Germanic toponymy

Germanic toponyms are the names given to places by Germanic peoples and tribes. Besides areas with current speakers of Germanic languages, many regions with previous Germanic speakers or Germanic influence had or still have Germanic toponymic elements, such as places in Northern France, Wallonia and Poland.

Comparative table

In round brackets, the contemporary cognate for the toponym in the respective language is given. In the square brackets, the most frequently used name in English is given.

Proto-Germanic (or ancient loan word from Celtic, Greek or Latin)	English and Scots	Dutch and Afrikaans	Low German	(High) German	Continental North Germanic (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)	Other Germanic languages	Loans or remnants in non-Germanic languages
*baki "creek"	-beck, -bach, -batch (beck) Wansbeck, Gosbeck, Starbeck, Welbeck, Pinchbeck, Purbeck, Birkbeck, Beckwithshaw, Beckfoot, Beckton, Leigh Beck, Tooting Bec, Sandbach, Comberbach, Debach, Huntbach, Pulverbatch, Inglesbatch	-beek (beek) Bierbeek, Lembeek, Schaarbeek [Schaerbeek], Sint-Jans-Molenbeek	-bek, -beck Reinbek, Wandsbek, Hasselbeck, Gladbeck, Havixbeck	-bach, -bock de:Sandbach, Amorbach, Mühlbock [Ołobok]	-beck, -bekk		-bec, -becq, -bais, -baix, -bez in Northern-French, via Old Norse bekkr, Old Frankish *baki Foulbec, Houlbec, etc. Rebecq, etc. Rebais, etc. Roubaix, etc., Wambez -bok in Polish, via East-Germanic Drybok, Klodobok, Lusobok, Ołobok
*berga- "hill, mountain"	-bergh -berrow -barrow -berry (barrow) Sedbergh, Thrybergh, Caldbergh, Bedbergh, Babergh Hundred, Rubergh Hundred, East Bergholt, Bergh Apton, Inkberrow, Bromsberrow, Sedgeberrow, Whitbarrow, Cruckbarrow	-berg, -bergen (berg) Bergen [Mons], Geraardsbergen, Grimbergen, Kortenberg		-berg Heidelberg, Kaisersberg [Kaysersberg], Königsberg [Kaliningrad], Nürnberg [Nuremberg]	-berg Bergen		-bergue(s) Isbergues, Berck, Barques, Barc, Bierges
*brugjō- "bridge"	-bridge -brigg (bridge) Cambridge, Knightsbridge, Woodbridge, Fordingbridge, Seabridge Agbrigg, Felbrigg, Lambrigg, Gillingbrigg	-brugge (brug) Brugge [Bruges], Zeebrugge		-brücken, -brück, -bruck Innsbruck, Osnabrück, Saarbrücken	-bro, -bru
*burg- "city, fortified town, fort"	-borough, -bury, -burgh, -brough (borough) Canterbury, Tilbury, Aldbury, Limbury, Shoeburyness, Irthlingborough, Peterborough, Knaresborough, Middlesbrough, Hemingbrough, Aldeburgh, Rumburgh, Happisburgh, Bamburgh, Edinburgh, Salsburgh	-burg (burg, burcht) Aardenburg, Limburg, Middelburg, Tilburg	-borg Hamborg [Hamburg]	-burg Burg bei Magdeburg, Regensburg, Salzburg, German: Straßburg, Lower Elsassish/Alsatian-German: Strossburi	-borg Nordborg, Rendsborg, Sønderborg	Luxemburgish -buerg Lëtzebuerg [Luxemburg]	Germanic -burg: -bourg in French, via German, Old English or Old Norse Cherbourg, Cabourg, Luxembourg, Strasbourg
*felthuz "plain, open land, field"	-field (field) Huddersfield, Mansfield, Macclesfield, Mirfield, Wakefield, Sheffield, Moorfields	-veld Schinveld, Warnsveld		-feld, -felde (Feld) Bielefeld, Mansfeld, de:Moorfeld, de:Mirfeld.
*furdi-, *furdu- "low water crossing"	-ford, -forth (ford) Ampleforth, Bradford, Guildford, Oxford, Stafford, Watford, Hereford, Sandford, Thetford, Stanford, Arford, Gosforth, Garforth -firth (firth) Burrafirth, Holmfirth, Firth of Forth	-foort, -voort, -voorde (voorde) Amersfoort, Vilvoorde, Zandvoort	-ford, -fordt, -vörde Herford, Bremervörde, Diersfordt	-furt Dietfurt, Erfurt, Frankfurt, Ochsenfurt, Steinfurt,	-fjorden Oslofjorden		-fort Houllefort
*hafnō- "harbor, port"	-haven (haven) Shellhaven, Sandhaven, Buckhaven, Newhaven, Whitehaven, Greenhaven, Peacehaven, Cockhaven, Middlehaven, Stonehaven, Littlehaven	-haven (haven) Eemshaven	-haven (haven) Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Cuxhaven	-hafen (Hafen) Friedrichshafen	-hamn, -havn København [Copenhagen]	Faroese: -havn Tórshavn	French Le Havre
