German placename etymology
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Placenames in the German language area can be classified by the language from which they originate, and by their age.
- Celtic names, used in prehistoric times in the southern and western parts of the German language area. Examples: Mainz (from Latin Moguntiacum, derived from a Celtic name), Remagen (from Latin Rigomagus, from a Celtic name meaning "king's field").
- Latin names:
- from classical times, when the southern and western parts of the German language area belonged to the Roman Empire. Examples: Koblenz (from Confluentes "joining rivers"), Köln (Cologne) (from Colonia "colony"), Aachen (from Aquae "springs"), Augsburg (from Augusta "city of Augustus" and the Germanic suffix -burg).
- from medieval times, when Latin was the language of church and administration. Examples: München (Munich) (from monachus "monk"), Münster (from monasterium "monastery").
- Slavic names. From the Iron Age until recently, Slavic languages such as Polabian, Sorbian and Slovenian were spoken in many eastern parts of the German language area. Examples: Berlin, Chemnitz (from Caminici), Leipzig (Sorbian: Lipsk, from lipa "linden"), Leuna (from Lunaw), Rostock (from Old Polabian rostok "river fork"), Schwerin.
- Germanic names:
- from prehistoric times. Typical forms are:
- with the suffix -um or -heim (cognate to English home and the English place name suffix -ham). Examples: Bochum, Borkum, Büsum.
- with the suffix -ingen (meaning "descendants of", used with a personal name as the first part). Examples: Göttingen, Sindelfingen, Sigmaringen, Tübingen.
- German names from medieval times. Some typical forms are:
- with the suffix -stadt or -stedt ("city"). Examples: Darmstadt, Neustadt.
- with the suffix -burg ("castle"). Examples: Hamburg, Duisburg, Freiburg, Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Regensburg, Salzburg, Straßburg (Strasbourg).
- with the suffix -berg ("mountain"). Example: Heidelberg, Nürnberg (Nuremberg).
- with the suffix -dorf or -torf ("village"). Example: Düsseldorf.
- with the suffix -furt ("ford"). Examples: Erfurt, Frankfurt.
- with the suffix -brücken or -brück ("bridge"). Example: Saarbrücken, Osnabrück.
- with the suffix -hausen ("house"). Examples: Mülhausen, Schaffhausen.
- with the suffix -feld ("field"). Example: Bielefeld.
- with the suffix -werth, -wörth or -ort ("holm"). Example: Kaiserswerth, Donauwörth, Ruhrort
- German names from modern times. They usually follow the established patterns. Examples: Wuppertal ("Wupper valley"), Karl-Marx-Stadt ("Karl Marx city"), Wilhelmshaven ("William's harbour", referring to King Wilhelm I of Prussia).
- from prehistoric times. Typical forms are:
See also
A fifth category: placenames whose meanings and origins are not known or not assured, e.g. Zürich, Latin Turicum, assumed to be of Tracian origin.