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

by Christina Blackie

K

KAAI, KAI, KADE (Teut.),

a quay or a bank by the water-side; e.g. Oudekaai (old quay); Kadzand (the quay or bank on the sand); Moerkade (marshy bank); Kewstoke (the place on the quay); Kew, in Surrey, on the Thames; Torquay (the quay of the hill called Tor).

KAHL (Ger.), CALO (A.S.),

bald, cognate with the Lat. calvus; e.g. Kalenberg and Kahlengebirge (the bald mountains).

KAISER (Ger.),
KEYSER (Dutch),
CYZAR (Sclav.),

the emperor or Cæsar; e.g. Kaisersheim, Kaiserstadt (the emperor’s town); Kaiserstuhl (the emperor’s seat); Kaiserberg (the emperor’s fortress), in Alsace, named from a castle erected by Frederick II.; Kaiserslautern (the emperor’s place), on the R. Lauter; Kaiserswerth (the emperor’s island), on the Rhine; Keysersdyk (the emperor’s dam); Keysersloot (the emperor’s sluice), in Holland; Cysarowes (the emperor’s village), in Bohemia; Kaisariyeh, anc. Cæsarea.

KALAT, or KALAH (Ar.),

a castle; e.g. Khelat, in Belochistan; Yenikale (the new castle), in the Crimea; Calatablanca (white castle), in Sicily; Calahorra, Ar. Kalat-harral (stone castle), in Spain; Calata-bellota (the oak-tree castle), in Sicily; Calata-girone (the surrounded castle), Sicily; Calata-mesetta (the castle of the women); Calatayud (the castle of Ayud, a Moorish king); Alcala-real (the royal castle); Alcala-de-Henares (the castle on the R. Henares), in Spain; Sanjiac-Kaleh (the castle of the standard), corrupt. by the French into St. Jaques, in Asia Minor; Calatrava (the castle of Rabah).

KAMEN (Sclav.),

a stone; e.g. Camentz, Kemmen, Kammena, Kamienetz (the stony place); Kamminchen (the little stony place), a colony from Steenkirchen; Chemnitz (the stony town, or the town on the stony river); Kersna-kaimai (the Christian’s stone house); Schemnitz, Hung. Selmecz (stony town), in Silesia.

KARA (Turc.),

black; e.g. Karamania (the district of the blacks); Karacoum (the black sand), in Tartary; Kara-su (the black river); Kara-su-Bazar (the market-town on the Kara-su); Kara-Tappeh (the black mound), in Persia; Kartagh and Kartaon (the black mountain chains), in Turkey and Tartary; Kara-Dengis, the Turkish name for the Black Sea, called by the Russians Tchernœ-more, Ger. Schawarz-meer; Kara-mulin (black mill); Cape Kara-bournow (the black nose), in Asia Minor.

KEHLE (Ger.),

a gorge or defile; e.g. Bergkehle (hill gorge): Hundkehle (the dog’s gorge); Langkehl (long gorge); Kehl (the gorge), in Baden; Schuylkill (the hidden gorge), a river in America.

KESSEL, KEZIL (Ger.),
KYTEL (A.S.),

literally a kettle, but in topography applied to a bowl-shaped valley surrounded by hills; e.g. Ketel, in Holstein; Kessel, in Belgium; Kessel-loo (the low-lying grove or swamp), in Belgium; Kesselt (the low-lying wood, holt), in Belgium; Kettle or King’s-kettle (the hollow), in the valley of the R. Eden, in Fife, formerly belonging to the crown; but such names as Kesselstadt, Kesselsham, Kettlesthorpe, and Kettleshulme are probably connected with the personal name Chetil or Kettle, being common names among the Teutons and Scandinavians.

KIR (Heb.),
KIRJATH,

a wall or stronghold, a city or town; e.g. Kir-Moab (the stronghold of Moab); Kiriathaim (the two cities); Kirjath-Arba (the city of Arba), now Hebron; Kirjath-Baal (of Baal); Kirjath-Huzoth (the city of villas); Kirjath-jearim (of forests); Kirjath-sannah (of palms), also called Kirjath-sepher (the city of the book). The Breton Ker (a dwelling) seems akin to this word, as in Kergneû (the house at the nut-trees), in Brittany.

