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

by Christina Blackie

H

HAAR (Teut.),

an eminence; e.g. Haarlem (the eminence on the clayey soil, leem).

HAFEN, HAVN (Teut. and Scand.),
HOFEN, HAMM,
HAVRE (Fr.),

a harbour, from haff (the ocean); e.g. Frische-haff (freshwater haven); Kurische-haff (the harbour of the Cures, a tribe); Ludwig’s-hafen (the harbour of Louis); Charles’s-haven, Frederick’s-haven (named after their founders); Delfshaven (the canal harbour); Vilshaven (the harbour at the mouth of the R. Vils); Thorshaven (the harbour of Thor); Heiligenhaven (holy harbour); Hamburg (the town of the harbour), formerly Hochburi (high town); Soderhamm (the south harbour); Osterhafen (east harbour); Ryehaven, in Sussex (the harbour on the bank, rive); Milford-haven (the harbour of Milford), the modern name of the Cel. Aber-du-gledian (the confluence of the two swords), a word applied to streams by the ancient Britons; Whitehaven, in Cumberland, according to Camden named from its white cliffs; Stonehaven (the harbour of the rock), in allusion to the projecting rock which shelters the harbour; Newhaven, Co. Sussex, in allusion to the new harbour made in 1713—its former name was Meeching; Newhaven, Co. Edinburgh, named in contradistinction from the old harbour at Leith.

HAG, HAGEN (Teut. and Scand.),
HAIGH, HAY, HAIN,

an enclosure, literally a place surrounded by a hedge, cognate with the Celtic cae; e.g. Hagen, in Germany, and La Haye, Les Hayes, and Hawes (the enclosures), in France, Belgium, and England; Hagenbach (the hedged-in brook); Hagenbrunn (the enclosed well); Hagueneau (the enclosed meadow), a town in Germany; Fotheringay (probably originally an enclosure for fodder or fother); The Hague, Ger. Gravenhage (the duke’s enclosure, originally a hunting-seat of the Princes of Orange); Hain-Grossen (the great enclosure); Jacob’s-hagen (James’s enclosure), in Pomerania; Urishay (the enclosure of Uris), in Hereford; Haigh and Haywood (the enclosed wood), in Lancashire.

HAGO, HEGY (Hung.),

a hill; e.g. Kiraly-hago (the king’s hill); Szarhegy (the emperor’s hill).

HAI (Chinese),

the sea; e.g. Hoanghai (the yellow sea); Nankai (the southern sea).

HAIDE, or HEIDE (Teut.),

a heath or wild wood; e.g. Falkenheid (the falcon’s wood); Birchenheide (the birch-wood); Hohenheid and Hochheyd (high heath); Hatfield, Hadleigh, Hatherley, and Hatherleigh (the heathy field or meadow); Hadlow (heath hill); Haidecke (heath corner); Heydecapelle (the chapel on the heath), in Holland.

HAIN (Ger.),

a grove or thicket; e.g. Wildenhain (the wild beasts’ thicket); Wilhelmshain (William’s grove or thicket); Langenhain (long thicket); Grossenhain (the thick grove).

HALDE (Ger.),

a declivity, cognate with hald, Scand. (a rock); e.g. Leimhalde (clayey declivity); Frederick’s-hald, in Norway, so named by Frederick III. in 1665. Its old name was simply Halden (on the declivity).

HALL, or ALH (Teut.),
HEAL (A.S.),

a stone house, a palace; e.g. Eccleshall (church house), in Staffordshire, where the Bishops of Lichfield had a palace; Coggeshall, in Essex (Gwgan’s mansion); Kenninghall (the king’s palace), in Norfolk, at one time the residence of the princes of East Anglia.

