French toponymy

The Toponymie always interested the scholars. At the origin of often doubtful or eccentric interpretations (according to the rules of a popular etymology), it acquired its scientific character only in second half of the 19th century. In France, a big step was the realization of Dictionnaire S topographic for each department, project set up in the Années 1870, which led for about thirty departments. Each toponym is presented there with a maximum of details on its evolution to the wire of the centuries, starting from its first mention in the oldest texts, generally medieval.

Even if some studied the subject before him, Auguste Longnon is regarded as the founder in France of a truly methodical and systematic toponymy, with its work Place names of France , published in 1920. Thereafter, other researchers developed work of Longnon, in particular Albert Dauzat, Charles Rostaing and Ernest Nègre. Today, several specialists continue to look further into toponymic research.

Classification of the French toponyms

There exist two ways of classifying the toponyms in France. One can do it according to the various linguistic layers which followed one another in the country, since pre-indo-European to modern French (an alternative of this classification is to divide the names per historical periods). One can also privilege a classification according to the nature of the places: rivers, mountains, grounds cultivated and uncultivated, places of dwelling, places of worship, terms related on the breeding, industry or the craft industry, etc

Classification by linguistic or historical layers

Toponyms preceltic

It is obvious that certain toponyms go back so that one can call “mists of time”, one calls them by convenience preceltic pre-indo-Europeans or . There would exist several types of preceltic substrates : a paramount substrate, (paléo- or néo-) lithic - which one finds some vestiges in the Basque -, then successive layers, like the Ligure - the suffixes - asque, - osque , of the south of France and Italy of north (Manosque, Gréasque, Turbiasque, Monégasque, Like comasco , Bergamo bergamasco ), would go back to the Ligures, even if this relationship is disputed; one also allots to the Ligurians the suffixes - inco, - INCA and - elo, - elio . The ibère - which would not have left traces in toponymy, but would be responsible for certain phonetic deteriorations, for example F > H , also forms part of this pre-indoeuropéen substrate. Let us note that the towns of Nice and Antibes (of the Greek Νικη and Αντιπολις), rested by Greek colonists at sixth century BC, strictly speaking form part of a substrate preceltic (the Gallic ones had not arrived yet in the area at that time), but which is obviously not pre-indo-European (see will infra ).

These ancestral toponyms are especially related on the relief or hydrology. For lack of documents, one gathers them by roots, some more or less doubtful, others proven by the great number of the toponyms which correspond to them. It is the case of the root kar/kal , with the direction of rock, rock top , but also stony river , at the origin of an impressive list of toponyms, for example the rivers of the the Garonne, Charente or Cher.

Some preceltic roots:

It will be added that very frequent terms in toponymy ( rock , mound ) are probably of preceltic origin.

