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.

Birkenhead

Major Settlement in the Parish of Bidston

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.