Naming of places

The places that we talk about and look at on maps have been given names at some point in history by a particular group of people. 

The origin of those names may be problematic depending on which name we use, when more than one may well have been applied to a place during the history of its human occupation, and the Anglicised version may be used on the maps that we tend to use in the UK, rather than those used on a map purchased in the country itself.

Sometimes dual names are shown on signs and maps. e.g. Croeso i Gymru welcomes visitors to Wales, and even this is a slight grammatical variation from the name for Wales in the Welsh language which is Cymru. 

The name may be different to the name that is used by those who live in a place, and that can even apply to entire countries, and not just cities.

This Ordnance Survey page includes some of the origins of place names in Britain. It focusses on those with origins in Gaelic.

Image: Inaccessible Pinnacle, Cuillin Hills, Isle of Skye - Alan Parkinson - shared under CC license

Comments