The Romans
- In 55 BC, Emperor Julius Caesar and his legions invaded Britain. The Roman town of Londinium, known today as London, was developed on the banks of the River Thames. Londinium has experienced many changes since.
Filey
- Filey's Roman name was Portus Felix. According to Discover Filey, in the late 4th century, five Roman signal stations were built. One of them was in Filey.
Manchester
- Cities ending with "chester" have origins in the Latin word "castra", which means a plot of land that was used as a military encampment or a fort.
Germanic
- After the fall of the Roman Empire, many Germanic tribes, such as the Saxons and the Angles, invaded the British Isles. Their influences can be seen in many place names throughout England.
Birmingham
- The use of "ham" in a place name indicates that the area was once an Anglo-Saxon village. A good example of that would be Birmingham. According to History, Birmingham's Anglo-Saxon name was Beormingaham.
Stamford
- Stamford, which means stone-crossing, was once an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Other examples with similar heritage include Salford and Thetford.
Beverley
- The use of "ley" implies that the settlement was once a cleared forest. The place name Beverley was named after the beavers that once lived on the river banks.
The Vikings
- Many areas in Yorkshire, East Anglia, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire show heavy Viking influences. The Vikings settled in the British Isles between the 9th and 11th centuries and claimed land from the Anglo-Saxons by warfare.
Derby
- Names ending with "by" are usually places where Vikings first settled. Derby can be broken down to "Der", which means deer. "Derby" would mean it is a Viking settlement near herds of deer.
Scunthorpe
- Norse settlers also introduced place names ending in "thorpe", which means it is a place were farms once existed. Scunthorpe could possibly translate into Scun's farm or Scun's land.
Anglo-Saxon and Old English
- Most of the UK's place names derive from Anglo-Saxon and Old English words. The most typical examples are place names ending in "mouth".
Bournemouth
- Place names that end in "mouth" have a common origin. It means the town or city is at the mouth of a river. Bournemouth is nestled at the mouth of the River Bourne.
Wimbledon
- The name Wimbledon comes from Wynnman’s Hill. However, some place names ending in "don", including London, do not come from the same origin.
Stoke-on-Trent
- Place names with the word "Stoke" originate from the Old English word "stok", which means place. Stoke-on-Trent means place on the River Trent.