HALL and HALLE,

in German topography, is a general name for a place where salt is manufactured. The word has its root in the Cym.-Cel. halen (salt), cognate with the Gadhelic salen and the Teut. salz, probably from the Grk. hals (the sea). Hall and Halle, as town names, are found in connection with Salz; as in Hall in Upper Austria, near the Salzberg (a hill with salt mines), and Hall, near the salt mines in the Tyrol; Halle, in Prussian Saxony, on the R. Saale; Reichenhall (rich salt-work), in Bavaria; Hallein, celebrated for its salt-works and baths, on the Salza; Hallstadt, also noted for its salt-works; Hall, in Wurtemberg, near salt springs; Halton, in Cheshire, probably takes its name from the salt mines and works in the neighbourhood; Penardhalawig (the headland of the salt marsh) was the ancient name of Hawarden, in Flint and Cheshire; Halys and Halycus (salt streams), in Galatia and Sicily.

HAM, HEIM (Teut. and Scand.),
HJEM, HEIM,

a home or family residence, literally a place of shelter, from heimen, Ger. (to cover), hama, A.S. (a covering), cognate with the Grk. heima; e.g. Hampstead and Hampton (the home place); Okehampton (the dwelling on the R. Oke), in Devonshire; Oakham (oak dwelling), so called from the numerous oaks that used to grow in its vicinity; Buckingham (the home of the Buccingus or dwellers among beech-trees); Birmingham, probably a patronymic from the Boerings; Addlingham and Edlingham (the home of the Athelings or nobles); Horsham (Horsa’s dwelling); Clapham (Clapa’s home); Epsom, anc. Thermæ-Ebbesham (the warm springs of Ebba, a Saxon queen); Flitcham (Felex’s home); Blenheim, Ger. Blindheim (dull home), in Bavaria; Nottingham, A.S. Snotengaham (the dwelling near caves); Shoreham (the dwelling on the coast); Waltham (the dwelling near a wood); Framlingham (the dwelling of the strangers), from the A.S.; Grantham (Granta’s dwelling); Ightham (the parish with eight villages), in Kent; Wrexham, anc. Writtlesham (the town of wreaths), A.S. wreoth; Ingelheim (the dwelling of the Angli); Ingersheim (of Ingra); Oppenheim (of Uppo); Rodelheim (of Rodolph); Southampton (the south dwelling, in distinction from Northampton); Twickenham (the dwelling between the streams, where the Thames seems to be divided into two streams); Rotherham, anc. Cel. Yr odre (the boundary), Lat. Ad-fines (on the boundary); Wolverhampton (the dwelling endowed by the Lady Wulfrana in the tenth century); Godmanham, in Yorkshire (the holy man’s dwelling), the site of an idol temple, destroyed under the preaching of Paulinus, whose name it bears. This root-word is often joined to the name of a river, thus—Coleham, Coverham, Debenham, Hexham or Hestildisham, Jaxtham, Lenham, Trentham, Tynningham (i.e. towns or villages on the Rivers Colne, Cover, Deben, Hestild, Jaxt, Len, Trent, Tyne); Cheltenham, on the Chelt; Oxnam, Co. Roxburgh, formerly Oxenham (a place of shelter for oxen); Hameln, on the R. Hamel, in Hanover; Drontheim or Trondjeim (throne dwelling); Kaiserheim (the emperor’s dwelling); Heidelsheim (the dwelling of Haidulf), in Bavaria; Hildesheim, probably the dwelling near the field of battle, Old Ger. hilti (a battle); Mannheim (the dwelling of men), as contrasted with Asheim or Asgarth (the dwelling of the gods), in Baden; Hildersham, in Yorkshire, anc. Hildericsham (the dwelling of Childeric). Ham is often contracted into om, um, en, or am, etc.—as in Dokum (the town of the port or dock), in Holland; Nehon, in Normandy, corrupt. from Nigel’s home; Angeln (the dwelling of the Angli); Oppeln, in Silesia (the dwelling of Oppo); Edrom, in Berwickshire, corrupt. from Adderham (the dwelling on the R. Adder); Ednam, on the Eden, in Roxburghshire; Hitchen, on the Hiz or Hitche, in Herts; Fulham, anc. Fullenham (the home of birds), A.S. fugil; Hownam (the dwelling of Howen or Owen), in Roxburghshire. In Flanders ham or heim often takes the forms of eim, em, etc., as in Killim (the dwelling of Kilian); Ledringhem (of Ledro); Hem (of Hugnes); Pitgain (of the well); Wolsen, for Wolfsheim; Bohemia (the home of the Boii); Dahlen (valley dwelling); Wolsen (Wolfa’s dwelling).

