If you have ever wondered how local towns and villages got their names, then wonder no more as we have the answers.
Merseyside is full of places with weird and wonderful names, with difficult spellings, but the origin of some of their names are pretty simple - taking inspiration from the surrounding nature and animals. An example is Aintree, which translates to ‘one tree’ and is thought to refer to a tree that was located in the centre of the village.
Many Wirral towns also got their names from the Vikings, with the peninsula being home of Viking settlements.
We take a look back at the origins of place names across Merseyside, which are pretty fascinating.
1. West Kirby, Wirral
West Kirby gets its name from ‘kirkjuby’ meaning church settlement. It is Norse in origin, dating from the early tenth century when the village formed part of the important Viking enclave in Wirral. Photo: Ed Barnes
2. Liverpool
It is thought that the name Liverpool comes from the Old English ‘liver’, meaning muddy water, and ‘pol’, meaning a pool or creek. There are also links to Irish and Welsh origins. Photo: Emma Dukes
3. Norris Green, Liverpool
Norris Green was developed in the 1920s, and named after the Norris family. Photo: Phil Nash via Wikimedia
4. Meols, Wirral
According to the Museum of Liverpool, the place-name Meols derives from ‘Melr’ - an Old Norse topographical name, meaning ‘sand-hills’ or ‘sand-dunes’. Photo: JThomas via Wikimedia