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While modern Names of Town s and Cities generally remain the same they have often evolved from the names of the Civilization that created the Settlement . A wide variation of names can be seen in countries that have seen numerous settlers and invaders. The United Kingdom is a good example, with place names having their origins from the Roman Empire , Saxons , Celt s and Viking s. PLACE NAME ORIGINS BY COUNTRY United Kingdom The names of villages, towns and cities in the UK have been given at various times in the nation's history. Some date back to Celtic-speaking times while others were given after the Roman Invasion Of Britain but many have also had many other conquering nations leave their mark on the names (amongst other things) of settlements. Up until around the 14th Century place names were mainly influenced by the environment of the area – a hill or the bend in a river, for example. Some names were made by the combination of words across the different civilizations. Many places derive part of their name from the river next to which they were built – Cambridge , for example, was a bridge over the River Cam . Many place names in England have affixes denoting manorial possession in medieval times. Brythonic (Celtic) origins From 800 BC Celtic names (Brythonic and Goidelic) were dominant around the British Isles. Over time the names, along with the Celts, were pushed back into Ireland , Scotland , Cornwall , and Wales , where these names are still very common.
Roman origins Parts of names used until the Roman Empire withdrew from the British Isles until the 5th Century .
Saxon origins Names taken from the Saxons up until around the 11th Century .
Viking origins Names taken from the Vikings up until around the 12th Century .
United States See Also: List of U.S. state name etymologies Place names in the United States are often taken from the European nation that first colonized the land. Many place names are taken from Native American names. Place names in the United States tend to be more easily traceable to their origins, such as towns simply named after the founder or an important politician of the time, with no alterations except a simple suffix, like -town. SEE ALSO |
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