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English County Names Trivia Quiz

Do you know where the names of English counties came from? This quiz tests your knowledge of language and history rather than the geography of England.

A multiple-choice quiz by riotgrrl. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
riotgrrl

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
73,255

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1149

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Where does the name 'Kent' originate? Hint

As an abbreviation of Canterbury, Kent's main city

From 'cant', Middle English for slope, as the county is hilly

From the Celtic Cantii people

From the past tense of 'ken', meaning to know, as the area was well-explored

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Question 2 of 10

2. Where does the 'Hamp' in Hampshire come from? Hint

From the fields of hemp grown there in the Middle Ages

From the Norman town of 'Hamptun'

From the humps or barrows found in the area

It is of unknown origin

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Question 3 of 10

3. Where does the name 'Suffolk' originate? Hint

From the Anglo-Norman for 'subordinates'

It was the Saxon for 'Southern Folk'

From the Old Norse for 'oak forests'

From the Suffolc, a legendary giant said to have created the county

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Question 4 of 10

4. And where does the 'Wilt' in 'Wiltshire' come from? Hint

From the tendency of crops to wilt, due to the infertile soil

From the white chalk hills in the county

From the Wilsaetan Saxons, who lived in the area

From the village of Wilbury, near Salisbury

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Question 5 of 10

5. Next, why 'Middlesex'? Hint

It means 'middle county' in Old English

Meaning 'land of the Middle Saxons'

Middle from 'midden' (toilet) due to London's notorious stench, Sex from 'Saxon'

As a corruption of 'middle six', the six boroughs nearest London

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Question 6 of 10

6. Where does 'Northumberland' come from? Hint

From north, and umber for its shadiness (as in penumbra)

Umber from the colour of the earth there, north from its location in England

From a Saxon kingdom located north of the Humber Estuary

From the Northumbe river which flows through the county

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Question 7 of 10

7. And the name 'Cumbria' arises from where? Hint

As a corruption of 'Cumberland', a former English county

From the long umbra, or shadows, of the mountains

Because it reminded Roman settlers of Umbria, in present-day Italy

It was an ancient Celtic kingdom, the name possibly being related to 'Cymru' for Wales

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Question 8 of 10

8. Why is 'Cornwall' so-called? Hint

From 'Wallis' Horn', Wallis being a legendary local hero

From a wall built by Offa the Great to prevent trading in corn

From Latin 'Cornu' (horn) and Old English 'wahl' (foreign)

From the large quantities of corn grown in the county, and the 'Western Wall'

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Question 9 of 10

9. Where does 'Shropshire' arise from? Hint

From the local Celtic tribe the Shroop

As a corruption of Shrewsburyshire, which Normans could not pronounce

From Shrop Hill in the centre of the county

From the Welsh Ashrop, or 'Green hills'

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Question 10 of 10

10. And finally, which of these is an explanation for how Surrey acquired its name? Hint

Short for 'surrender', as the land was easily conquered by the Saxons

From 'Sudergeona', meaning 'Southern Region'

As a variation of 'surly', a comment on its early inhabitants

From the River Surr, a tributary of the Wey

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where does the name 'Kent' originate?

Answer: From the Celtic Cantii people

The Romans named the county Kention for the Cantii tribe. Canterbury means 'the city of the people of Kent'.

2. Where does the 'Hamp' in Hampshire come from?

Answer: From the Norman town of 'Hamptun'

The town later became known as Southampton, but the original county name stuck.

3. Where does the name 'Suffolk' originate?

Answer: It was the Saxon for 'Southern Folk'

Norfolk (Northern people, or folk) lies immediately to the North.

4. And where does the 'Wilt' in 'Wiltshire' come from?

Answer: From the Wilsaetan Saxons, who lived in the area

The village of Wilton is also named after the Wilsaetan tribe.

5. Next, why 'Middlesex'?

Answer: Meaning 'land of the Middle Saxons'

Although Middlesex is no longer a county for administrative purposes, Essex (East Saxons) and Sussex (South Saxons) still reflect this heritage.

6. Where does 'Northumberland' come from?

Answer: From a Saxon kingdom located north of the Humber Estuary

The Saxon kingdom was known as Northumbria and occupied all Eastern England north of the Humber. After the Viking invasions, the modified name became associated with just this one county.

7. And the name 'Cumbria' arises from where?

Answer: It was an ancient Celtic kingdom, the name possibly being related to 'Cymru' for Wales

Cumberland was named after the ancient region of Cumbria. When counties were reorganised in the 1970s, the earlier name was readopted for a new county.

8. Why is 'Cornwall' so-called?

Answer: From Latin 'Cornu' (horn) and Old English 'wahl' (foreign)

Horn for the triangular penisula Cornwall lies on, and foreign as Cornwall was an independent Celtic land long after the rest of England had been conquered by the Saxons. An alternative theory suggests 'corn' is from the tribal name Cornovii.

9. Where does 'Shropshire' arise from?

Answer: As a corruption of Shrewsburyshire, which Normans could not pronounce

The invading Normans changed the name, first to Shropshire and then to Salop, which is an (unofficial) alternative name for the county.

10. And finally, which of these is an explanation for how Surrey acquired its name?

Answer: From 'Sudergeona', meaning 'Southern Region'

It also claimed that 'Surrey' comes from the Old English 'Suthrige', meaning 'land South of the Thames'.

Source: Author riotgrrl

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