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

by Christina Blackie

R

RADE, RODE (Teut.),

a place where wood has been cut down, and which has been cleared for tillage, from reuten, to root out, to plough or turn up. The word in its various forms, reud, reut, and rath, is common in German topography; e.g. Wittarode (the cleared wood); Herzegerode (the clearing on the Hartz Mountains); Quadrath (the clearing of the Quadi); Lippenrode (the clearing on the R. Lippe); Rade-vor-dem-walde (the clearing in front of the wood); Randarath and Wernigerode (the clearing of Randa and Werner); Zeulenroda (the clearing on the boundary, ziel); Schabert, corrupt. from Suabroid (the Swabian clearing); Pfaffrath (the priest’s clearing); Baireuth (the cleared ground of the Boii or Bavarians); Schussenried (the clearing on the R. Schussen). Royd, in England, means a path cut through a wood, as in Huntroyd, Boothroyd, Holroyd. Terra-rodata (rode land) was so called in opposition to Terra-Bovata, i.e. an ancient enclosure which had been from time immemorial under the plough, i.e. Ormeroyd (Ormer’s rode land).

RAIN, RAND, RA (Teut. and Scand.),
RHYNN (Cym.-Cel.),
RINN (Irish),
ROINN (Gael.),

a promontory or peninsula; e.g. Rain, a town name in Bavaria and Styria; Randers, on a promontory in Denmark; Hohenrain (high promontory); Steenrain (rock headland); Renfrew (the promontory of the stream, frew), anc. Strathgriff, on the R. Griff; the Rhinns (i.e. the points), in Galloway; Rhynie, a parish in Aberdeenshire; Rhind, a parish in Perthshire, with the parish church situated on a headland jutting into the R. Tay; Rinmore (the great point), in Devon, Argyle, and Aberdeenshire; Rindon, in Wigton; Tynron, Gael. Tigh-an-roinne (the house on the point), a parish in Dumfriesshire; Reay, in Sutherlandshire, and Reay, a station on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, from Ra, Norse (a point); Penryn (the head of the point), in Cornwall. This word, in various forms, such as rin, reen, rine, ring, is of frequent occurrence in Ireland; e.g. Ringrone (the seal’s promontory); Rineanna (the promontory of the marsh, eanaigh); Ringville and Ringabella, Irish Rinn-bhile (the point of the old tree); Ringfad (long point); Ringbane (white point); Rineen (little point); Ringagonagh (the point of the O’Cooneys); Rinville, in Galway (the point of Mhil, a Firbolg chieftain); Ringsend, near Dublin (the end of the point).

RAJA, RAJ (Sansc.),

royal; e.g. Rajamahal (the royal palace); Rajapoor (royal city); Rajpootana (the country of the Rajpoots, i.e. the king’s sons—putra, a son).

RAS (Ar.),
ROSH (Heb.),

a cape; e.g. Ras-el-abyad (the white cape); Rasigelbi, corrupt. from Rasicalbo (the dog’s cape); Rasicarami (the cape of the vineyards); Ras-el-tafal (chalk cape); Rasicanzar (the swine’s cape); Ras-el-shakah (the split cape); Ras-el-hamra (red cape); Rascorno (Cape Horn).

RATH, RAED (Teut.),

council; e.g. Rachstadt or Rastadt (the town of the council or court of justice); Rathenau (the meadow of the council): Raithby (the dwelling of the court of justice).

RATH (Gadhelic),

a round earthen fort or stronghold, cognate with the Welsh rhath, a mound or hill; e.g. Rathmore (the great fort); Ratass or Rathteas (the south fort); Rattoo or Rath-tuaith (northern fort); Rathbeg (little fort); Rathduff (black fort); Rathglass (green fort); Rathcoole (the fort of Cumhal, the father of Finn); Rathcormac (of Cormack); Rathdrum (of the ridge); Rathdowney, Irish Rath-tamhnaigh (of the green field); Rathbane (white fort); Rathfryland (Freelan’s fort)—all in Ireland. Rattray, in Perthshire, where there are the remains of an old fortress on a hill, and near what is called the Standing Stones, supposed to have been a Druidical temple; Rathven (hill-fort), in Banffshire; Rathmorail (the magnificent fort), in Aberdeenshire; Raphoe, Co. Donegal, abbrev. from Rathboth (the fort of huts).

