Names A to D | Names E to J| Names K to O| Names P to S| Names T to Y
Yorkshire Place-Name Meanings E to J
E Easby to Eston
Easby
Ese's village - a Viking place name.
Easingwold
The wold belonging to Easa.
East Witton
East Witton means the eastern woodland farm.
Egton
Ecga's farm - An Anglo-Saxon place name
Elmet
See Sherburn in Elmet.
Esk, River
A Viking river name signifying a pass, or valley.
Eston
A Saxon name meaning the East farm
F Faceby to Fylingdales
Faceby
Originally Feitr's by, a Viking name meaning the fat person's village.
Fangfoss
This is thought to mean the foss or ditch belonging to someone called Fang
Fenwick
The farm or 'wick' in the fenland. The place name has given rise to Fenwick the surname.
Filey
Filey is thought to mean the Five leys - 'the five meadows or forest clearings'.
Flamborough
Flamborugh means Flein's fort, the site of a fort situated on Flamborough Head.
Folifoot
This is where the sport of fighting wild horses (foals) took place. Horse fighting was noted as a passtime carried out by the Vikings. The name could be translated as 'foal fight'
Foss, River
Foss means ditch-like river and may have the root of its name in the Latin fossa.
Foulness, River
Foulness means dirty river.
Fountains Abbey
The original settlers are said to have found springs here, hence the name.
Foxup
This means a valley or 'up' inhabited by a fox or foxes.
Fridaythorpe
The Thorpe or farm belonging to a Viking called Frigdaeg. This personal name may be based on Frigg or Freya, the name of the Old Norse god of fertility from whom we get the name of the day called Friday.
Fulford
This means foul or dirty ford.
Fylingdales
This means Fylga's peoples' dale.
G Gargrave to Gunnerside
Gargrave
Gara's grove - the grove belonging to Gara
Giggleswick
A Viking place name meaning Gigel's farm or village
Gilling West
This is thought to derive from Getlingas meaning the people of Getla.
Glaisdale
Valley of the river Glas
Goathland
Goda's land - probably a Viking name.
Goldsborough
The burgh or fortified manor belonging to Golda.
Goodmanham
The home of Godmund and his people. It was the site of the most important pagan shrine in the Kingdom of Deira (Southern Northumbria) in pre-Christian times.
Goole
Goole is a name for a small stream or ditch.
Grangetown
A grange is a name for a farm. It has been swallowed up by urban expansion.
Grassington
This name means Grazing land farm
Great Ayton
Derives from Ea-tun the tun or farm on an 'ea' or river.
Great Busby
From Buski's by - a farm or village belonging to a Viking called Buski.
Great Fryup
Valley (up) associated with the Norse god Freya.
Great Smeaton
From the Anglo-Saxon Smideton - the smiths farm.
Grimston
Grimston means the farm belonging to Grim. Ton is a Saxon word and Grim is a Viking personal name. Mixed Viking and Saxon place names are often referred to as Grimston hybrids.
Grosmont
This is a Norman French name meaning big hill.
Guisborough
Perhaps the borough or fort belonging to a Viking called Gigr. There is evidence of extensive Viking settlement in the vicinity of Guisborough.
Gunnerside
A name of Viking origin - it means Gunnar's slope
H Hackness to Huttons Ambo
Hackness
Hook shaped headland.
Halifax
A corruption of Haliflex meaning 'Holy flax field.'
Harrogate
From Har-low-Gata meaning Grey-Hill-Road. The name Harlow still exists in Harrogate at Harlow Carr.
Hatfield
Hatfield near Doncaster means Heath field and once formed a district also known as Meicen. This was a Welsh or Ancient British kingdom which held out against the Anglo-Saxons for a period of time.
Hawes
This derives from the old word Hause - a narrow neck of land
Hawnby
Originally Halmi's by but corrupted. It was the village belonging to a Viking called Halmi.
Haxby
A Viking name meaning Hak's village.
Helperby
A Viking name meaning Hialpar's village. This was a woman's name.
Hessay
From Haesal Sae, a lake where hazels grew.