Celtic substrate

The Gallic, or Celtic, were undoubtedly installed in part of the Gaulle as of III, then their population extended, in France, until the the Mediterranean and with the the Pyrenees. If the Celtic substrate is rather poor on the level of the common nouns, it is on the contrary very rich in toponyms and hydronymes (see an example at Allobroges). Some of the terms considered as Celtic are undoubtedly preceltic, but it is difficult to make the difference. Many roots Celtic (or Gallic, it is the same thing) are used in made up names. The list below presents some of the roots most employed:
  • briga (= height, then castle-extremely): Aspires to It, Vandœuvres, Vendeuvre ( Vandobriga )
  • briva (= bridge): Brive, Chabris, Samarobriva (old name of Amiens)
  • ceton , ceto : (= wood): who owed advanced in this (T) or Ci (T), Latinized in cetum or citum that we find in the majority of the names of localities which end in cy, - as in Sancy which comes from Seno-ceton " old bois" - çay, C, cey, ciac, cieu, sey, cey, xay, say, know, gey, zy, quay, that : Marçay, Marcé, Marcey, Marciac, Marcieu, Marcy, Mercey, Mercy, Meurcé, Mergey, Marzy, Marquay, Margouët-Meymes (Gers), and as names of hamlets in Gers one finds Margouet with Ramouzens and Margoy with Panassac; in Haute-Garonne, Margoy with Aspect; in the the Low-Pyrenees, Marcoueyt with Puyoo. In the Puy-de-Dôme, one finds also Marcoué with Saint-Hérent and Marcoueix with Pontaumur; in the Pas-de-Calais, Marquoy with Robecq, and also with Françay in the Loir-et-Cher; in the the Sarthe, Marcoué with Saint-Girder. In the the Gironde, Coimères, in the center of an area timbered between Langon and Bazas, and not far from Lados, would be a plural of Ceta-Mara " large bois" with the components in the same order as into Breton in Coat-Meur . Perhaps from Ceto-Maron come Kaymard to Pruines, and the Peak of Kaymard with Fouillade.
  • condate (= Confluent): Cop, Condat
  • dunon, Latinized in dunum (= hill, then fortress): Lyon ( Lugdunum ), Verdun ( Virodunum ), Autun ( Augustodunum )
  • ialo (= discovered space, cleared ground then village): used as suffix, this term is at the origin of the majority of the names of localities finished by - euil in North (Argenteuil, Auteuil, Verneuil) and - ouls or - ols in the South (Tréjouls, Marvejols)
  • magos or magus (= field, then gone): Caen ( Catumagos ), Rouen ( Rotomagos ), Senlis (of which the primitive name was Augustomagus ), Charenton, Argentan, Argenton
  • nanto (= valley): Nans, Nantua, Mornant, Nancy, Nandy, Nançay, Nangy, Nance, Nances, Nangis, Nangeville, Nançois, Nanteuil, Nant, Nans-under-Holy-Anne, Nans, Nans.
  • morginno (= river border): Morge, current free-Switzerland border in the east of the lake Léman (and many others in France)
  • randa (= the border): all Randons, Randens, Arandons, Chamarande, etc
  • ritum (= ford): Bédarrides, Chambord, Niort, Limoges ( Augustoritum )
  • Nemeton, Latinized in nemetum (= temple, crowned place): Augustonemetum (one of the old names of Clermont-Ferrand)

The Gallic toponyms can also be related to names of divinities, for example Lug (Lyon, Laon) or Nemausos (Nimes, Nemours). Others, later, were given to big cities according to the Gallic people which lived them (Paris, Metz, Nantes, Rodez, Amiens, Bourges, Troyes…). See on this subject List of the Gallic people in France.

Greek names

The Greek , by furrowing the Mediterranean, determined a certain number of counters there. It is the case in particular Phocéens, probable founders of Marseilles, but the name even of the city ( Massalia ) is undoubtedly not Greek and its origin remains obscure. It is not the case for other southernmost cities, whose Greek etymology is about certain: Agde ( Agathe = good), Nice ( Nikaia = victorious), Antibes ( Antipolis = the city of opposite, vis-a-vis Nice), or Leucate ( Leukatês , derived from leukos = white). Even Greek origin for Monaco ( Monoikos , term evoking loneliness, interpreted differently according to the authors: either the solitary house, or a site dedicated to Héraklès Monoikos). One can as announce as the suffix - polished (the city) was used much later in other formations, for example Gratianopolis , current the Grenoble.

Latin and novel

This category, vastest of all, includes on the one hand the toponyms created at the time of the Roman domination, whose examples are numerous, even if the toponyms inevitably did not survive in their Latin form: Aquae Augustae (Dax), Narbo Martius (Narbonne), Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence), Forum Martis (Corseul)… One finds there also all the names which were created by the various Romance languages, in particular the Langue of oil, the Occitan or the Francoprovençal, with their many dialects and regional alternatives, but also the Corsica and the Catalan. One will be satisfied here to evoke domain names known as Gallo-Roman , at the origin of so much of names of cities and villages.