REICH, REIKE (Goth.),
RICE (A.S.),
RIGH (Scand.),

a kingdom; e.g. France, i.e. Frank-reich (the kingdom of the Franks, who are supposed to have derived their name from a kind of javelin called franca); Austria, Œstreich (the eastern kingdom), as opposed to Neustria (the western); Surrey or Sud-rice (the southern kingdom); Goodrich, in Hereford (Goda’s rule or kingdom); Rastrick (Rasta’s rule), in Yorkshire; Norway or Nordrike (the northern kingdom); Ringerige, in Norway (the kingdom of King Ringe); Gothland, anc. Gotarike (the kingdom of the Goths); Sweden, anc. Sviarike (the kingdom of the Suiones).

REIDH (Gadhelic),

smooth, used also as a noun to signify a level field, and Anglicised re, rea, or rey; e.g. Remeen (the smooth plain); Muilrea (smooth hill, mullagh, p. 145); Rehill for Redh-choill (smooth wood).

REKA (Sclav.),

a river; e.g. Riga, Rega, Regan, Regnitz (river names); also the R. Spree, Sclav. Serbenreka (the river of the Serbs or Wends); Meseritz and Meseritsch (in the midst of rivers), in Moravia and Wallachia; Rakonitz (the town on the river), in Russia; Reka, the Sclavonic name for Fiume, It. (the river), a town on the Adriatic, at the mouth of a stream of the same name.

RHEDIG (Cym.-Cel.),
RUITH (Gadhelic),
REO (Grk.),
RUO (Lat.),
RI, SRI (Sansc.),

to flow, from whence are derived rivus and rivula, Lat.; rio, Span. and Port.; rivola, raes, and rith, A.S. (a stream). The Eng. river comes through the Fr. rivière, and that from riparia, in Mediæval Lat. a river, but literally a river-bank. From these root-words many river names are derived, or from rhe, rea (swift), joined to root-words signifying water; e.g. the Rhone, anc. Rhodanus, the Rhine, Rye, Rea, Rhee, Rhea, Rey, Rheus, Roe, Ruhr, etc.; Rio-doce and Rio-dulce (sweet or fresh river), in opposition to Rio-salada (salt river); Rio-branco (white river); Rio-bravo-del-norte (the great north river); Rio-grande-do-sul (the great south river); Rio-negro (black river); Rio-tinto (coloured river); Rio-colorado, with the same meaning; Rio-de-Janeiro, generally called Rio—so named by the Portuguese discoverer because the bay was discovered on the feast of St. Januarius: the city founded at the place, and now called Rio, was originally named St. Sebastian; Rio-de-Cobra (the snake river), in Jamaica; Rio-dos-Reis (the river of the kings), in Africa, so named by Vasco de Gama, because discovered on the feast of the Epiphany; Rio-de-Ouro (the river of gold), on the coast of Guinea; Rio-azul (the blue river); Rio-Marahão (the tangled river); Rio-de-la-Plata (the river of plata, i.e. silver), so called from the booty taken on its banks.

RHIADUR (Cym.-Cel.),

a cataract; e.g. Rhayadar (the cataract), a town in Radnor, near a fall of the R. Wye, removed in 1780. Radnor itself is supposed to have taken its name from Rhiadur-Gwy (the cataract of the R. Wye); Rhiadur-mawr (the great cataract), in Caernarvonshire; Rhaidr-y-wennol (the cataract of the swallow), so named from the rapidity of its motion, like that of the bird.

RHIW (Welsh),

an ascent; e.g. Ruabon, corrupt. from Rhiw-Fabon (the ascent of St. Mabon).

