- Toponymy is the study of the names of places.
Administrative-Based
- County - a region, traditionally ruled by a local count or viscount.
- Enclave - a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. In order to access the mainland, a traveler must go through the territory of at least one other state.
- Exclave - A portion of a state or district geographically separated from the main part by surrounding alien territory.
- Shire - an administrative subdivision in Great Britain and other English-speaking countries.
Structure Based
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Some places derive their names from nearby man-made landmarks or structures.
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Bridge - pass, crossing, pont
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Railway
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Corner
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Dam - gap, reservoir
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Farm
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Prison
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Point - light houses
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Tunnel
General Principles
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Many toponyms derive from the local culture’s word for that feature (ex. Sahara desert being literally ‘desert desert”)
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Some places are named after people or are dedicated to those who have charted or conquered the land.
- It could also be named after the peoples or cultures that are nearby.
- It could also be named after nearby places. For example, a river named after a nearby mountain.
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Some places derive from or make use of directions and positions.
- Norte / North
- Sur / Sul / South
- Oriental / East
- Occidental / West
- Central
- Upper
- Lower
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Some places derive from their size relative to other places.
- Great / Big / Large / Major / Upper
- Lesser / Little / Minor / Lower
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Some places derive from color or any such associations.
- If a color is associated with a body of water, it usually pertains to the color of the water.
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Some places derive from their shape
- For streams this includes variations of long, wide, big, or meandering. It may also pertain to height (i.e. for waterfalls). In general, we notice characterizations based on the shape of the stream’s flow. This extends to talking about the nature of the stream’s flow (i.e., turbulent, quiet, etc.)
- For landmasses, this could include general descriptions about their shape or the environment. Common associations aside from height include that of Towers, Gates, Forts and Keeps.
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Some places derive from Animals
- A place may look like, literally or symbolically, an animal.
- A place may have many such animals living in the area.
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Names may also have ties to deities
- For example, river gods and goddesses. Typically river deities are female and are referred to as Mother. This ties into rivers whose names translate to “Mother Goddess”.
- This extends to origins that are mythical in nature or are based on stories and legends associated with the area.