Origin
AUCHINLECK : Local. A parish in Ayrshire, Scotland. The etymology of the name may be found in the Gaelic Ach, an elevation, a mound, or round hill, generally level at the top; and leac, a flat stone, a tombstone. In several parts of Ayrshire may be traced the remains of cairns, encampments, and Druidical circles. Auchinleck appears to have been one of those places where the ancient Celts and Druids held conventions, celebrated their festivals, and performed acts of worship.
BALCOMBE : Local. From Bal, Gaelic, a round body, any thing thrown up; a buttding, house, town; and combe, a valley; the round valley; tin-works thrown up in a valley, or a dwelling in such a place.
BALLARD : (Celtic and Gaelic.) From Ball, a place, a round elevation; and ard, high. The Gaelic word Ballart signifies noisy, boasting. Bal also signifies a lord, and ard, high.
BARR : (Celtic.) Local. The top or summit of any thing, any thing round. Bar, Gaelic, an old word for a bard or learned man. Bar, local, a bank of sand or earth, a shoal; the shore of the sea. It may be derived from Barre, a town in France, or from Barr, a parish and village in Ayrshire, Scotland.
BLAKE : A corruption of the British Ap Lake, from Ap, signifying from, or son, and Lake, the son of Lake. The family went into Ireland with Strongbow, where the name became corrupted into Blake. Ap Lake was one of the knights of Arthur's Round Table.
BOLINGBROKE : Local. A town in Lincolnshire, England, the birth-place of Henry IV. The brook or bridge near the round hill.
BOLTON : Local. A town in England; the round hill; the abrupt, steep, round hill.
CHATHAM : Local. From a town in Kent, England, on the Medway, so named from the Saxon cyte, a cottage, and ham, a village, signifying the village of cottages. A paragraph to the following effect went the round of the papers not many years since: Two attorneys in partnership had the name of the firm, Catcham and Chetum, inscribed, in the usual manner, upon their office-door; but as the singularity and ominous juxta-position of the words led to many a coarse joke from passers-by, the men of law attempted to destroy, in part, the effect of the odd association, by the insertion of the initials of their Christian names, which happened to be Isaiah and Uriah; but this made the affair ten times worse, for the inscription then ran: I. Catchman and U. Chetum !”
CHETHAM : Local. From a town in Kent, England, on the Medway, so named from the Saxon cyte, a cottage, and ham, a village, signifying the village of cottages. A paragraph to the following effect went the round of the papers not many years since: Two attorneys in partnership had the name of the firm, Catcham and Chetum, inscribed, in the usual manner, upon their office-door; but as the singularity and ominous juxta-position of the words led to many a coarse joke from passers-by, the men of law attempted to destroy, in part, the effect of the odd association, by the insertion of the initials of their Christian names, which happened to be Isaiah and Uriah; but this made the affair ten times worse, for the inscription then ran: I. Catchman and U. Chetum !”
CHURCH : Local. A house of Christian worship, derived from the old English chirch, and Scottish Kirk, Latin circus, and this from the Gaelic cearcal, a temple, a round building. The root of Church is from the Gaelic car, roundness, from which we have cirke or kirke.
CRANDELL : (Welsh.) Local. From kren, round, or cran, wood; and dal, or dot, a vale the round or woody vale. Crandal, in Irish, signifies the woody vale.
GORDON : Ghurtduine, Gaelic, a fierce man; Gwrddyn, Welsh, a strong man; Cawrdyn, Welsh, a bero, a giant. Some have derived the Gordons from Gordinia, in Thessaly; others say they are descendants of the Gorduni mentioned by Caesar in his Commentaries. The name appears to be local, and may be derived from a town in France of that name, in the Department of Lot It signifies in Gaelic the round hill, or the hill that surrounds, from Gour, round, and dun, a hill or fort
GOWER : Local. (Welsh.) Gwyr, a place in Glamorganshire, a place inclosed round, encircled. This peninsula is mostly surrounded by the sea and rivers.
HUBBELL : Local. From Hubba, a Danish chief, and hill-Hubba's-hill or Hubhill. Hub means a heap or a lump, and may indicate a small round hill on the summit of another.
KENT : Local. From the County Kent, in England. Camden derives this from camion, a corner, because England in this place stretches itself into a corner to the north-east. Cant, in Welsh, signifies, round, circular, which is probably the true signification.
KIRK : (Teut) Kirche, a church. Gaelic, cearcall, a circle, the primitive places of worship among the Celts were round, a symbol of eternity, and the existence of the Supreme Being, without beginning or end.
LAMBOURNE : Anciently written in the Cor. Br. Lambron, the inclosure of the round hill; lan being changed into lam, for the sake of the euphony or ease in speaking; from the Welsh Llan, an inclosure, and bryn, a hill.
MINTURN : (Welsh.) Local. The round stones or circle of stones, from min, stones, and torn, a round, a circle; trun and tron, Welsh, a circle.
MOTT : (Fr.) A round artificial hill
NOTT : Hnott, Saxon, smooth, round, a nut. Notted, an old word for shorn, polled. The name may have come from wearing the hair short and smooth. A nott hed had he, with a brown visage. Chaucer.
ORTON : Local. From the town of Orton, in Westmoreland, England. Gaelic, Ord, a hill of a round form and steep, and ton, a town a fortress.
STAPLETON : (Saxon) From stapel, stapol, stapula, a staple, fastening, stake, and ton, a town inclosed or fenced round with stakes.
THOMS : An abbreviation of Thomas; Tom, local, Gaelic ant Welsh, a round hillock or knoll, a rising ground, an eminence, any round heap, a tumulus.
TING : Local. Among the ancient Gaels or Celts the place where courts were held, and justice administered, was called Ting, i. e., to surround; the circle, the temple, or round hill. The Tings at first were only judicial, but, in process of time they became legislative. The most remarkable object of this kind is the Tynwald, in the Isle of Man. Thing, Saxon, a cause, meeting, a council; German, ding, a court. Dutch, Dinger, a pleader.
TOWERS : Peels, and Castles, were places of defense. Tower is derived from tor, Gaelic and Saxon, French tour, Welsh, twr, a heap or pile, applied to conical hills, and to round buildings erected for strength or security.
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