RHOS, ROS (Cym.-Cel.),

in Wales signifying a moor, in Cornwall a valley; e.g. Ross, a town in Hereford; Rhoscollen (the moor of hazels), in Anglesea; Rhos-du (black moor); Penrhos (the head of the moor), in Wales. In Cornwall: Roskilly (the valley of hazels); Rosecrewe (the valley of the cross); Rosvean (little valley); Rosmean (stony valley).

RHUDD (Cym.-Cel.),
RUADH (Gadhelic),
ROTH and RUD (Teut.),
ROD (Scand.),

red; e.g. Rutland (red land), or perhaps cleared ground—v. RODE; Rhuddlan (the red bank, glan); Rhuthin, corrupt. from Rhudd-din (the red land); Llanrhudd (the red church), in Wales; Romhilde, anc. Rotemulte (red land); Rother, Rotha, Rothback (red stream); Rotherthurm, Hung. Vörostoroney (red tower); Rothen-haus, Sclav. Czerweny-hradek (red house or castle), in Bohemia; Rotenburg, in Switzerland (the town on the red brook); Rothenburg, in Hanover and Bavaria (the red fortress); Rothenburg, in Prussia proper, is called by the Sclaves Rostarezewo (the town of the Sclavonic deity Ratzi); Rothenfels (red rock); Rotherham (the dwelling on the red river); Roughan and Rooghaun (reddish land), in Ireland. But the prefix rud is sometimes the abbreviation of a proper name, thus— Rudesheim, in Germany, is from Hruodinesheim (the dwelling of Hruodine); Rudby, in Yorkshire (of Routh); Rudkioping, in Denmark (the market-town of Routh).

RHYD (Welsh),

a ford; e.g. Rhyderin, corrupt. from Rhyd-gerwin (the rough ford); Rhyd-y-Boithan, corrupt. from Byddin (the ford of the army); Rhydonen, corrupt. from Rhyd-hen (the old ford); Rhyd-dol-cynfar (the ford of the valley of the ancient fight).

RIDING, or THRITHING,

the three things, q.v., i.e. the three places or districts where the Scandinavians held their judicial assemblies; e.g. the Ridings, in Yorkshire, so named under the Danish rule; Lincoln was divided by the Danes in the same manner.

RIED (A.S.),

a reed; e.g. Retford and Radford (the reedy ford); Radbourne (reedy brook); Redbridge, in Hants, anc. Reideford (reedy ford). Bede calls it Arundinis-vadum, Lat. (the ford of the reeds).

RIGGE (A.S.),
RÜCHEN (Ger.),

a ridge; e.g. Hansrücke (John’s ridge); Hengistrücke (the horses’ ridge); Hundsricke (the dog’s ridge); Rudgeley (the field at the ridge); Brownrigg, Grayrigg (the brown and gray ridge); Reigate (the passage through the ridge), contracted from ridgegate; Lindridge (lime-tree ridge); Rucksteig (the steep path on the ridge); Langrike (long ridge); Steenrücke (stony ridge).

RIPA (Lat.),
RIVA (It.),
RIBA (Span. and Port.),
RIVE (Fr.),

a bank or the border of a stream; e.g. Riva (on the bank of Lake Como); Riva or Rief (on Lake Garda); Rive-de-Gier and Aube-rive (on the banks of the R. Gier and Aube); Aute-rive and Rives-altes (the high river-banks); Rieux, anc. Rivi-Castra (the camp of the river-bank); Riberac (on the bank of the water), in France; Rivalta (the high bank), in Piedmont; Rivoli, anc. Ripula (the little bank), in Piedmont; Romorantin, anc. Rivus-Morentini (the bank of the R. Morantin), in France; Riveria or Riberia, in Low Lat. signified a plain on the bank of a river—hence Rivière, Rivières, Hautes-Rivières, La Rivoire, etc., in France; Rivarrennæ, i.e. Ripa-arenæ (the sandy bank), on the R. Cher; the Rialto at Venice is corrupt, from Riva-alto (the high bank); Rye, in Sussex, in Lat. records Ripa; Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, formerly Rye (on the bank of the water); Altrupp, on the R. Rhone, anc. Alta-ripa (the high bank); Ribaute and Autrepe, for Haute-rive (high bank), in Belgium; Ribadavia and Riba-de-Sella (the bank of the Rivers Avia and Sella), in Spain; Ripon, in Yorkshire, anc. Ripum (on the bank of the R. Ure).