HAMMAN (Ar. and Turc.),
HAMMAH,

hot springs; e.g. Hamman-Mousa (the hot springs of Moses); Hamman-Pharoon (of Pharaoh); Hammah-de-Cabes (the warm baths of Cabes), in North Africa; Alhama (the town of the warm baths), the name of several places in Spain.

HAMMER (Scand.)

This word sometimes signifies a village or small town, and sometimes a rock; e.g. Lillehammer (the little town); Oesthammer (east village); Hamr (a steep place), in Shetland; Hammerfeste, in the island of Qualoe, probably means the rock fortress, faestung. In German topography it is generally connected with the blacksmith’s hammer, and is common in localities where metals are worked, thus—Hammersmeide (hammer-smithy); Silberhammer (a place where silver is wrought), near Dantzic. Kemble also suspects a reference to Thor’s hammer in the names of some towns or villages in England; e.g. Hamerton, in Huntingdon, and also in Middlesex; Hammerwich, in Staffordshire; Hamerton-kirk, in Yorkshire.

HANG (Ger.),

a declivity, from hängen (to hang), A.S. hongian; e.g. Hangenheim (the dwelling on the declivity); Pannshanger (Penn’s slope), in Herts; Clehonger (clayey slope), Hereford.

HAR, HAER (Teut.),

the army; e.g. Harwich (army town or bay), in Essex, so called because the Danes had a great military depot at this place; Herstal, in Belgium, anc. Hari-stelle (army place); Hargrave (the army entrenchment), in Norfolk; Harbottle (the army’s quarters), in Northumberland. In Edmond’s Names of Places this prefix, as well as hor, is referred to an A.S. word signifying hoary; under which he places Harborough, in Leicestershire, the name of which is traced by Bailey to havre (oats).

HART, HARZ (Teut.),
HYRST (A.S.),

brushwood or a wood; e.g. the Harz Mountains, with the town of Harzburg (the fortress in the wood); Harsefeld (woody field), in Hanover; Hurst, in Kent; Deerhurst (deer wood or thicket); Hurst-Monceaux (the wood of Monceaux, probably a Norman baron), in Sussex; Hurst, a town in Lancashire; Lyndhurst (the wood of lime-trees); Midhurst (in the middle of the wood); Hawkhurst (hawk wood); Gravenhorst (the count’s wood); Horstmar (rich in wood)—v. MAR; Billing’s-hurst (the wood of the Billings), a patronymic; Farnhurst and Ferneyhurst (ferny wood); Sendenhorst (the rushy wood), in Westphalia; Herzovia or Herzegovia (a woody district), in Turkey; Murrhard, in Wurtemberg, means the wood on the R. Muhr; Delmenhorst, on the Delme, in Hanover. Hart, in English topography, however, refers more commonly to heort (the hart), as in Hartgrove, Hartland, Hartley, Hartfield, Hartsford, Hartshill. It occasionally takes the form of chart, as in Seal-chart (holy wood); Chart-Sutton (the wood at the south town).

HASEL, HAEZEL (Teut.),

the hazel-tree; e.g. Hessle (the place of hazels); Haselburn and Haselbrunnen (the stream and well of the hazels); Haslau (hazel meadow); Heslington (the dwelling among hazels); Hasselt, in Belgium, i.e. Hasselholt, Lat. Hasseletum (hazel grove); Hasseloe (hazel island), in Sweden and Denmark; Hazeldean and Haslingden (the hollow of the hazels).

HATCH, HÆCA (A.S.),

a bolt, a gate, hence an enclosed dwelling; e.g. Hatch-Beauchamp (the enclosed dwelling of Beauchamp, a personal name); Colney-Hatch (of Colney); West-Hatch, in Somerset; Pilgrim’s Hatch, in Essex.

HAUGH, HEUGH,
HOW, HOPE.

