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

by Christina Blackie

I

I (Gadhelic),

an island; e.g. I-Colum-chille or Iona (the island of St. Columba’s cell); Ierne or Ireland (the western island or the island of Eire, an ancient queen).

IA (Cel.),

a country or land; e.g. Galatia and Galicia, and anc. Gallia (the country of the Gauls); Andalusia, for Vandalusia (the country of the Vandals); Batavia (the good land), bette, good; Britania or Pictavia (probably the land of painted tribes); Catalonia, corrupt. from Gothalonia (the land of the Goths); Circassia (the land of the Tcherkes, a tribe); Croatia (the land of the Choriots or mountaineers); Suabia (of the Suevii); Moravia (the district of the R. Moravia); Moldavia (of the R. Moldau). It is called by the natives and Turks Bogdania, from Bogdan, a chieftain who colonised it in the thirteenth century. Ethiopia (the land of the blacks, or the people with the sunburnt faces), from Grk. ops (the face), and aitho (to burn); Phœnicia (the land of palms or the brown land), Grk. Phœnix; Silesia (the land of the Suisli); Bosnia (the district of the R. Bosna); Russia, named after Rourik, a Scandinavian chief; Siberia, from Siber, the ancient capital of the Tartars; Kaffraria (the country of the Kaffirs or unbelievers), a name given by the Arabs; Dalmatia (the country of the Dalmates, who inhabited the city Dalminium); Iberia, the ancient name of Spain, either from the R. Ebro or from a tribe called the Iberi or Basques; Caledonia, perhaps from Coille (the wood).

IACUM,

an affix used by the Romans, sometimes for ia (a district), and sometimes the Latinised form of the adjectival termination ach—qu. v. p. 5; e.g. Juliers, Lat. Juliacum (belonging to Julius Cæsar); Beauvais, Lat. Bellovacum (belonging to the Bellovaci); Annonay, Lat. Annonicum (a place for grain, with large magazines of corn); Bouvignes, in Belgium, Lat. Boviniacum (the place of oxen); Clameny, Lat. Clameniacum (belonging to Clement, its founder); Joigny, anc. Joiniacum, on the R. Yonne; Annecy, Lat. Anneacum (belonging to Anecius); Cognac, Lat. Cogniacum (the corner of the water), Fr. coin, Old Fr. coiny, Cel. cuan.

IERE,

an affix in French topography denoting a possession, and generally affixed to the name of the proprietor; e.g. Guilletière (the property of Guillet); Guzonière (of Guzon).

ILI (Turc.),

a district; e.g. Ili-Bosnia (the district of the R. Bosna); Rumeli or Roumelia (the district of the Romans).

ILLIA (Basque),

a town; e.g. Elloirio, Illora, and Illura (the town on the water, ura); Lorca, anc. Illurcis (the town with fine water); Elibyrge (the town with the tower), Grk. pyrgos; Elché, anc. Illici (the town on the hill, ci); Illiberus (new town, surnamed Elne after the Empress Helena), in Spain; the isle of Oleron, anc. Illura (the town on the water).

IM and IN,

a contraction for the Ger. in der (in or on the); e.g. Imgrund (in the valley); Imhorst (in the wood); Eimbeck (on the brook); Imruke (on the ridge).

ING, INGEN,
INGA,

an affix used by the Teutonic races, as a patronymic, in the same sense as Mac is used in Scotland, ap in Wales, and O in Ireland. Ing is generally affixed to the settlement of a chief, and ingen to that of his descendants. Ing, preceding ham, ton, dean, ley, thorp, worth, etc., is generally an abbreviation of ingen, and denotes that the place belonged to the family of the tribe, as in Bonnington, Collington, Collingham, Islington (the home of the Bonnings, the Collings, and the Islings). In French topography ingen takes the forms of igny, igné, or inges; and it appears, by comparing the names of many towns and villages in England and the north-west of France with those of Germany, that Teutonic tribes forming settlements in these countries transferred the names in their native land to their new homes. For the full elucidation of this subject reference may be made to Taylor’s Words and Places, chap. vii. and the Appendix, and to Edmund’s Names of Places, p. 58. Only a few examples of the use of this patronymic can be given here; thus, from the Offings—Oving and Ovingham, corresponding to the Ger. Offingen and the Fr. Offignes. From the Eppings—Epping, Ger. Eppinghofen, and Fr. Epagne. The Bings—Bing, Bingham, Bingley; Ger. Bingen; Fr. Buigny. The Basings—Eng. Basing, Basingham, Bessingby; Fr. Bazigny. From the Raedings—Reading, Co. Berks. The Harlings—Harlington. The Billings—Bellington. From the Moerings or Merovingians many French towns and villages are named; e.g. Morigny, Marigné, Merignac, Merrigny; in England—Merring, Merrington. We can sometimes trace these tribe names to the nature of the localities which they inhabited. Thus the Bucings, from which we have Boking and Buckingham, to a locality abounding in beech-trees, boc; the Durotriges, from which we have Dorset and Dorchester, are the dwellers by the water, dur; as well as the Eburovices, who gave their name to Evreux, in France. Ing, also, in A.S. names, sometimes means a meadow, as in Clavering, in Essex (clover meadow), A.S. Claefer; Mountnessing, Co. Essex (the meadow of the Mountneys, who were formerly lords of the manor); Godalming (the meadow of Godhelm).

