List of Latin place names in Britain


This list includes places in Great Britain, some of which were part of the Roman Empire, or were later given Latin place names in historical references.

Background

Until the Modern Era, Latin was the common language for scholarship and mapmaking. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, German scholars in particular have made significant contributions to the study of historical place names, or Ortsnamenkunde. These studies have, in turn, contributed to the study of genealogy. For genealogists and historians of pre-Modern Europe, knowing alternative names of places is vital to extracting information from both public and private records. Even specialists in this field point out, however, that the information can be easily taken out of context, since there is a great deal of repetition of place names throughout Europe; reliance purely on apparent connections should therefore be tempered with valid historical methodology.

Caveats and notes

Latin place names are not always exclusive to one place — for example, there were several Roman cities whose names began with Colonia and then a more descriptive term. During the Middle Ages, these were often shortened to just Colonia. One of these, Colonia Agrippinensis, retains the name today in the form of Cologne.
Early sources for Roman names show numerous variants and spellings of the Latin names.
The modern canonical name is listed first. In general, only the earliest source is shown for each name, although many of the names are recorded in more than one of the sources. Where the source differs in spelling, or has other alternatives, these are listed following the source. As an aid to searching, variants are spelled completely, and listed in most likely chronology.

Cities and towns in England

Latin nameEnglish name
Aquae ArnemetiaeBuxton
Aquae SulisBath
BremetennacumRibchester
CamulodunumColchester
Cantabrigia Cambridge
CataractoniumCatterick
Coria, CorspitiumCorbridge
CoriniumCirencester
DevaChester
DunelmumDurham
DurnovariaDorchester
DurocobrivisDunstable
Durovernum Cantiacorum, CantuariaCanterbury
EboracumYork
GlevumGloucester
Isca DumnoniorumExeter
Isurium BrigantumAldborough
LindinisIlchester
Lindum ColoniaLincoln
LondiniumLondon
LondoniaLondon
LuguvaliumCarlisle
Mamucium, MancuniumManchester
Noviomagus ReginorumChichester
Oxonium, OxoniaOxford
PetuariaBrough
Pons AeliusNewcastle upon Tyne
Ratae CorieltauvorumLeicester
Venta BelgarumWinchester
VerulamiumSt Albans
VigorniaWorcester
Viroconium CornoviorumWroxeter

Cities and towns in Scotland

Cities and towns in Wales

Island names

Region or country names