When the clearings allowed the creation of a new rural field, then of an agglomeration, the Gallic suffix more used was - ialo ( - euil in North and - ouls or - ols in the South after evolution phonetic). Two new suffixes appear with Roman colonization, - anum and - acum .

Suffix - anum
The Latin suffix - anum is at the origin of the majority of the toponyms finished by - year (- with in Catalan), sometimes - years : Lézignan, Perpignan, Frontignan, Romance, Balan, Chambaran, Corneilla, Vinça. Such names are formed starting from the probable founder of the field, for example Frontinius for Frontignan or Cornelius for Corneilla. They played at beginning the part of adjectives accompanying by the terms such as fundus or villa . In this last case the suffix is with the female one: e.g. Marignane “field of Marinus”.

Probably derived from this suffix, the suffix - anicum , in the plural - anicos , which implies the term agros (= fields), is found in many toponyms of the south of France in the form - wire-drawers: Baillargues, Marsillargues, Olargues, Vauvenargues…

Suffix - acum
The second suffix, typical of the Gallo-Roman surface, is - acu (m) . It is generally used to form the domain names based on the name of their founder. It may be that it is also used on purely geographical radicals, for example in Campagnac. One finds it in hundreds of names of communes, in various forms which characterize distinct areas or linguistic zones. Thus, Aurelius is at the same time at the origin of the communes of Aurillac and of Orly and Maximiacum leads as well to Messimy as with Meximieux. ---- Distribution by zones of the suffix - acum ---- mainly in the areas occitanes (South-western, Massif Central) but also in Charentes, the Vendée and in the Brittany of language Gallo
  • - ac, - acq: Vitrac, Floirac, Florac, Fleurac, Savignac
this suffix is sometimes transformed into - In the Limousin and Auvergne: ---- with majority in the West, the Ile-de-France, North and the North-East, areas of Oil ---- in Center-Is, areas Franco-provençal are ---- in the North-East, germanized areas (Alsace and the Moselle Francique)

Germanic names

The establishments then the Germanic invasions inevitably left traces in toponymy. It is obvious for the Alsace and the Moselle Francique, it is also true for a good part of the north of France and, more rarely, for the southernmost areas. The new fields created at the end the top the Middle Ages and Carolingian are now formed starting from anthroponymes Germanic. One continues to use the suffix - acum , but one employs also the suffix - ingen , which will become sometimes - ing , or - angel , that one finds in the Lorraine or Alsatian toponyms but also, in the forms or - ingues (and various alternatives), in the close areas: Affringues, Gravelines, Puttelange, Hagondange. Many Germanic names related on the relief, the vegetation or the habitat are also used. Here are some:

Norman toponyms

These toponyms could be attached to the preceding heading, insofar as the Normands are Germanic people, using a Germanic language. However, this one (the norrois) is sufficiently different from the others to deserve a special heading, the more so as the toponyms created meet in theory only in Normandy and are very characteristic. The norrois is indeed at the origin of various suffixes (- beuf, - flower, - early) entering in composition many names of cities and villages.

See the article specialized Toponymy Norman.

Breton toponyms

The toponyms Breton S can have Gallic or Gallo-Roman origins (to be noted for example the many villages finished by - ac ). But one will retain especially the Celtic names formed on roots come from on the other side of the channel (Britto-Romans). Each one knows the toponyms beginning with ker (alternatives: because , quer ). More 18  000 Breton place names are formed on this root. As Breton old man, ker had the direction of strengthened enclosure. Thereafter, it will be able indifferently to indicate a farm, a Hameau or a village. Some examples: Kergrist, Kermaria, Kersaint.