INNER (Ger.),

opposed to ausser (the inner and outer), as in Innerzell, Ausserzell (the inner and outer church).

INNIS (Gadhelic),
YNYS, ENEZ (Cym.-Cel.),
INSEL (Ger.),
INSULA (Lat.),
NESOS (Grk.),

an island, also in some cases pasture land near water, or a peninsula. It often takes the form of inch, as in Inchkeith (the island of the Keith family); Inchcolm (St. Columba’s Island); Inchfad (long isle); Inchgarvie (the rough island); Inchard (high isle); Inch-Cailleach (the island of the old women or nuns), in Loch Lomond, being the site of an ancient nunnery; Inchmarnoch (of St. Marnoch), in the Firth of Clyde; Inchbrackie (the spotted isle); Inchgower (the goat’s isle); Inchtuthill (the island of the flooded stream); Craignish, anc. Craiginche (the rocky peninsula); Durness, in Sutherlandshire, is a corrupt. from Doirbh-innis (the stormy peninsula); Ynys-Bronwen (the island of Bronwen, a Welsh lady who was buried there), in Anglesey; Ynis-wyllt (wild island), off the coast of Wales; Inysawdre (the isle and home of refuge), in Glamorgan. In Ireland: Ennis (the river meadow); Enniskillen, Irish Inis-Cethlenn (the island of Cethlenn, an ancient queen of Ireland); Ennisheen (beautiful island); Devenish, in Lough Erne, is Daimhinis (the island of oxen). But Enniskerry is not from this root; it is corrupt. from Ath-na-scairbhe (the rough ford); Orkney Isles, Gael. Orc-innis (the islands of whales); they are sometimes called Earr-Cath (the tail of Caithness); Innisfallen, in Lake Kallarney (the island of Fathlenn); the Hebrides or Sudereys, called Innisgall (the islands of the Gaels); the Aleutian Islands, from Russ. aleut (a bald rock); in Holland, Duiveland (pigeon island), and Eyerlandt (the island of the sand-bank); Eilenburg, in Saxony (the town on an island in the R. Mulda); Isola, a town in Illyria (on an island); Issola or Imo-Isola (low island), in Italy; Lille, in Flanders, anc. L’Isle, named from an insulated castle in the midst of a marsh; Peloponnesus (the island of Pelops); Polynesia (many islands).

INVER, or INBHIR (Gadhelic),
INNER,

a river confluence or a creek at the mouth of a river. This word is an element in numerous names throughout Scotland; and although it is not so common in Ireland, it exists in old names, as in Dromineer, for Druim-inbhir (the ridge of the river mouth). In Scotland it is used in connection with aber, the word inver being found sometimes at the mouth and aber farther up the same stream: thus—Abergeldie and Invergeldie, on the Geldie; Abernyte and Invernyte, etc.; Inversnaid (the needle or narrow confluence, snathad, a needle); Innerkip (at the conf. of the Kip and Daff); Inveresk and Inverkeilor (at the mouths of the Esk and Keilor), in Mid Lothian and Forfar; Innerleithen (at the conf. of the Leithen and Tweed), in Peebles; Inveraven (at the conf. of the Aven and Spey); Inverness (at the conf. of the Ness with the Beauly); Inveraray (at the mouth of the Aray); Inverury (the Urie); Inverkeithing (of the Keith); Inverbervie or Bervie (at the mouth of the Bervie); Peterhead, anc. Inverugie Petri or Petri promontorium (the promontory of the rock of St. Peter), on the R. Ugie, with its church dedicated to St. Peter; Inverleith, now Leith (at the mouth of the Leith); Inverarity (at the mouth of the Arity), in Forfar; Cullen, anc. Invercullen (at the mouth of the back river)—v. CUL.

ITZ, IZ, IZCH,

a Sclavonic affix, signifying a possession or quality, equivalent to the Teut. ing; e.g. Carlovitz (Charles’s town); Mitrowitz (the town of Demetrius); Studnitz (of the fountain); Targowitz (the market town); Trebnitz and Trebitsch (poor town); Schwanitz (swine town); Madlitz (the house of prayer); Publitz (the place of beans); Janowitz (John’s town); Schwantewitz (the town of the Sclavonic god Swantewit).