In Scotland these words generally denote a low-lying meadow between hills or on the banks of a stream,—as in Hobkirk (i.e. the church in the hope or meadow); Howwood (the wood in the hollow); Hutton, for Howton (the dwelling in the hollow), parishes in Scotland. In England how and haugh come more frequently from the Scand. haugr (a heap or mound often raised over a grave, like the cairns in Scotland),—as in Silver-how, Butterlip-how, in the Lake District, probably from mounds over some Norse leader’s grave; Haugh, in Lincoln; Haugham (the dwelling near the mound); Howden, in Yorkshire (the valley of the haugr or mound); Haughley (the meadow near the mound). La Hogue, in France, is from haugr or from the houg, as also Les Hogues and La Hoguette (the little mound); Gretna Green is the modern name for Gretan-how (the great hollow). Haugr also means a temple or high place, fenced off and hallowed, among the Scandinavians; and to this word so derived Dasent traces Harrow-on-the-hill and Harrowby.

HAUPT (Ger.),
HOVED (Scand.),
HEAFOD (A.S.),

a head, a promontory; e.g. Howth Head, in Ireland, from the Danish hofed—its Irish name is Ben Edair (the hill of Edar); Brunhoubt (the well head); Berghaupt (hill head); Ruckshoft (ridge head), in Germany; Hoft (the headland), in the island of Rugen; Sneehatten (snowy head), in Norway; Hoddam (holm head), in Dumfriesshire.

HAUS (Teut.),
HUUS (Scand.),
HAZA (Hung.),

a dwelling, allied to casa, Lat., It., Span., and Port.; e.g. Mühlhausen (at the mill house); Saxenhausen (the dwelling of the Saxons); Wendenhausen (of the Wends); Schaffhausen (the ship station), which consisted originally of a few storehouses on the banks of the Rhine for the reception of merchandise; Dunkelhauser (the dark house); Aarhuus (the town on the watercourse), a seaport in Denmark; Aggers-huus, in Norway, on the R. Agger. This district and river seems to have been named from an agger or rampart erected near Christiania in 1302, on the Aggerfiord. Ward-huus (the dwelling in the island of the watch-tower), on the coast of Fenmark; Holzhausen (the dwelling at the wood); Burghausen (the fortified dwelling); Distilhousen (the dwelling among thistles), in Belgium. In Hungary, Bogdan-haza (God’s house); Oroshaza (the dwelling of the Russians); Chaise-Dieu, Lat. Casa-Dei (the house of God), in France. Also in France, Chaise, Les Chaises; Casa-nova (new house); Casa-vecchia (old house), in Corsica; Chassepierre, Lat. Casa-petrea (stone house), in Belgium; Casa-bianca (white house), in Brazil.

HEL, HELLE,
HELGE, HEIL,

prefixes with various meanings in Eng., Ger., and Scand. topography. Sometimes they mean holy, Ger. heilig, as in Heligoland (holy isle); Heilbron (holy well); Heligensteen (holy rock); Heilberg and Hallidon (holy hill); Heiligencreuz (the town of the holy cross), Hung. Nemet-keresztur (the grove of the cross); Heiligenhaven (holy harbour); Heiligenstadt (holy town); Halifax, in Yorkshire (holy face), is said to have been named from an image of John the Baptist, kept in a hermitage at the place; Hoxton, in Sussex, was originally Hageltoun (holy town), because it was there that St. Edmund suffered martyrdom. Sometimes, however, hell denotes a covered place, as in Helwell, in Devonshire (the covered well); sometimes it means clear, as in Hellebrunn (clear or bright fountain); Heilbronn, in Wurtemberg (fountain of health), named from a spring formerly used medicinally. Hellefors, a waterfall in Norway, and Hellgate, New York, seem to derive their names from a superstition connected with Hel, the goddess of the dead; Holyhead, in Wales, is in Welsh Pen-Caer-Gibi (the hill fort of St. Cybi, called holy in his honour); Holy Island, Lat. Insula-sancta, obtained its name from the monastery of St. Cuthbert—its more ancient name, Lindisfarne, is probably the ferry, fahr, of the brook Lindis, on the opposite shore; Holywell, in Flint, took its name from St. Winifred’s Well, celebrated for its miraculous cures—its Welsh name is Tref-fynnon (the town of the clear water); Holywood, Dumfriesshire, Cel. Der Congal (the oak grove of St. Congal).

