Hampton (place name) explained

The place name Hampton is of Old English origin and is common in England, particularly in the South of England and Central England. It can exist as a name in its own right or as a prefix or suffix. The name suggests a farm settlement, especially one where pastoral farmers keep livestock on flood-meadow pastures.

The name was exported around the world both as a place-name and as a surname, especially to those countries where the English language is an official language. Examples of place-names include:

• Hampton – Australia
• Hampton – Canada
• Hampton – United States

Etymology

The English toponymist P. H. Reaney has suggested that the name element Hampton may derive from:

1. Old English hām + tūn – "village with a home farm".
2. Old English hamm + tūn – "village with a flood-meadow or pasture".

The English toponymist Victor Watts has suggested the following possibilities:

1. Old English hēah + tūn – "high settlement"
2. Old English hamm + tūn:
   1. "settlement or estate in a river bend".
   2. "settlement or estate between rivers".
3. Old English hām + tūn – "home farm".

Examples (home farm)

Examples of Old English hām and tūn – "village with a home farm":

Place name	Location	OS Grid^[1]	Historic landowner	Home farm	Listed	River name
Hampton Gay	Oxfordshire	SP4816^[2]	Robert de Gay	Manor Farm	Grade II	River Cherwell
Hampton Poyle	Oxfordshire	SP5015^[3]	Walter de la Poyle	Manor Farm		River Cherwell
Hampton Lovett	Worcestershire	SO8865^[4]	Lovet family	Hampton Farm	Grade II	Elmbridge Brook

Examples (meadow)

Examples of Old English hamm and tūn – "village with a flood-meadow or pasture":

Place name	Location	OS Grid	Derivation
Hampton	Richmond upon Thames	TQ1370^[5]
Hampton Lucy	Warwickshire	SP2557^[6]	River Avon

Examples (high settlement)

Examples of Old English hēah and tūn – "high settlement":

Place name	Location	OS Grid	Derivation	River name
Hampton	Evesham, Worcestershire	SP0243^[7]	High ground
Hampton in Arden	Solihull, West Midlands	SP2081^[8]	High ground

Examples in England

Hampton

• Hampton, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
• Hampton, Cheshire
• Hampton, Herne Bay, Kent
• Hampton, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
• Hampton-on-the-Hill, Warwickshire
• Hampton in Arden, Solihull, West Midlands
• Hampton, Worcestershire

Hampton (prefix)

Examples of Hampton followed by a name, usually of a landowner:

• Hampton Gay, Oxfordshire
• Hampton Poyle, Oxfordshire
• Hampton Loade, Shropshire
• Hampton Lucy, Warwickshire
• Hampton Lovett, Worcestershire

Hampton (suffix)

• Littlehampton, West Sussex
• Northampton, Northamptonshire
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Sevenhampton, Gloucestershire
• Sevenhampton, Wiltshire
• Wolverhampton, West Midlands

References

Sources

• Book: Clark Hall . John Richard . John Richard Clark Hall . 1916 . A Concise Anglo−Saxon Dictionary, Second Edition . .
• Book: Reaney . P H . 1969 . The Origin of English Place Names . .
• Book: Stone . Jean . 2014 . River Cherwell . . 978-1-4456-3443-2 .
• Book: Watts . Victor . Victor Watts . 2007 . The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names . . 978-0-521-16855-7 .

Notes and References

1. MAGiC Map
2. Web site: MAGiC Map : Manor Farm, Hampton Gay. . Natural England – Magic in the Cloud..
3. Web site: MAGiC Map : Manor Farm, Hampton Poyle. . Natural England – Magic in the Cloud..
4. Web site: MAGiC Map : Hampton Farmhouse, Hampton Lovett. . Natural England – Magic in the Cloud..
5. Web site: MAGiC Map : Hampton, Richmond upon Thames. . Natural England – Magic in the Cloud..
6. Web site: MAGiC Map : Hampton Lucy. . Natural England – Magic in the Cloud..
7. Web site: MAGiC Map : Hampton near Evesham. . Natural England – Magic in the Cloud..
8. Web site: MAGiC Map : Hampton in Arden. . Natural England – Magic in the Cloud..