English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Cumnor

Major Settlement in the Parish of Cumnor

Historical Forms

  • Cumenoran 821 BCS366 c.1200
  • Cumanora 821 c.1240 ib
  • (ad) Cumanoran 931 c.1200 ib
  • Cumenoran 968 c.1200 ib
  • Cuminora 1166 P
  • Cumenor' 1201 Cur 1252 Ch
  • Cummenore 1241 Ass
  • Cumenhouere 1251–64 S c.1280
  • Cunemore 1275–6 RH
  • Comenore 1086 DB 1261–71 S c.1280 FA 1412
  • Connor 1316 FA
  • Cumner 1830 OS

Etymology

'*Cuma's hill-slope', v ōra , the village lies on gently rising ground. BCS 155, a spurious charter, names Cumma as abbot of Abingdon c. 730. The noun cuma means 'guest, stranger'.

For the forms Colmanora , Colmenoran , Colmonora , given under Cumnor in DEPN and Skeat, v. 462–3. It was recognised in Stenton (4) that this was the name of a piece of woodland appurtenant to the Abingdon estate, and Grundy also realised that it had no connection with Cumnor.