RISCH (Ger.),
RISGE (A.S.),
ROGOSCHA (Sclav.),

the rush; e.g. Ruscomb (the rushy hollow); Rushbrook (the rushy stream); Rushford, Rushmere, Rushholme, Ryston (the rushy ford, marsh, island, and town); Rogatzn, in Poland, and Rogatchev, in Russia (the place of rushes).

ROC, ROCHE (Fr.), ROCCA (It.), ROC (A.S.),

a rock—derivatives from the Lat. rupes; e.g. Rocca-bianca (white rock); Rocca-casale (rock village or dwelling); Rocca-secura (the safe rock fortress), in Italy; Rocca-Valoscuro (the rock in the dark valley), in Naples; Rochefort-sur-mer (the strong fortress on the sea), at the mouth of the R. Charente; La Rochelle (the little rock fortress); Rochefort (rock fortress), in Belgium; Rochester, Co. Kent (the fortress on the rock), or, according to Bede, the fort of Hrop, a Saxon chief; Rochester, in New York, named after Colonel Rochester, one of the early settlers; Roche-Guyon, Lat. Rupes-Guidonis (the rock fortress of Guido); Roche-Foucault, anc. Rupes-Fucaldi (the fortress of Foucalt); Rocroi, Lat. Rupes-Regia (the royal fortress), in France; Roxburgh (the rock fortress)—the ancient town, as well as the county, taking their name from the strong castle, situated on a rock near the junction of the Tweed and Teviot—the ancient name of the castle was Marchidun (the hill-fort on the marshy land).

ROS, ROSS (Gadhelic),

a promontory or isthmus, and also, in the south of Ireland, a wood; thus New Ross, Co. Wexford, anc. Ros-mic-Treoin (the wood of Treuon’s son); Roscommon (of St. Coman); Roscrea (Cree’s wood); Ross-castle (on a promontory on Lake Killarney); Muckross (the peninsula of the pigs), in several places in Ireland; Muckros (with the same meaning—the pig’s headland) was the ancient name of the town of St. Andrews; Rossbegh (of the birches); Rossinver (of the confluence); Port-rush (the landing-place of the promontory); Ross-shire seems to have taken its name from Ross (a wood); Montrose, anc. Monros (the promontory on the marshy land, moin); Rosneath, anc. Rosneveth (the promontory of St. Nefydd), in Dumbartonshire; Roslin (the promontory on the pool); Kinross (the head of the promontory), either with reference to the county—in regard to Fife, of which it anciently formed part—or with reference to the town at the head of Loch Leven. Fife was anciently called Ross: it got the name of Fife in honour of Duff, Earl of Fife, to whom it was given by Kenneth II.; and in 1426 Kinross was made a separate county. Roskeen (the head or corner of Ross-shire); Rosehearty, in Aberdeenshire, corrupt. from Ros-ardty (the dwelling on the high promontory).

RÜHE (Ger.),

rest; e.g. Ludwigsrühe (Ludowic’s rest); Carlshrühe (Charles’s rest), founded by Charles William, Margrave of Baden, in 1715; Henricksrühe (Henry’s rest).

RUN (A.S.),

council; e.g. Runhall (the hall of the council); Runnington, anc. Runenton (the town of the council); Runnymede (the meadow of the council).

RYBA (Sclav.),

fish; e.g. Rybnik, Rybniza (the fish pond); Rybinsk, Rybnaia (fish town).

RYSCH, or ROW (Sclav.),

a dam or ditch; e.g. Prierow (near the dam); Prierosbrück (the bridge near the dam); Ryswick (the town on the dam); Riez, Rieze, Riezow, Riezig (at the dam).