The Place Names of France

Introduction

Although this section of the site is concerned with the place names of France, I have made special reference to the Charente. I have compiled a database of the place names of the département, a total of more than 11,400.

The study of the place names of France helps put into perspective the study of heraldry. On one hand there is a glimpse of the lives of the richer, more influential members of medieval society, and on the other an insight into the existence of the ordinary country people.

There is an historical perpective too, because most place names were in existence by the thirteenth century, and apart from new buildings, few have changed since that time.

The subject is vast, taking in, among other things, the terrain, the soil, the fauna and flora, the people and their occupations, and the pitfalls of interpretation are many, including problems of dialect, legends, illiteracy and idiosyncratic spelling.

The only safe way is to go to original sources, but this is not always possible. In many cases, my interpretation of a place name has been an educated guess. However, as in my studies of heraldry, I have come to treat experts warily: they are not always right.

To begin with I have divided the subject into four main parts:

1 Groups of place names which have, for example, the same broad grammatical formation or a similar dialect background.

2 Themes, such as the flora of an area, or the different occupational crafts.

3 Trivia, where I have chosen a particular name which has interested me, and have given my explanation. I have started with the name which forms the icon of the link to this page!

4 Questions & Answers, where I will try to explain the derivation of place names about which I have been asked.

Please write to me with questions, comments, corrections, and requests for further information on any of the examples given.