Place-Names from Surnames

GAZETTEERSof an old region like 1\JIaryland (chartered in 1632) present the researcher with an excess of place-names derived from surnames. Though he may not necessarily know the local history of these names, a casual survey will show him that, of the 3,183 entries in Gaz. Md. 1904,2 1,731 (54 per cent) are probably derived from surnames. If he looks more critically, weighing in each case the possibility of ambiguity, he will see that of these 1,731 probable surname derivatives 1,062 (61 per cent) are almost certainly derived from surnames. Of the remaining 669 there are 457 that mayor may not contain surnames. This is because they are potentially ambiguous, and (instead of surnames) perhaps embody given names (e.g., Helen, Henryton), or adjectives and common nouns (e.g., Fairtown, Hill Point, Wallville), or the names of certain countries and towns (e.g., Holland Island, Winchester Creek) identical to surnames in spelling. Left over are 212 names 1 Here and there, using abbreviations, I cite

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