r/etymologymaps

I had a lot of fun with this one. I used Ordnance Survey Open Place Names and pulled out all the common endings of towns, villages, hamlets, and cities. I then plotted them to see what it looks like geospatially. This divide was the most interesting - a clear line distinguishes if your settlement name is going to be a -bury or a -buy. Bury endings mean a fortified enclosure, town, or stronghold and relate to modern English. The etymology of By is Old Norse and and means farmstead or village. The size of the circles reflects settlement status (Hamlet, village, town, or city). See the map here: Place Names in England & Wales - Cadence