Other terms are used to indicate agglomerations. Here most current:

  • treb, trev (inhabited place, then church branch): Trébédan, Tréguennec, Trévou-Tréguignec
  • lann (to be brought closer to Welsh llan = church, but also to Breton the lann = moor, from where the fact that the term was often associated with hermitages): Lamballe, Landivisiau, Lanester
  • lok (of Latin locus , with here the direction of crowned place, church or parish dedicated to a saint): Locmaria, Locronan, Loctudy.
  • plou (of Latin plebem = people, but having taken into Breton the direction of parish): Plougastel (the parish of the castle), Plounévez (the new parish), Plouhinec (the parish with the gorses).

See specialized article: Breton Toponymy.

Basque toponyms

The Basque being an agglutinant language, it is not rare to find toponyms Basque rather long. One can quote some rather impressive curiosities, especially on the level of the localities. Thus Eric Vial ( Names of cities and villages , ED. Belin) quotes, in the commune of Béhorléguy, the locality Inthasendarragiratzeburukoharia , in other words the rock of the “muddy path of the end of the Fougeraie”.

Generally however, one deals with toponyms made up of two terms:

  • a radical relating to the vegetation or topography
  • a collective, locative or qualifier
E.g.
  • Ameztoi < Ametz “oak tauzin” + - DOI “place”
  • Gorostiaga < Gorosti “houx” + - aga (collective)
  • Uhalde < Ur “water” + alde “(with) side (of)”
  • Bidarte (Bidart) < Bide “way” + arte “enters, intermediate”
  • Iratzabal < Iratze “Fougeraie” + zabal “wide”
But one finds also simply Larre “moor”, Mendi “mountain”, Bizkai / Biscay “buttress”…

The demographic expansion produced place names like Iri berri , field new. With its alternative Irun berri , it constitutes one of the most widespread names of protohistoric city in the aquitano-Iberian surface: Auch ( Elimberrum, Eliberris ), Lombez (Gers), Irunberri/Lumbier (Navarre), Lombers (Tarn), Elna/Elne ( Illiberri ), Elvira ( Iliberri ), Granada/Grenade ( Illiberi ; Andalusia)… On the Cantabric buttresses, it is the alternative Huri barri ( Ullibarri ) which prevails. It is noted that the R soft Basque corresponds to the L Latin.

The suffix Basque - OZ (a) , Gascon - bone () \ - òç (a) and Aragonese - ués constituted of many names of village in the surface Vascon: Uztarroz “field of the pile”, Mendoza “field of the mount”, Biscarrués = Biscarrosse “field of the hillock”… It also formed of domain names aquitano-Romans vis-a-vis the Gallo-Roman names in - acum: Baliros "field of Valerius".

To note the toponym azpe , foot of cliff, who spread himself along the the Pyrenees: valley of Winder, Aspet…

The toponym can end in the definite article - has. But this last tends to disappear, sometimes yielding the place to one - E nonetymological (residue of variation): Ibarre for ibar ( ruffle ) “(it) valley”.

The French extent of these toponyms goes from the Atlantic (to the south of Arcachon) and extends along the Pyrenees.

See specialized article: Basque Toponymy.

Classification according to the nature or the destination of the places

Topography

The medieval villages were often built on heights. From where the very great number of toponyms comprising the word mount , sometimes only (Mons), generally in composition with an adjective (Montaigu, Beaumont, Clermont, Montfort) or a noun of anybody (Montbeliard, Montdidier). The tops are also frequently indicated by Latin podium , at the origin of the words occitans Puy , pech or pey (Puy, Puylaurens, Puget).

If there are tops, there are also valleys, and there still the toponyms are innumerable: Laval, Valbonne, Valleys, Be worth, Vaucresson. As for the villages, they can be built between two valleys (Entrevaux, Entraigues), but especially near source or river. Latin rivus was very productive (Rieux, Rioux, Xonrupt), just like let us fons (source) and its derivative fontana (fountain): Fontanges, Fontenay, Fontenelle, Fontevraud, Hontanx.

Vegetation and cultures

When the relief or the presence of a river is not sufficiently relevant, simplest is to name a place according to its vegetation, forests or wood, fields cultivated, meadows, moors.

