Etymological list of counties of the United Kingdom

This is a list of the origins of the names of counties of the United Kingdom. It includes traditional counties and administrative counties.

Note: the ending shire is an Anglo Saxon word meaning administrative district.

County name Language of origin Meaning
Aberdeenshire Pictish Shire of Aberdeen: Mouth of the River Don (Don refers to the Celtic goddess Devona)
Anglesey Old Norse Ongull's Island
Angus Pictish Oengus (8th century king of the Picts)
Antrim Gaelic Single house
Argyll Gaelic Coastland of the Gaels
Armagh Gaelic Macha's height
Avon Brythonic After the River Avon (Avon is a Brythonic word meaning river)
Ayrshire Gaelic Shire of Ayr: River
Banffshire Gaelic Shire of Banff: Piglet
Bedfordshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Bedford: Bieda's ford
Berkshire Brythonic Hilly place (+ shire)
Berwickshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Berwick: Barley farm
Brecknockshire Welsh Shire of Brecknock: Brychan's territory
Buckinghamshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Buckingham: Bucca's home
Buteshire Gaelic Fire
Caernarfonshire Welsh Shire of Caernarfon: Fort opposite Fon (Mon is the Welsh name for Anglesey, fon is its lenited form, used here after a preposition)
Caithness Old Norse Promontory of cats
Cambridgeshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Cambridge: Bridge on the River Cam (Cam is a derivation of Granta, of uncertain meaning). The city was previously known as Grantbridge, meaning Bridge on the River Granta though the county has always been known as Cambridgeshire.
Cardiganshire Welsh Shire of Cardigan: Ceredig's territory
Carmarthenshire Welsh Shire of Carmarthen: Fort at Maridunum (the Roman place name Maridunum means fort by the sea)
Cheshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Chester: Roman town
Clackmannanshire Welsh Shire of Clackmannan: Stone of Manau (Manau is of unknown origin)
Cleveland Anglo Saxon Cliff land
Clwyd Welsh from the River Clwyd (the river name means hurdle)
Cornwall compound of Brythonic and Anglo-Saxon (Territory of) Britons of the Cornovii Tribe (Cornovii is a Brythonic word meaning people of the peninsula)
Cromartyshire Gaelic Shire of Cromarty: Possibly means crooked
Cumberland Anglo Saxon Region of the Cumbrian Britons
Cumbria Welsh Territory of the Cymry (Cymry was the Brythonic word to describe Britons, similar to 'Cymru' (Wales))
Denbighshire Welsh Shire of Denbigh: Little fortress
Derbyshire Old Norse Shire of Derby: Animal village
Devon Brythonic Territory of the Dumnonii (The Celtic tribal name Dumnonii is of unknown origin)
Dorset Anglo Saxon Settlement of Dorchester: Roman town at Durnovaria (Durnovaria is a Brythonic name meaning place with fist-sized pebbles)
Down Gaelic County of Downpatrick: Patrick's fort (formerly Dún Lethglaise or Fort by the stream)
Dumfriesshire Gaelic Shire of Dumfries: Fort of the Frisians (Frisian is of uncertain origin but is thought to mean curly, as in curly hair)
Dunbartonshire Anglo Saxon (Formerly spelled 'Dumbartonshire') Shire of Dumbarton: Dunbar's town (after Hugh Dunbar)
County Durham Old Norse from Dunholme: Island with a hill
Dyfed Welsh (District of the) Demetae (Demetae is of unknown origin but describes the pre-Roman settlers of the area)
East Lothian Gaelic (Place of) Leudonus
Essex Anglo Saxon Eastern Saxons
Fermanagh Gaelic Men of Manaigh's tribe
Fife Pictish (Place of) Fib of the Picts
Flintshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Flint: (Place of) hard rock
Glamorgan Welsh Morgan's shore
Gloucestershire Anglo Saxon Shire of Gloucester: Roman town called Glevum (Glevum is a Brythonic name meaning bright place)
Gwent Brythonic Trading place
Gwynedd Welsh After Cunedda
Hampshire Anglo Saxon Formerly known as 'Southamptonshire', meaning is 'shire of Southampton': Southern town of Hamo (Hamo refers to a 5th century Saxon invader and settler)
Hereford and Worcester English Combination of Herefordshire and Worcestershire
Herefordshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Hereford: Ford suitable for the passage of an army
Hertfordshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Hertford: Ford frequented by harts or stags
Humberside English Beside the River Humber (Humber is a Brythonic word and is of unknown origin)
Huntingdonshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Huntingdon: Hunta's hill
Inverness-shire Gaelic Shire of Inverness: Mouth of the River Ness (Ness is from the Old Norse näs (nose) meaning isthmus)