High Hutton
See Huttons Ambo
Hinderwell
Hinderwell is situated near the North Yorkshire coast between Whitby and Staithes and was known at the time of the Domesday Book as Hildrewell or Ildrewell. By the twelfth century the place was called Hilderwell and Hylderwell but the name was corrupted in the fifteenth century to Hynderwell or Hinderwell. As with all place names it is the early forms which are closest to the original meaning and Hinderwell actually means Hild's or Hilda's Well. It is named after St Hild, also known as St Hilda, who was abbess of Hartlepool and later Whitby. Hinderwell's church, dating from the eighteenth century is dedicated to this saint, but the holy well of Saint Hilda in the churchyard has much earlier origins and probably gave its name to the village. St Hilda is closely associated with the Yorkshire coast and according to legend is responsible for the ammonites or fossilised mollusca shells often found along this coastal stretch. The ammonites resemble curled-up headless snakes because, it is is said, St Hilda prayed for all the snakes of the neighbourhood to lose their heads and turn to stone. For this reason ammonites are known locally as St Hilda's Snakes.
Hindrelac
See Richmond
Hornby
Once called Horenbodebi. It is a Viking name meaning Hornbo this farm.
Hornsea
This is situated on Hornsea mere and means the lake with horn like corners
Huby
In earlier times known as Hobi. It means the settlement on the 'hoh' or spur of land.
Huddersfield
The field belonging to someone called Huder.
Hull, River
A Celtic River name which has given its name to the town properly called Kingston upon Hull. The River Hull joins the larger and more famous River Humber.
Humber, River
This is a Celtic rivername meaning good well river. The root of this name can be traced back to the Sanskrit 'Ambhas' meaning water. The River Humber gave its name to the ancient kingdom of Northumbria and subsequently Northumberland.
Hunmanby
Thought to mean Hundsman's village, the village of the houndsman or dog keeper.
Hunsingore
In Earlier times Hunsingofer it means the ridge of of Hunsige's people.
Hurst
An Anglo-Saxon name for a wooded hill.
Hutton Bonville
The Bonville family held Hutton Bonville at the time of Henry III. For explanation of Hutton see Hutton Rudby.
Hutton Buscel
The Bushell family owned Hutton Bushell in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. For an explanation of Hutton see Hutton Rudby.
Hutton Colswain
See Huttons Ambo.
Hutton Conyers
Hutton Conyers once belonged to the Conyers family. See Hutton Rudby for explanation of Hutton.
Hutton Hang
Hutton Hang is situated near Hang Bank - which means the hanging bank. See Hutton Rudby for explanation of Hutton.
Hutton Lowcross
Hutton Lowcross is situated near Lowcross farm. See Hutton Rudby for explanation of Hutton.
Hutton Magna
Hutton Magna means the great or large Hutton. For explanation of Hutton see Hutton Rudby.
Hutton Mulgrave
Hutton Mulgrave is situated near Mulgrave. See Hutton Rudby for explanation of Hutton.
Hutton Rudby
Hutton Rudby has two parts to its name. The second part, Rudby is Viking and means Rudi's village. The first part is Anglo-Saxon and derives from Hoh-Ton meaning high farm. Hutton is one of the commonest place names in Yorkshire and there are so many Huttons in the region that most have a suffix to help distinguish them from one and other. Yorkshire Huttons include Hutton Bonville, Hutton Conyers and Hutton Bushell, which like Durham's Hutton Henry have been named after their one time owners.
Hutton Sessay
Hutton Sessay is situated near Sessay, which means Seg's watery land. See also Hutton Rudby for explanation of Hutton.
Hutton-le-Hole
Hutton-le-Hole is the Hutton near the hollow but was formerly known as Heg Hoton - a heg being land enclosed for hunting. For explanation of Hutton see Hutton Rudby.
Huttons Ambo
Huttons Ambo is thought to refer to three settlements called Hutton, all in the same parish which therefore shared the same pulpit or 'ambo'. Huttons Ambo itself was once called Bardolf Hoton after a family who owned it in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Nearby we find High Hutton and Low Hutton the latter once known as Hutton Colswain. Like Hutton Rudby the second part of the name is Viking, as Colswain was the name of a Viking settler. For explanation of Hutton see Hutton Rudby
I Ingleby Arncliffe to Ingleby Greenhow
Ingleby Arncliffe
There are four elements to this name; Ingle means English, by is a Danish word for village, Arn is an eagle and cliffe is a hill. In full the name means Englishman's village near the eagles hill. It seems rather odd that a place should be singled out as belonging to an Englishman, but Viking settlement was so numerous in this area that the presence of Anglo-Saxons was seen as unusual. Other Inglebys in the area include Ingleby Greenhow, the Englishman's green hill and Ingleby Barwick, the Englishman's barley farm. (See also Ormesby for explanation of the word by)
Ingleby Barwick
See Ingleby Arncliffe
Ingleby Greenhow
See Ingleby Arncliffe
J Jervaulx Abbey
Jervaulx Abbey
The name is Norman French and means Ure valley, a reference to the abbey's setting.
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