If one takes the only example of the timbered places, one realizes that 56 common Frenchwomen have the word forest in their name, while those which comprise the word wood amount per hundreds. To what one can add Latin silva , at the origin of many toponyms (Selve, Lasseube, Tresserve), or the Gallic brogilo (enclosed wood), at the origin of various the Breuil, Breil or Brille. Wood crowned (Latin lucus ) in particular gave to the Luc, Lucq or Lucmau, Luplanté. One can also name the places according to the tree or of the plant which pushes there:

Dwelling

The habitat can be grouped or dispersed. In the first case (cities, villages), one already saw the importance of the Latin or Latinized suffixes - acum and - anum . Another way of forming these macrotoponymes is to use the word city (which according to the times has its Latin direction of rural field or that of agglomeration), either at the beginning of the name, or at the end, generally in composition with an adjective (Belleville, Villefranche) or a noun of anybody (Villegaudin, Villehardouin). Very productive also the short word , of Latin cohort , farmyard: (Clignancourt, Courdimanche), evoking at the beginning a rural field.

Being of villages, hamlets, small groups of houses, one used Latin villare much: Villars, Villiers, Villersexel, Aubervilliers. Another frequent employment: that of the word vicus (Vic, Vicq, Vy, Neuvic, Neuvy and of its derivative vicinus (Beauvoisin, Vésinet).

Then comes the dispersed habitat, that of the Latin mansus and the mansionile . The first gives the many toponyms occitans comprising the word farmhouse , for example Farmhouse-with Azil. Second is at the origin of former French mesnil , whom one finds in Ménilmontant or the Blanc-Mesnil. The farms will not be forgotten, frequently represented by the Germanic word of origin borders and its derivatives: Bourdeaux, Bourdelles, Lasbordes. Lastly, Latin put is at the origin of Cazes, the Chair or Chèzeneuve.

Trades, industries

Two kinds of buildings left important traces in toponymy: the forging mill and the mill, enough close relations one of the other because with the Middle Ages both were generally driven by the hydraulic power. It is extremely possible besides that terms such as crushes or winch indicated forging mills rather than mills.

The Latin word indicating a forging mill was fabrica . One owes him the toponyms Faurie, Farges, Fargues, or Fabrègues and Faverges, without counting many Forge (S), for example Forging mill-the-Water. The extraction of iron is for its part evoked by many the Ferrières or the Tool bag present a little everywhere in France.

The mills are of course represented by toponyms such as Moulins, but also by Bécherel or Becquerel (metaphor evoking the noise of the mill, starting from the term becquerelle = talkative), Choiseul (trough mill), Quincampoix ( with which that it weighs of it, sentence which would have been pronounced by the millers).

Other places evoke careers (the Stone quarry), mines (of money, Argentière), sand pits (Sablonnières), saltworks (Salival), tileries (Thuillières), glassmakings (Verrières) or even of the soap factories (Savonnières), but one will not forget that France was especially rural, with many terms related on the breeding, the cultures and the marketing of the products.

Fortifications

Among the terms evoking the medieval fortresses, it is advisable to initially retain the word rock (or castling according to the areas, Latin rocca undoubtedly of preceltic origin), which can certainly indicate a rock, but which in the majority of the cases was allotted to castles built on rocky outcrops. From where many the Roquefort and Rochefort, or Laroque-of-Albères the, the Rock-Guyon and well of others.

Another very fertile term, castle (Latin castellum ): Châteaufort, Châteauneuf, Castelsarrasin, Castelnaudary, Châtillon and the diminutives Châtelet or Castelet. One will not confuse castellum with castrum which indicated a castle not, but a strengthened city or a village. It is with castrum that one owes Castres and Castries, but also Châtre or Châtres.

