This guide to ‘decoding English place names’ is a truly fascinating journey through history

Despite the best efforts of Elon Musk, Twitter isn’t (yet) completely full of misinformation and far-right propaganda. If you dig around, there’s still a decent amount of considered argument and fascinating informative content.

One such post, which falls into the latter category, has recently caught our eye. It’s a wonderful thread about English place names and how they reveal a ‘secret code of invasion and conquest’.

It’s superbly well written by Colin Gorrie who, with a PhD in Linguistics, is the perfect teacher. He posts loads of interesting stuff on Twitter so be sure to give him a follow if you’re still on the platform.

1.

Hidden in English place names is a secret code of invasion and conquest.

Vikings, Romans, Saxons, and Normans all stamped their languages onto the landscape.

Here's how to decode any English place name — and instantly know who conquered that spot 1,000+ years ago… pic.twitter.com/vLCjNUpY8s

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

2.

The Romans arrived first in 43 AD, building forts across England.

Their word “castra” (military camp) evolved into place names ending in:

“-chester” (Manchester, Winchester)
“-cester” (Leicester, Gloucester)
“-caster” (Lancaster, Doncaster)

But these are just the first layer.. pic.twitter.com/pPrExmq6yh

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

3.

After Roman rule collapsed around 410 AD, Anglo-Saxons took over.

Their place names:

“-ham” (Birmingham) = homestead/village
“-ton” (Brighton) = settlement
“-ford” (Oxford) = river crossing
“-bury” (Canterbury) = fortified place

But other invaders would leave their mark. pic.twitter.com/wwpxGD1kgO

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

4.

Viking invaders started settling in 865 AD and left Norse fingerprints on the landscape.

Look for:

“-by” (Grimsby, Whitby) = farm/village
“-thorp” (Scunthorpe) = village
“-toft” (Lowestoft) = homestead
“-thwaite” (Braithwaite) = clearing

But they weren’t the last to conquer. pic.twitter.com/omZ2GV1uFY

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

5.

Many English places have two names.

After 1066, Norman invaders added French identifiers to existing Saxon or Viking names.

Settlements like “Ashby de la Zouch” and “Stoke Mandeville” reveal the final wave of conquest.

These stories of conquest survive even in major cities… pic.twitter.com/hGpDettC3V

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

6.

Consider the place names of London:

– London = Celtic, and then Roman, “Londinium”
– Westminster = Anglo-Saxon “west monastery”
– Belsize Park = Norman French "bel assis" (beautifully situated)

All within miles of each other, leaving evidence of those who once ruled there… pic.twitter.com/B5ewua5qpW

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

7.

The name “England” itself tells a similar story.

It means “land of the Angles,” one of the Germanic tribes that came after Roman control fell.

The Welsh language doesn’t use this name at all — in Welsh, England is “Lloegr.”

Like many place names, this has Celtic origins: pic.twitter.com/uZM5PkYOlz

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

8.

Natural features often have the oldest names, dating back to the Celtic Britons who lived in England before all these invasions.

Rivers like Avon, Thames, Trent, and Severn all have Celtic origins.

Celtic names survived even as the Celtic languages were pushed westward. pic.twitter.com/ju4afsFiy8

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

9.

The places where these Celtic (Welsh) speakers lived are often named with the element “Wal-” (like Walton).

Other Celtic survivals include names with “Eccles-”, which mark Celtic church sites.

This element comes from Greek “ekklesia” (church) via Latin and Celtic languages. pic.twitter.com/g2FxgN2qLo

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025

10.

This layering of languages — plus the erosion of sounds over time — is why English place names can seem so bizarre.

Each wave of conquerors imposed their names while preserving elements of what came before.

It's a linguistic layer cake that reveals centuries of invasion. pic.twitter.com/lKAnoF98mT

— Colin Gorrie (@colingorrie) March 21, 2025