Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bircheveth 1190–1216 AddCh

• Bircheuet 1260 Court

• Byrcheved 1277 Pat c.1282 Sheaf 1605 Tax 1291 Plea 1305

• Byrcheued 1318 Eyre

• Birheuet c.1200 Bark

• Birhefde 1272–1307 JRC

• Byrkeheveht 1259 Court

• Birkheued 1260 Plea

• Birkheved 1579 AD

• Birkeved 1318 Pat 1361 BPR

• Birkeued 1356 Eyre

• Byrkehed 1259 ChFor 1286 Sheaf 1417,1553 Pat 1557

• Birk(e)hed 1347 ChFor 1353 Dugd 1364 Orm2 1522 Sheaf 1527 ChRR 1535 VE

• Byrkhed 1512 ChRR 1551

• Birked 1558 Sheaf

• Berkeheved 1275 Pat

• Byrchenid 1277 Sheaf

• Birchened 1325,1342 ChRR

• Birkhened c.1278 18 et freq

• Birkhened 1615 ChRR

• Birkenhed 1278 Dugd 1462 Orm2 1666 ib

• Birkeenhed 1400 ChRR

• Birkenheade 1552 Sheaf

• Birkenhead 1594 1724 NotCestr

• Byrkenhead 1624 ChRR

• Birkened 1278 1285 Sheaf 18 City 1317 AD 1510 Cre 1612

• Berkened c.1280 Sheaf 18

• Birchinheuid 1294 ChFor

• Birhed 1346 Sheaf

• Birchumhened 1478 ChRR

• Birchynhed 1478 ChRR

• Byrchenhed c.1565(p),1581 AD

• Burchinhed 1573 ib

• Burchenhed 1574 ib

• Byrchinhead 1574 AD

• Birkynhened 1505 ChRR

• Byrlehedde 1505 Sheaf

• Byrket, Briket c.1536 Leland

• Birket 1552 Sheaf 1666 Orm2

• Berkhed 1538 Sheaf

• Berkhened 1639 Sheaf

• Berked 1649 Sheaf

• Berkenhead 1673 Sheaf 1724 NotCestr

• Birket Head 1818 Sheaf

Etymology

'Headland, promontory, growing with birch-trees', from birce and bircen 2 with hēafod , influenced by birki and hǫfuð . The alternative forms of the p.n. are represented by Bircheveth (> Birket ) and Birchinheuid (> Birkenhead ). The numerous spellings -hened , -henid in the Birkhened series, all from printed sources or calendars, and occasionally matched by unmistakable -heued , -heved spellings, are suspect. They should probably be taken as -heued , -heuid . Likewise Birchumhened is probably for Birchinnheued , Birkynhened for Birkynheued , and Byrlehedde for Byrkehedde . However, in the many instances where the MSS. have been checked, it has been found that the -n -, -u - form is ambiguous, and the possibility of a genuine MS. reading -hened cannot be dismissed. Such a form could arise from scribal error or from a popular confusion of the two original forms of the p.n. such as would account for the ambiguous Byrchenid , Birchened , Birkened . It may be observed that the form Birkened is recorded from 1278, not c.1150 as in DEPN.