Other words evoked fortifications, for example wall , which would seem often dependant on enclosures of Roman origin: Ripe-of-Brittany, Walls, Murat, Murviel. One will not forget plessis , term indicating at the beginning an enclosure, but in general allotted to strengthened enclosures. 26 common Frenchwomen are called Plessis, as well as tens of hamlets.

Religious field

The christianization of the country involved that of its toponyms. Several of them indicate religious buildings having for origin of the Latin names:

  • concealed (attic with provisions then hermitage, small monastery): That, That-Saint-Cloud, Lalacelle
  • basilica (court or gone, then church): Bazoches, Bazeilles
  • ecclesia (church): Neuvéglise, Églisolles, Grisolles
  • monasterium (monastery) and its derivative monasteriolum : Montreuil, Montreux, Moustier, Monthiers, Noirmoutier
  • oratorium (small vault, oratory): Ouroux, Ouzouer, Oradour
  • cappella (vault): Capelle, Capelle, the Vault
  • altare (furnace bridge): the Furnace bridges, Autheux, Authieux (the term could, in certain cases, to apply to dolmens)

Various localities are dedicated to God: Villedieu, Chair-God, Dieulefit. But the vast majority of the names of religious origin is consisted the hagiotoponymes , term indicating of the localities dedicated to a saint. More venerated of them is holy Martin, evangelist of Gaulle, who gave his name to 238 communes (see Saint Martin's day) and to innumerable hamlets. He is followed by Jean (171), Pierre (162), Germain (127) and Laurent (99). Except for the Virgin Mary, the holy ones are much fewer, most popular being holy Colombe (28 communes). One will add that holy (E) is sometimes replaced by gift or daN , lady , for example in Dampierre, Dompierre (by counting these toponyms, Pierre takes the second place with Jean), Dommartin, Dammarie, Dannemarie, Lady-Marie.

By counting all holy (E) , daN ( lady ) or gift , without forgetting the Breton toponyms starting for example with loc , approximately 5  000 common Frenchwomen are dedicated to saints, on the 36  497 that account country.

Roads and ways

The Roman roads left their print in the landscape but also often in toponymy. Some examples:

The junctions are especially represented by the names formed on quadrivium (or quadruvium ), in other words a crossroads: Carrouges, Charroux, Charols. Trivium is at the origin of Trier, and there are strong chances so that Cinquétral means five roads .

Other elements related to the roads, the bridges, represented by the Gallic briva (Brive) or by Latin let us pons , which often replaced it. Thus Briva Isarae became Pontoise. To the roads the relays and the inns can also be attached. Latin stabulum (stable, then relay, inn) gave Estables, Étables or Étaules. As for taverna , one owes him Tavernay, Malataverne or the Ternay of Isere.

The study of the names of the transportation routes is called the odonymy . In addition to the places quoted above, the odonymy is also interested in the streets. During centuries, these last drew their name from the place towards which they carried out (street of the Mill), of the trade that one practiced there (street of the Tanners), of an important character who lived there (street Mazarine), of a building which was there or of its ensign (street of Dish-in Étain) etc Under the Monarchie of July, one recommended to the communes to give to their streets names victorious battles: from where many streets of Wagram or Marengo. Thereafter, they were the famous characters whom one advised to use, France being filled of arteries or places dedicated to Victor Hugo, with Pasteur, the marshal Foch or the general de Gaulle. More recently, the creation of new districts or allotments involved debatable choices, all the streets of the same sector being devoted to a single topic: famous trees, flowers, birds, sportsmen, etc It is obvious that there is not least the Pervenche in the street of the Periwinkles, nor, alas, least the Coquelicot in that of the Poppies.