HELLR (Scand.),

a cave into which the tide flows; e.g. Hellr-hals (the neck or strait of the cave); Heller-holm (the island of the cave); Hellersness (the headland of the caves).

HELY (Hung.),

a place; e.g. Vasarhely (the market-place); Varhely (the place of the fortress); Marosvasarhely (the market-place on the R. Maros), in Ger. Neumarkt; Vasarhely-hod-Mezö (the market-place of the beaver’s meadow); Szombathely (the place where the Saturday market is held, szombat); Csotortokhely (the Thursday market-place), Germanised Donners-markt; Udvarhely (court place); Szerdahely (Wednesday market-place), Vasar, Hung. (a market), from Turc. Bazar.

HEN (Cym.-Cel.),

old; e.g. Henly (the old place), on the Thames; Hentland, for Hen-llan (old church, now St. Asaph’s); Henlys (old palace): Hen-egglys (old church), in Anglesea.

HEN (Cym.-Cel.),

old, ancient; e.g. Henlys (the ancient hall).

HENGST (Teut.),

a horse—hence Hengiston, in Cornwall, either an enclosure for horses or the town of Hengist; Hengestdorf or Pferdsdorf (horse’s village); Hengistridge (horse’s ridge); Hinksey (the horse’s island or marshy place); Hinkley (the horses’ meadow).

HERR, HERZOG (Ger.),
HERTOG (Dutch),

a duke or lord; e.g. Herzogenbosch or Bois-le-Duc (the duke’s grove); Hertogspodler (the duke’s reclaimed land); Herzogenburg (the duke’s fortress); Herzogenrath (the duke’s cleared land); Herrnsbaumgarten (the duke’s orchard); Herrnhut (the Lord’s tabernacle), founded by Count Zinzendorf, in Saxony, for the Moravian Brethren, in 1722; Herisau (the duke’s meadow), Lat. Augia-Domini, in Switzerland.

HESE, or HEES (Teut.),

a hedge or thicket; e.g. Hessingen (the dwelling in the thicket); Maashees (the thicket on the R. Maas); Wolfhees (the wolf’s thicket).

HILL (A.S.),
HYL, HOLL (Scand.),

an elevation, cognate with the Ger. hugel; e.g. Silver-hill, named after Sölvar, a Norse leader, in the Lake District; Hilton, Hilston (hill town); Woolwich, anc. Hyl-vich (hill town); Butterhill (the hill of Buthar), a personal name in the Lake District.

HINDU (Pers.),

water; e.g. the Rivers Indus, Inde, Indre, etc.; Hindostan (the district watered by the R. Indus).

HIPPO (Phœn.),

a walled town; e.g. Hippo, near Carthage. There were three cities called Hippo in Africa and two in Spain: Olisippo (the walled town), now Lisbon; Oreppo, Belippo, Lacippo.

HIR (Cym.-Cel.),

long.

HIRSCH (Ger.),

the hart; e.g. Hirzenach (the hart’s stream); Hersbrock (the hart’s marsh); Hirschberg, Lat. Corvamontem (the hart’s hill); Hirschfeld, Herschau, Hirschholm, Hirschhorn (the field, meadow, hill, peak of the harts).

HISSAR (Turc.),

a castle; e.g. Kezil-hissar (red castle); Kara-hissar (black castle); Eski-hissar (old castle), anc. Laodicea; Demir-hissar (iron castle); Guzel-hissar (white castle); Sevri-hissar (cypress castle); Sultan-hissar (the sultan’s castle); Kulci-hissar (the castle on the R. Khelki).

HITHE (A.S.),

a haven; e.g. Hythe, in Kent; Greenhithe (the green haven); Lambeth, anc. Lomehithe (clayey haven); Maidenhead, anc. Mayden-hithe, i.e. the wharf midway between Marlow and Windsor; Queenhithe (the queen’s haven); Redriff, in Surrey, anc. Rethra-hythe (the haven of sailors), A.S. rethra, also called Rotherhithe (the haven for horned cattle), Old Eng. rother; Stepney, anc. Stebon-hythe (Stephen’s haven or timber wharf); Erith, A.S. Ora-hithe (shore haven), in Kent; Challock, in Kent, corrupt. from ceale hythe (chalk haven).

