claudii-Forum (the forum of Claudius); Fordongianus, in Sardinia, anc. Forum-Trajani (the forum of Trajan); Forcassi, anc. Forum-Cassii (of Cassius); Fiora, anc. Forum-Aurelii (of Aurelius); Appii-Forum (of Appius); Marazion, in Cornwall, or Marketjeu, Latinised by the Romans into Forum-Jovis (the forum of Jove or of God), resorted to in former times from its vicinity to the sacred shrine of St. Michael.

FOSSE,

a ditch or trench dug around a fortified place, from the Lat. fodio, to dig; e.g. Fosseway (the road near the trench); Foston (the town with the trench or moat); Fosse, in Belgium; Fos, at the mouths of the Rhone, anc. Fossæ Marianæ Portus (the port of the trench or canal of Marius).

FRANK (Ger.),

free, but in topography meaning belonging to the Franks; e.g. Franconia (the district of the Franks); France, abridged from Frankreich (the kingdom of the Franks or freemen); Frankenthal (the valley of the Franks); Frankenberg and Frankenfels (the hill and rock of the Franks); Frankenburg and Frankenhausen (the dwellings of the Franks); Frankenstein (the rock of the Franks); Frankenmarkt (the market of the Franks); Ville-franche and Ville-franche sur Saone (free town), in France; Villa-franca (free town), several in Italy; Villa-franca (free town), in Spain.

FREI, or FREY (Ger.),

a privileged place, as also freiheit (freedom); e.g. Freyburg and Fribourg (the privileged city); Schloss-freiheit and Berg-freiheit (the privileged castle); Oude-Vrijheid (the old privileged place), in Holland; Freystadt, in Hungary, Grk. Eleutheropolis (free city).

FRÊNE (Fr.),
FRASSINO (It.),
FRESNO (Span.),
FREIXO (Port.),

the ash-tree; e.g. Les Frênes, Les Fresnes (the ash-trees); Frenois, Frenoit, Frenai, Frenay, Fresney (the place abounding in ash-trees), in France; Frassinetto-di-Po (the ash-tree grove on the R. Po).

FREUDE (Ger.),

joy; e.g. Freudenthal (the valley of joy); Freudenstadt (the town of joy).

FRIDE,

a hedge, from the Old Ger. word vride—akin to the Gael. fridh, and the Welsh fridd (a wood); e.g. Burgfried (the hedge of the fortress); Friedberg, anc. Vriduperg (a fortress surrounded by a hedge); but Friedland, in East Prussia, Grk. Irenopyrgos (the tower of peace), is from friede, Ger. peace. The prefix fried is also sometimes a contraction for Frederick—thus Friedburg may mean Frederick’s town.

FRITH, or FIRTH,

the navigable estuary of a river, akin to fiord and the Lat. fretum, a channel; e.g. the Firths of Forth, Tay, and Clyde; the Solway Firth. This word Solway has had various derivations assigned to it: one derivation is from the Selgovæ, a tribe; Ferguson suggests the Old Norse word sulla, Eng. sully, from its turbid waters, particularly as it was called in Leland’s Itinera Sulway. I would suggest the A.S. sol (mire), as this channel is a miry slough at low tide, and can be crossed on foot; Pentland Firth, corrupt. from Petland Fiord (the bay between the land of the Picts and the Orkneys).

FROU, FRAU (Ger.),

lord and lady; e.g. Froustalla (the lord or nobleman’s stall); Frousthorp (the nobleman’s farm); Fraubrunnen (our lady’s well); Frauenberg, Frauenburg, Fraustadt (our lady’s town); Frauenkirchen (our lady’s church); Frauenfeld (our lady’s field).

FUL (A.S.),

dirty; e.g. Fulbeck, Fulbrook (dirty stream); Fulneck or Fullanig (dirty water); Fulham or Fullenham (either the dwelling on the miry place or, according to another derivation, from fügel, a bird).

FÜRED (Hung.),

a bath or watering-place; e.g. Tisza-Füred (the watering-place on the R. Theis or Tisza); Balaton-Füred, on Lake Balaton.

FURST (Ger.),

a prince or the first in rank; e.g. Furstenau, Furstenberg, Furstenfeld, Furstenwald, Furstenwerder, Furstenzell (the meadow, hill, field, wood, island, church, of the prince); but Furstberg means the chief or highest hill.