Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Pechesdone 1086 DB

• Pekesdene 1114–30 Rams c.1350 FF 1228 Ass 1247 Rams 1255 ADiii c.1350 BM 1264 ADi 1265 Ass 1266 Ass 1276 Cl 1287 SR 1290 1297

• Pekedene 1205 FF

• Peckesden 1227 Ass 1287 Ass

• Pikelesdene 1227 Ass

• Pekelesdene 1227 Ass

• Pakesden 1227 Ass

• Pachesdena 1230 Bract

• Pekesdon 1240 Ass 1247 Ass 1276 Ass 1302 FA

• Peckesden 1287 Ass

• Pexden 1350 BM

• Pegson c.1750 Bowen 1766 J

Etymology

Professor Ekwall has contributed the following note upon this name:

The first element is identical with the p.n. Pek found as surname of a tenant in Pegsdon (Miles de Pek Rams Cart i. 471) as noted by Skeat. With this Pek may be compared Pec , the name of a place in Ganton (Y), also in the compounds Pekespit , Pekesbru (all in a 13th cent. ch. in the Bridlington Cart), and also the well-known Peak (Db). The latter appears in OE  sources as Peac (cf. Peaclond ASC 924, Pecsætan Trib Hid).Curiously enough there is an early compound in which also this name appears in the gen. form, viz. Peak's Arse (Peak Cavern) Pechesers DB. v. Addenda. There is good reason to believe that the name in all three cases originally denoted a hill. As for Peak there can hardly be any doubt. Henry of Huntingdon mentions the mountain (mons) called Pec . The name appears to have been originally applied to Castle Hill at Castleton.Pec (Y) is preceded by supra , and Pekesbru must contain OE  brū , 'brow,' here in the sense 'brow of a hill' (perhaps the earliest known instance of this meaning). Ganton is on the slope of a considerable hill, which may have been known as Pek . East and West Peek (D), DB Peck , are on a hill rising to 569 ft. Further we may note that Pegsdon is at the foot of a very well-marked and steep hill. If this suggestion is correct, Pegsdon would mean 'Pek hill' and be a formation analogous to Andredesweald and the like. It should be added that the identity of the first element of Pegsdon with Peak is suggested already by Johnston, PN of England .

If the three names have a common origin, the base must be OE  pēac , which may be taken to be an old hill-name. We expect the name of a hill such as the Peak to have a pre-English name, but the form of the name with its diphthong ēa rather suggests Germanic origin, and if the three peks are etymologically identical, Germanic origin becomes still more probable. There is a well- known Germanic stem puk , pauk , found in Du pôk , 'a dagger,' Swed  påk , 'a cudgel,' Engl poke , pock , Puck , etc., Norw  dial. pauk , 'a stick, a little boy,' etc. Words belonging to this group often denote a rounded object, a thick-set figure and the like.A meaning 'knoll, hill' would easily develop from that. The exact counterpart of OE  pēac would be the Norw  pauk , though the meaning is rather different.