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Danish Counties 1793-1970 |
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 Aabenraa
Aalborg
Aarhus
Bornholm
Frederiksborg
Haderslev
Holbæk
Hjørring
København
Maribo
Odense
Præstø
Randers
Ribe
Ringkøbing
Roskilde
Skanderborg
Sorø
Svendborg
Sønderborg
Thisted
Tønder
Vejle
Viborg
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Maintenance / update
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Latest News, Articles & FAQs |
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Place Name Etymology: Common Elements in Danish Place Names |
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Written by Anders Buch-Jepsen
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Page 1 of 2 Place names found in the historic Denmark, as well as throughout Scandinavia, are different from other place names in most respects. Most of these place names are very old, and the River Ejder forms a natural and historical boundary between the Old Norse settlements and settlements of Keltic, German, Wendic, Frankish and Slavic origin further south. A few common Germanic place names can be found in the endings -ing, -sted(t) and -bæk (-bek, -bech etc.) but these are exceptions.
 Etymology of place names Affixes and root words
- -AGER
- Meaning: field.
Examples: Broager, Ansager, Hvilsager.
- Description: Derives from Old Nordic 'akr', and originally meaning
pasture/grazing ground. English: acre.
-
- -BAK, -BAKKE
- Meaning: hill, rise.
Examples: Engbak, Rævbakke, Truesbak.
-
- -BALLE
- Meaning: -
Examples: Bredballe, Hesselballe, Lindeballe.
- Description: Derives from Old Danish 'balgh', and means evenly rising
terrain.
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- -BERG, -BJERG
- Meaning: mountain.
Examples: Esbjerg, Frederiksberg,
Lindbjerg.
Description: In Denmark and other flat areas it refers to a
rise or a hill.
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- -BO, -BOE
- Meaning: (small) property, land.
Examples: Bangsbo, Nøddebo,
Asserbo.
Description: -bo derives from old Danish 'bõth', meaning booth. Not
to be confused with -bo, -boe in regional surnames.
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- -BORG
- Meaning: a fortified place.
Examples: Nyborg, Ravnsborg,
Petersborg.
Description: Derives from Old Danish 'burgh'. Such place names
indicate that the settlement grew around a fortress or a castle. The same
element is also found in Edinburgh and Luxembourg.
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- -BRO
- Meaning: bridge.
Examples: Rødkærsbro, Stokkebro, Høgsbro.
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- -BY
- Meaning: settlement, village (or farmstead).
Examples: Tornby,
Vejlby, Holeby.
Description: In Denmark -by refers to larger villages or
settlements, and only in rare cases single farmsteads.
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- -BÆK
- Meaning: stream or brook.
Examples: Holbæk, Karresbæk, Agerbæk.
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- -BØL, -BØLLE
- Meaning: home, residence (farmstead).
Examples: Assenbølle, Rudbøl,
Dybbøl.
Description: -bøl derives from old Danish 'bøli', meaning a farmstead
of a free peasant. -bølle seems to derive from a side form 'bølik', meaning home
or residence.
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- -DAL, -DAHL
- Meaning: valley, low-lying area.
Examples: Humledal, Tovdal,
Langdal.
Description: In Denmark and other flat areas it refers to a
low-lying area. Alternative spelling in old place names is -dahl.
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- -ENG, -ENGE
- Meaning: meadow.
Examples: Røreng, Østerenge, Broenge.
- -FELD, -FELDT
- Meaning: cleared area.
Examples: Grønfelt, Horsfelt, Rosenfeldt.
Description: Direct translation is field, but in place names it means a cleared area; an area where trees have been cleared in order to grow crops etc.
- -HAFN, -HAVN
- Meaning: harbour.
Examples: København, Frederikshavn,
Godhavn.
Description: A city, town or village which grew around a port. -hafn
is an older variation of the spelling.
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- -HJEM
- Meaning: home.
Examples: Gudhjem, Solhjem,
Fredenshjem.
Description: Derives from Old Norse 'heimr', meaning home.
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- -HOLM
- Meaning: islet.
Examples: Bremerholm, Engholm,
Langholm.
Description: Area, both small islands and peninsulas,
surounded by wetlands, lakes or streams.
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- -HOLT
- Meaning: (small) forest.
Examples: Mølholt, Fasterholt,
Grønholt.
- Description: This root word is also found in a weakened form in the place names Høvelte and Saunte.
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- -HUS
- Meaning: house, home.
Examples: Bakhus, Koldinghus,
Blokhus.
Description: Direct translation is house, but it sometimes refer to
a castle, e.g. Hammershus, Koldinghus and Skanderborghus.
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- -HØJ, -HØJE
- Meaning: hill.
Examples: Tinghøj, Stabelhøje, Vejrhøj.
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- -GAARD(E)
- Meaning: farmstead(s).
Examples: Overgaard, Ålsgaarde,
Westergaard.
Description: -gaarde refers to a group of farms from which a
village grew.
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- -ING, -INGE
- Meaning: settlement.
Examples: Auning, Vinding,
Bellinge.
Description: Derives from Old Danish 'ingi'. Such names refer to
settlements named after the nature or personal names. -ing is mostly used in
Jutland,and -inge on the islands.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 10 March 2006 )
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