KIRCHE (Ger. and Scand.),
CYRIC (A.S.),
KERK (Dutch),

a church. The usual derivation of this word is from kuriake, Grk. oikos-kuriou (the Lord’s house); e.g. Kirkham, Kerkom, Kirchdorf (church town); Kirchhof (church court); Kirchwerder (church island), on an island in the R. Elbe; Kirchditmold (the church at the people’s place of meeting)—v. DIOT. Fünfkirchen (the five churches), in Hungary; Kirchberg (church hill), in Saxony. Many parishes in Scotland have this affix to their names, as in Kirkbean (the church of St Bean); Kirkcaldy (the church of the Culdees, who formerly had a cell there); Kirkcolm (of St. Columba); Kirkconnel (of St. Connal); Kirkcowan, anc. Kirkuen (of St. Keuin); Kirkcudbright (of St. Cuthbert); Kirkden (the church in the hollow); Kirkhill (on the hill); Kirkhope (in the valley); Kirkinner (the church of St. Kinneir). In England: Kirkby-Lonsdale (the church town), in the valley of the Lune; Kirkby-Stephen (of St. Stephen, to whom the church was dedicated); Kirkdale, in Lancashire; Kirkham, also in Lancashire; Kirkliston (the church of the strong fort, founded by the Knights Templars), in Linlithgow; Kirkoswald, named after Oswald, King of Northumberland; Kirkurd, in Peeblesshire, Lat. Ecclesia de Orde (the church of Orde or Horda, a personal name); Kirkwall, Norse Kirk-ju-vagr (the church on the bay); Hobkirk (the church in the hope or valley); Ladykirk, in Berwickshire, dedicated to the Virgin Mary by James IV. on his army crossing the Tweed near the place; Falkirk, supposed to be the church on the Vallum or wall of Agricola, but more likely to be the A.S. rendering of its Gaelic name Eglais-bhrac (the spotted church), fah in A.S. being of divers colours; Stonykirk, in Wigtonshire, corrupt. from Steenie-kirk (St. Stephen’s church); Kirkmaden (of St. Medan); Carmichael for Kirk-Michael (of St. Michael); Bridekirk (of St. Bridget); Carluke for Kirkluke (of St. Luke); Selkirk, anc. Sella-chyrche-Regis (the seat of the king’s church, originally attached to a royal hunting-seat); Laurencekirk (the church of St. Laurence, Archbishop of Canterbury, called the Apostle of the Picts); Kirby-Kendal (the church in the valley of the Ken or Kent); Channelkirk, in Berwickshire, anc. Childer-kirk (the children’s church, having been dedicated to the Innocents).

KIS (Hung.),

little; e.g. Kis-sceg (little corner), in Transylvania; Kishissar (little fort).

KLAUSE, KLOSTER,

a place shut in, from the Lat. claudo, also a cloister; e.g. Klausen (the enclosed place), in Tyrol; Klausenburg (the enclosed fortress); Klausenthal (the enclosed valley); Kloster-Neuburg (the new town of the cloister); Chiusa, in Tuscany, anc. Clusium, and Clusa, in Saxony (the enclosed place), also La Chiusa, in Piedmont; but claus, as a prefix, may be Klaus, the German for Nicholas, and is sometimes attached to the names of churches dedicated to that saint.

KLEIN (Ger.),

little; e.g. Klein-eigher (the little giant), a mountain in Switzerland.

KNAB, KNOP (Scand. and Teut.),
CNAP (Cel.),

a hillock; e.g. Noopnoss (the projecting point); Knabtoft (the farm of the hillock); The Knab, in Cumberland; Knapen-Fell (the hill with the protuberance), in Norway; Knapdale (the valley of hillocks), Argyleshire; Knapton, Knapwell (the town and well near the hillock); Snape (the hillock), in Suffolk and Yorkshire; Nappan (little hillock), and Knapagh (hilly land), in Ireland.

KNOLL (Teut.),
KNOW,

a hillock; e.g. Knowle and Knoyle (the hillock); Knowl-end (hill end); Knowsley (hill, valley, or field). In the form of know or now it is common as an affix in Scotland.

KOH (Pers.),

a mountain; e.g. Koh-baba (the chief or father mountain); Caucasus (mountain on mountain, or the mountain of the gods, Asses); Kuh-i-Nuh (Noah’s mountain), the Persian name for Ararat; Kashgar (the mountain fortress).

