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.

Agden

Major Settlement in the Parish of Bowdon & Rostherne

Historical Forms

  • Acton H3 Orm2 17 Court 1287
  • Acton juxta Lyme 1527 ChRR
  • Aketon 1270 Orm2 17 Dav c.1300 CoLegh 1328,1330
  • Akedon' 1346 CoLegh
  • Akeden 1391 Orm2
  • Aghton 1431 Pat
  • Agton 1448 ChRR
  • Agden 1434 Tab 1519 ChRR
  • Agdon 1498 ib
  • Ageton 1448 ChRR

Etymology

'Oak farm', v. āc , tūn . In this name -t - was voiced to -d -, perhaps through confusion with dūn 'a hill', and the preceding consonant (-k -) was voiced by assimilation, cf. Agden 325infra , also Acton 146, 325 (2x ) infra , Agden BdHu 268.