Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Kitlebig, Kytlebig 1066–8 ASWills 12

• Chetelbi DB

• Chetlebi c.1115 LS

• Ketelbi 1196 P 1238–43 Fees

• Ketelby 1225,1231 Cur 1242–3 Fees 1259 Cl 1262,1271 FF 1294 Ipm 1509–10 LPi

• Kettelby 1281 QW

• Kettelbye 1553 Pat

• Ketilby 1347 Cor 1359 Ipm 1388 Cl 1513 LPi

• Ketylby 1405 Pat 1428 FA

• Kettylby c.1520 Brasses 1550 Pat

• Kettylbe 1539 LPi

• Kettlebie 1561 InstBen

• Kettlebye 1576 Saxton

• Kettleby 1610 Speed

• Kettleby hall 1695 Morden

• Kettleby hall 1696 Pryme

• Ketlesby 1210–18 RAiv

• Ketelesbi(a) 1212 Fees

• Kettlesbia 1212 ib

• Ketelesby 1230 P

• Ketelsby 1316 FA 1332 SR

• Ketylsby 1428 FA

• Ketilsby, Ketlesby 1509–10 LPi

Etymology

'Ketill's farmstead, village', v. bȳ , the first el. being ON  Ketill , ODan  Ketil , very common in England as a pers.n. Both Ekwall (DEPN) and Fellows-Jensen (SSNEM 56) comment on the fact that the vast majority of forms appear in the stem form without a gen.sg, but point out that there are many analogous p.ns. with uninflected pers.ns. It may be noted that this contrasts dramatically with the forms for Ketsby in South Ormsby LSR, a name of identical origin, where the spellings with an inflected pers.n. outnumber those with the stem forms by nine to one.