Isle of Wight Compound of English and Brythonic Island at the place of division
Kent Brythonic (Land of the) Cantii or Cantiaci: a Celtic tribal name possibly meaning white, bright
Kincardineshire Compound of Gaelic and Pictish Shire of Kincardine: Head of the copse
Kinross-shire Gaelic Shire of Kinross: End of the promontory
Kirkcudbrightshire Old Norse Shire of Kirkcudbright: Church of Saint Cuthbert
Lanarkshire Welsh Shire of Lanark: (Place in the) glade
Lancashire Anglo Saxon Shire of Lancaster: Roman fort on the River Lune (Lune is a Brythonic word meaning pure)
Leicestershire Anglo Saxon Shire of Leicester: Roman town of the people called Ligore (Ligore is a Celtic tribal name of unknown origin)
Lincolnshire Compound of Brythonic and Latin Shire of Lincoln: Roman colony by the pool
Londonderry Compound of English and Gaelic Formerly County Derry after Derry, meaning oak grove. The prefix London came from the London livery companies, following the Plantation of Ulster
Greater Manchester Compound of English, Brythonic and Latin Greater county of Manchester: Roman town at Mamm (Mamm was the Brythonic name for Manchester and means breast-like hill)
Merionethshire Welsh Shire of Merioneth: (Place of) Meirion
Merseyside English Beside the River Mersey (Mersey is an Anglo Saxon word meaning boundary river)
Mid Lothian Gaelic (Place of) Leudonus
Middlesex Anglo Saxon (Place of) the Middle Saxons
Monmouthshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Monmouth: Mouth of the River Monnow (Monnow is a Brythonic word meaning fast flowing)
Montgomeryshire French Shire of Roger de Montgomery
Morayshire Brythonic Shire of Moray: Sea settlement
Nairnshire Brythonic Shire of Nairn: Penetrating (river)
Norfolk Anglo Saxon Northern people
Northamptonshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Northampton: Northern home farm
Northumberland Anglo Saxon Territory of those living north of the River Humber (Humber is a Brythonic word of unknown origin)
Nottinghamshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Nottingham: Snot's home
Orkney Old Norse Islands of the Orkos (Orkos is suggested to have come from a Gaelic tribal name meaning boar)
Oxfordshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Oxford: Ford used by Oxen
Peeblesshire Welsh Shire of Peebles: (Place with) tents
Pembrokeshire Welsh Shire of Pembroke: Land at the end
Perthshire Pictish Shire of Perth: (Place by a) thicket
Powys Compound of Latin and Welsh Provincial place
Radnorshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Radnor: Red bank
Renfrewshire Welsh Shire of Renfrew: Point of the current
Ross-shire Gaelic Shire of Ross: Moorland
Roxburghshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Roxburgh: Hroc's fortress
Rutland Anglo Saxon Rota's territory
Selkirkshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Selkirk: Church by a hall
Shetland Old Norse Origin disputed, but may refer to a personal name (Zet's land)
Shropshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Shrewsbury: Fortified place near scrubland
Somerset Anglo Saxon Settlers around Somerton: Farm used in the summer
Staffordshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Stafford: Ford by a landing place
Stirlingshire Not known Shire of Stirling: Origin not known
Suffolk Anglo Saxon Southern people
Surrey Anglo Saxon Southern district
Sussex Anglo Saxon South Saxons
Sutherland Old Norse Southern territory
Tyne and Wear English Area between the River Tyne and River Wear (Tyne is an alternative Brythonic word for river, Wear is a Brythonic word meaning water)
Tyrone Gaelic Territory of Eoghain (personal name)
Warwickshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Warwick: Dwellings by the weir
West Lothian Gaelic (Place of) Leudonus
West Midlands English West middle lands
Westmorland Anglo Saxon District west of the moors
Wigtownshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Wigtown: Dwelling place
Wiltshire Anglo Saxon Shire of Wilton: Farm where willow trees grow
Worcestershire Anglo Saxon Shire of Worcester: Roman town of the Weogora tribe (Weogora is a Brythonic name meaning from the winding river)
Yorkshire Compound of Brythonic and Old Norse Shire of York: Originally Brythonic meaning yew tree, which was misunderstood by the English and Vikings to mean boar settlement. They subsequently named it Jorvik meaning Boar Estuary.

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