*haima- "homestead, dwelling"	-ham, -om (home) Denham, Dunham, Newham, Nottingham, Rotherham, Tottenham, Ickenham, Twickenham, Sydenham, Alkham, Wokingham, Manningham, Kirkham, Gotham, Berkhamsted, Walthamstow, Epsom, Buckinghamshire	-(g)em, -(h)em, -en, -um (heem, heim) Alphen, Berchem, Nossegem, Wevelgem, Zaventem, Blijham, Kolham	-um, Alkersum, Nordenham, Bochum, Borkum	-(h)am,-heim, -(h)em, -um (Heim) Crailsheim, Kirchham, Mannheim, Pforzheim, Schiltigheim	-heim, Trondheim	Unknown East-Germanic language: *Boiohaimum [Bohemia]	French -ham, -hem, -ain, -[s]ent via Old Frankish, Old Norse or Old English Ouistreham, Étréham
*hufa- "enclosed area, garden"	-hope, -op -hove Woolhope, Stanhope, Mithope, Middop, Glossop, Worksop, Warsop, Hove	-hof, -hoven, -hove (hof) Wintershoven, Zonhoven, Volckerinckhove		-hof, -hofen (Hof) Bechhofen, Diedenhofen [Thionville]
*hulmaz "elevation, hill, island"	-holm, -holme (holm) Grassholm, Denholm, Buckholm, Marholm, Killingholme, Hempholme, Nunburnholme, Hubberholme, Skyreholme, Holmsgarth, Holmwrangle, Holmethorpe, Steep Holm	-holm (holm) De Holm	-holm (holm) Holm, Holm	-holm (holm) Holm, Holm	-holm (holm) Stockholm, Holm	Faroese: -hólmur (hólmur) Gáshólmur	-homme Robehomme
W.Gmc. *kirika from Greek kyriake	-kirk (church) Colkirk, Falkirk, Ormskirk, Chadkirk, Peakirk, Romaldkirk, Kirkwall, Kirkby, kirklees, Whitchurch, Hornchurch, Stokenchurch	-kerk, -kerke (kerk) Duinkerke [Dunkirk], Nijkerk	-kerk, (Kirche) Aldekerk, Nieukerk	-kirche, -kirchen (Kirche) Feldkirch, Neunkirchen, Gelsenkirchen			-crique, -kerque Yvecrique, Dunkerque (Dunkirk)
*landom "land, ground, soil"	-land (land) England, Ireland, Scotland, Sunderland, Northumberland, Shetland Lothingland, Bishop Auckland, Holland, Breckland, Upholland, Rutland, Hartland, Kessingland, Westmoorland, Heligoland, Leyland, Buckland, Kingsland, Westlands, West Midlands, Fenland, Litherland	-land (land) Friesland, Holland, Nederland [Netherlands], Zeeland, Gelderland, Westland, Nuland	-land (land)	-land (land) Deutschland, Moormerland, Wangerland, Blockland, Holtland, Ammerland, Sauerland, Westerland, Saarland, Seeland, Munsterland, Vierlande, [Germany]	-land (land) Jylland, Nordland, [Jutland]		-land, -lan château d'Ételan, Heuland
*rotha "clearing"	-royd, -rode Ackroyd, Murgatroyd, Kebroyd, Hangingroyd, Boothroyd, Oldroyd, Mytholmroyd, Odd Rode		-rade, -ray, -rode, -rooi (rode) Asenray, Gijzenrooi, Landsrade, Middelrode, Nieuwrode, Nistelrode, Sint-Genesius-Rode		-rade, -rath, -rode, -roth Overath, Radebeul, Radevormwald, Roth, Wernigerode	-rud, -rød, -röd, -ryd
*stainaz "stone"	-stan, -stam, -stone (stone) Stanlow, Stanmore, Stanfree, Stanground, Stambermill, Stamford, Stonehaven, Staines, Stanwick	-steen (steen) Steenokkerzeel, Steenwijk	-steen (steen) Sleswig-Holsteen [Schleswig-Holstein]	-stein (Stein) Schleswig-Holstein, Stein, Steinfurt, Stein-Wingert	-sten		-stain, -étan Grestain
*thurpa- "farm, settlement"	-thorp, -thorpe -throp -trop -thrup -drup -drop Cleethorpes, Scunthorpe, Mabelthorpe, Thorpeness, Heythrop, Winthrop, Knostrop, Wilstrop, Upthrup, Pindrup, Staindrop	-dorp (dorp) Hazerswoude-Dorp, Opdorp	-dorp, -trop (dorp) Dusseldorp [Düsseldorf], Bottrop, Waltrop, Frintrop, Uentrop, Hiltrop,	-dorf, -torf (Dorf) Dorf	-torp		-tourp(s), -tour Clitourps, Saussetour
Lat vīcus "dwelling place, village"	-wich Ipswich, Norwich, Harwich, Aldwych, Heckmondwike, Warwick, Alnwick, Gatwick, Gippeswyk Park, Walwick, Hardwicke, Rumboldswyke	-wijk (wijk) Ewijk, Waalwijk, Harderwijk	-wig, -wich -wick Sleswig-Holsteen [Schleswig-Holstein], Suderwich, Suderwick, Oer-Erkenschwick	-wig (Weich) Schleswig-Holstein			Craywick, Salperwick, French Flanders
*walhaz "stranger, non-Germanic person"	wal- (Welsh) Cornwall, Wales, Walsall, Walsden	wal- (Waal) Wallonië [Wallonia]		wal- Wallis [Valais]		Unknown Germanic language: Wallachia	Germanic wal- became: gal- in Gaelic, via Old English Galloway gaul- in French, via Frankish Gaul

See also

• Germanic names
  • Dutch names
  • German names
• Norman toponymy (includes Old Norse placenames in Normandy)
• German toponymy
• Celtic toponymy
• Placenames in the United Kingdom and Ireland