Wednesday, March 06, 2019

Major town & city names in Sweden

notes from The Local article:
https://www.thelocal.se/20190306/the-history-behind-swedens-town-and-city-names

Stockholm  Stokker = log, Holm = islet

Göteborg / Gothenburg  Gothic Göta älv or Göta River, borg, = castle, stronghold

Malmö  Malmöghae  Malm = ore, older meaning sand, högar = piles/mounds

Karlstad / Tingvalla   Charles  King Karl XI  stad = city

Umeå   Norse 'roaring' rapids, å = stream French eau, water  Ume River (Ume älv)  Ume stream

Visby Old Norse vi, 'place of sacrifices' or 'holy place' by today 'village' but earlier, larger towns

Uppsala / Östra Aros, Eastern Estuary where river Fyrisån meets Mälaren
Upp Sala differentiated from town of Sala, a ceremonial building

Västerås / Västra Aros (Western Estuary) melded to one word

Kiruna /  Luossavaara, from Luossavárri mountain. Deliberately shortened from another area mountain Gironvárri, Sami 'mountain ridge', Kiirunavaara in Finnish;

Jokkmokk / Jåhkåmåhkke / Dálvvadis 'winter settlement' seems 'bend in the stream', but original muorkke, strip of land between two rivers

Linköping  Lionga ting assembly, Liunga Kauping was a Swedish Church site in the 1100s
köpa (to buy), prev. 95 "köping" = market or trading towns, many became städer but kept names

Nyköping  New market

Norrköping  North market


Snopptorp  Erik af Snoppenström's torp = Croft (seems penis croft)

Become a member of The Local to better participate!