HJALTI (Scand.),

a Viking; e.g. Shapansay, anc. Hjalpansay (the Viking’s island); Shetland, i.e. Hjaltiland, with the same meaning.

HLINC (A.S.),

a ridge; e.g. Linch, in Sussex; Rouselinch (Rouse’s ridge), in Worcestershire.

HO (Chinese),

a river or water; e.g. Euho (the precious river); Hoangho (the yellow river); Peiho (white river); Yuho (imperial river); Keangho (rapid river); Hoonan (south of the lake); Hoohe (north of the lake, i.e. of Lake Tongting).

HOCH, HOHEN (Ger.),
HEAH, HEAG (A.S.),
HOOG (Dutch),

high; höhe (a height); e.g. Hohurst and Hohenhart (high wood); Hohenberg (high hill); Homburg (high hill fort); Homburg-von-der-höhe (the high fort in front of the height); Hochfeld (high field); Hochain (high enclosure); Hochstadt, Hochstetten, Hochstatten (high dwelling); Hocheim (high home or dwelling), from which place Hock wines are named; Hochwiesen, Sclav. Velko-polya (high meadow or plain); Hochst for Hochstadt, and Hoym for Hochham (high town); Hohenelbi, Grk. Albipolis (the high town on the Elbe); Hohenlohe (the high meadow or thicket); Hohenstein and Hohenstauffen (high rock); Hohenwarth, Lat. Altaspecula (the high watch-tower); Hohenzollern (the high place belonging to the Zwolf family); Hohenscheid (the high watershed); Hockliffe (high cliff), in Bedford; Higham, Highworth (high manor or dwelling); Highgate (high road); Wilhelmshöhe (William’s high place); Hoy, in Shetland (the high island).

HOF (Teut.),
HOEVE (Dutch),

an enclosure, manor, and court. In Scandinavia hoff means a temple; e.g. Eyndhoven (the manor at the corner); Neuhof and Neunhoffen, in France (new manor); Hof and Hoff (the enclosure), in Belgium; Hof, in Bavaria, on the R. Saale; Stadt-am-hof, in Bavaria, anc. Curia Bavarica (the place at the court); Hof-an-der-March (the court or manor on the R. March); Schoonhoven (beautiful manor), in Holland; Nonnenhof (the nun’s enclosure); Meerhof (the dwelling on the marshy land); Peterhof (the court dwelling founded by Peter the Great); Hoff (the temple), in Iceland; Hoff, a village near Appleby, has the same meaning, as it is situated in a wood called Hoff-land (the temple grove). In Iceland, when a chieftain had taken possession of a district, he erected a temple (hoff) and became, as he had been in Norway, the chief, the pontiff, and the judge of the district; and when the Norwegians took possession of Cumberland and Westmoreland they would naturally act in the same manner.

HOHN (Old Ger.),

a low place, as in Die-Höhne (the hollows), in the Brocken.

HÖLLE (Teut.),

a cave, from hohl (hollow); e.g. Hohenlinden, anc. Hollinden (the hollow place of lime-trees); Holland or the Netherlands (the low countries); also Holland, a low-lying district in Lincolnshire; Holdeornesse (the low promontory of the province of Deira); Holmer, in Hereford (the low lake, mere).