KOI (Turc.),

a village; e.g. Kopri-koi (bridge village); Haji-Veli-koi (the village of the pilgrim Veli); Papaskoi (the priest’s village); Kadikoi (the judge’s village); Hajikoi (the pilgrim’s village); Akhmedkoi (Achmed’s village); Boghaz-koi (God’s house), near the ruins of an ancient temple in Asia Minor.

KÖNIG (Ger.),
CING (A.S.),

a king; e.g. Königshofen (the king’s court); Königheim (the king’s dwelling); Königsbrunn (the king’s well); Königshain (the king’s enclosure); Königshaven (the king’s harbour); Königsberg, in Prussia, and Kongsberg, in Norway (the king’s mountain); Königstein (the king’s rock fortress); Coningsby, Connington, Coniston, Kingsbury, places in England where the Anglo-Saxons held their court; Kingston, in Surrey, where their kings were generally crowned; Kingston or Hull, upon the R. Hull, in Yorkshire, named after Edward I.; Kingston, Co. Dublin, so named in commemoration of George IV.’s visit to Ireland; Kingston, in Jamaica, named after William III.; Cunningham, Kingthorpe, Kingsby (the king’s dwelling or farm); but Cuningsburg, in Shetland, may be derived from Kuningr (a rabbit); Kingsbarns, in Fife, so called from certain storehouses erected there by King John during his occupation of the castle now demolished.

KOPF, KOPPE (Ger.),
COPA (Welsh),
KUPA (Sclav.),
CABO (Span.),

a headland or mountain peak; e.g. Catzenkopf (the cat’s head); Schneekopf and Schneekoppe (snowy peak); Ochsenkopf (the oxen’s peak); Riesenkoppe (giants’ peak); Perecop, in Russia (the gate of the headland); Vogelskuppe (the birds’ peak); Cape Colonna (the headland of the pillars), so named from the ruins of a temple to Minerva; Cape Leuca (the white); Cape Negro (the black); Cape Roxo (the red cape); Kuopio (on a headland), in Russia; Cabeza-del-buey (ox headland), in Spain; Cabeciera (black headland), in Spain; Capo-d’Istria (the summit of Istria); Copeland, a district in Cumberland full of peaks or headlands.

KOPRI, KUPRI (Turc.),

a bridge; e.g. Vezir-kopri (the vizier’s bridge); Keupri-bazaar (the market-town at the bridge); Keupris (bridge town), in Turkey.

KOS (Sclav.),

a goat; e.g. Koselo (goat’s river); Koslin (goat town), in Pomerania.

KOSCIOL (Sclav.),

a Romish church; e.g. Kostel, Kosteletz (towns with a Romish church), a Protestant church being called Zbor, and a Greek church Zerkwa.

KRAL, KROL (Sclav.),

a king; e.g. Kralik, Kralitz, Krolow, Kraliewa, Kralowitz (the king’s town or fortress).

KRASNA (Sclav.),

beautiful; e.g. Krasnabrod (the beautiful ford); Krasnapol (the beautiful city); Krasno-Ufimsk (the beautiful town of the R. Ufa); Krasna and Krasne (the beautiful place).

KRE (Sclav.),

a coppice; e.g. Sakrau, Sakrow (behind the coppice).

KREIS (Ger.),

a circle; e.g. Saalkreis (the circle watered by the R. Saal); Schwardswaldkreis (the circle of the Black Forest).

KREM, KRIM (Sclav.),

a stone building; e.g. The Kremlin (the stone fort of Moscow); Kremmen, Kremenetz, Kremnitz, Kremmenaia, Kremenskaia, towns in Russia, Poland, and Lusatia.

KRONE, KRON (Teut. and Scand.),

a crown; e.g. Kronstadt, Hung. Brasso (crown city), in Hungary; Cronstadt, in Russia, founded by Peter the Great; Königscrone (the king’s crown); Carlscrone (Charles’s crown); Landscrone (the crown or summit of the land), a mountain and town in Silesia—also with the same meaning, Landscrona, in Sweden. Kron, however, as a prefix, comes occasionally from krahn (a crane), as in Kronwinkel (the crane’s corner).

KRUG (Ger.),

a small inn; e.g. Dornkrug (the thorn inn); Krugmülle (the mill at the inn).