Modern and contemporary creations

A certain number of communes to the wire of the centuries were débaptisées, to generally take the name of a personality. Some examples:
  • Albertville (Savoy), thus named in 1834 in the honor of the king of Sardinia Charles-Albert.
  • Amélie-the-Baths, 1840, in the honor of the Amélie queen, wife of Louis-Philippe.
  • Borough-Madam, 1815, in the honor of Madam, woman of the duke of Angouleme.
  • Broglie, 1742, in the honor of the duke of Broglie, which had the seigniory of it.
  • Decazeville, 1827, in the honor of the duke Decazes, former minister of Louis XVIII.
  • Eugenie-the-Baths, 1861, in the honor of the empress Eugenie de Montijo.
  • the case of Pontivy is significant: starting from the 18 Brumaire Year XII (November 9th 1804), the name is changed into Napoléonville, will become again Pontivy under the Restauration before being called Bourbonville, then again Napoléonville under Napoleon III.

One will not forget the communes of the Paris region, of which some were created at the 19th century, with names sometimes related to inns or guinguettes. It is the case, for various reasons, of Malakoff, the Kremlin or Robinson. Another innovation of the end of the 19th century, the commune of Jullouville, Seaside resort created in 1881 per Armand Jullou.

Two curiosities of the 20th century:

  • Genilac, commune born in 1973 of the fusion of Saint Geni S and C ula;
  • Parnoy-in-Bassigny, commune born of the fusion of By not and Fres' noy' .

For the row of contemporary creations, it is necessary to place the departments, which go back to 1790 and whose names, without much originality, return almost all to the river which crosses them or the mountain which dominates them. Exceptions notable, Apple-brandy (of the name of a rock off the coast), Coast-of Gold (of the name of the gilded color that the vineyard in autumn took, name which was thereafter allotted to the wine coast), the Finistere (< finished terræ ), the Northern , not cardinal, the Pas-de-Calais, of the name of the strait, and the Yvelines, baptized according to the old name of the main forest of Rambouillet (Yveline < Yvette, Evette , literally small water , because of the many ones ponds). More recently, the administrative areas sometimes took again the names of old provinces, but one also attended the birth of curious hybrids, the such area Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure, shortened in PACA. Among properly toponymic creations, it is necessary to quote the new cities, like Saint-Quentin-in-Yvelines, Marne-the-Valley or Villeneuve-with Ascq, the name of the artificial ponds, etc the rare changes are made either at the instigation municipal councils, for example Châlons-sur-Marne become Châlons-in-Champagne, or at the time of regroupings of communes. For example Cherbourg become officially Cherbourg-Octeville or Bruay-la-Buissière, but in the past Boulogne-Billancourt, Houses-Alfort, Charleville-Mézières…).

Mélioratifs

The use of mélioratifs in the denomination of the toponyms is not an innovation, and as of the Middle Ages the new agglomerations, to perhaps attract towards them the populations of the close villages, praised the charm or the safety of the places, even the advantages which one could draw. The beautiful adjective enters thus in composition innumerable place names. Most banal of all: Beaulieu, name of 23 common Frenchwomen. Hardly more original: Belleville (only or in composition in 14 communes). But as the new villages were often located on heights, it is Beaumont which is largely at the head (55 communes).

Since these heights, the sight was impregnable, pledge of safety and possibly of pleasure. From where names such as Mirabeau, Mirabel, Beauregard, Beauvoir or View-point. The idea of impregnable fortress appears in particular in names such as Bellegarde.

If the place is not described as beautiful , it can be named good , the two terms being often equivalent as former French: Bonneville, Bonneval, Bonrepos. Lastly, it is not rare that localities whose old name began with badly is transformed to be more attractive. Thus, as of the Middle Ages, Malpas (the bad passage) became Bompas (the Eastern Pyrenees). It also seems that Mantes-the-Unpleasant, beside Mantes-the-Pretty, became simply Mantes-the-City.

One can also regard as mélioratifs terms such as Villeneuve or Villefranche. Often created at the 13th century, these localities offered in many cases to their inhabitants the exemption from so heavy seigneuriaux duties in the close villages.

See too

Random links:Frasnois | Gottschalk de Zutphen | Alcalá del Valle | The Cage to insane II | Old people's home of Soubise