HOLM (Scand.),

a small island; e.g. Flatholm (flat island); Steepholm (steep island); Priestholm (of the priest); Alderholm (of alders); Holm, in Sweden, and Hulm, in Norway (the island); Stockholm, anc. Holmia (the island city, built upon stakes). But holm also signifies occasionally a hill, as in Smailholm, in Roxburghshire (little hill); and Hume, or holm, Castle, in Berwickshire (on a hill). Sometimes also it signifies a low meadow on the banks of a stream, as in Durham, corrupt. from Dun-holm or Dunelme (the fortress on the meadow), almost surrounded by the R. Wear; Langholm (the long meadow); Denholm (the meadow in the deep valley); Twynholm, anc. Twynham (the dwelling on the hillock), Welsh twyn, a parish in Kirkcudbright; Brachenholm (ferny meadow); Lingholme (heather island), in Windermere; also Silverholme (the island of Sölvar, a Norse leader); Bornholm, in the Baltic, anc. Burgundaland (the island of the Burgundians); Axholme, an insulated district in Co. Lincoln, formed by the Rivers Trent, Idle, and Don, from uisge, Cel. (water); Drotningholm, in the Mälar Lake near Stockholm (queen’s island), from Swed. drottmig (a queen); Battleholme, found in some places in the north of England, according to Ferguson, means fertile island, from an Old English word battel or bette (fertile).

HOLT, HOLZ (A.S. and Ger.),

a wood; e.g. Aldershot (alder-tree wood); Bergholt (the hill or hill fort in the wood); Evershot (the boar’s wood, eofer); Badshot (badger’s wood); Bochholt (beech-wood); Jagerholz (huntsman’s wood); Oosterhout (east wood); Holzkirchen (the church at the wood); Thourhout, in East Flanders (the wood consecrated to the god Thor); Tourotte, in the department of Oise, in France (also Thor’s wood); Hootenesse (woody promontory), in Belgium; Diepholz (deep wood); Meerholt and Meerhout (marshy wood); Holt, a woody district in Norfolk.

HOO, or HOE (Scand.),

a spit of land running into the sea; e.g. Sandhoe (the sandy cape); The Hoe, in Kent; Kew, in Surrey, anc. Kay-hoo (the quay on the spit of land).

HORN (Ger.),
HYRNE (A.S.),
HOORN (Dutch),

a horn-like projection or cape jutting into the sea, or a valley between hills, curved like a horn; e.g. Hoorn (the promontory), a seaport in Holland, from which place the Dutch navigator Schoutens named Cape Horn, Hoorn being his native place; Hornburg (the town on the projection); Hornby (corner dwelling); Horncastle (the castle on the promontory); Hornberg and Horndon (the projecting hill); Hornsea (the projection on the coast); Matterhorn (the peak in the meadows), so called from the patches of green meadow-land which surround its base; Schreckhorn (the peak of terror); Finsteraarhorn (the peak out of which the Finster-Aar, or dark Aar, has its source). This river is so named to distinguish it from the Lauter or clear river. Skagenshorn (the peak of the Skaw, in Denmark); Faulhorn (the foul peak), so called from the black shale which disintegrates in water; Wetterhorn (stormy peak); Katzenhorn (the cat’s peak); Silberhorn (the silvery peak); Jungfrauhorn (the peak of the maiden).

HOUC, or HOOG (Teut.),

a corner or little elevation, akin to the Scottish heugh and the Scand. haugr; e.g. Hoogzand and Hoogeveen (the sand and marsh at the corner); Hoogheyd (corner heath); Hoogbraek (the broken-up land at the corner); Stanhoug (stone corner).

HUBEL, or HUGEL (Ger.),

a little hill; e.g. Haidhugel (heath hill); Steinhugel (stony hill); Huchel and Hivel (the little hill); Lindhövel (the hill of lime-trees); Gieshübel (the hill of gushing brooks).

HUNDRED (Eng.),
HUNTARI (Ger.),

a district supposed to have originally comprised at least one hundred family dwellings, like Welsh Cantref (from cant, a hundred), the name of a similar division in Wales; e.g. Hundrethwaite (the cleared land on this Hundred), a district in Yorkshire.

HÜTTE (Teut. and Scand.),

a shed or cottage; e.g. Dunkelhütte (dark cottage); Mooshutten (the cottage in the mossy land); Buxtehude (the hut on the ox pasture); Huttenwerke (the huts at the works or mines); Hudemühlen (mill hut); Hutton (the town of huts). But Landshut, in Bavaria, does not seem to be derived from hütte, but from schutz, Ger. (a defence), as it is in the neighbourhood of an old fortress, on the site of a Roman camp.

HVER (Norse),

a warm, bubbling spring; e.g. Uxaver (the oxen’s spring), in Iceland.