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.

Hackney

Early-attested site in the Parish of Kingsteignton

Historical Forms

  • piscar' in aqua de Teyng vocat' Haking 1422 IpmR

Etymology

Haking , found also in Hackney infra 506 and in le Hakyng t. Hy 8MinAcct (South Pool), is clearly the obsolete word haking found in Carew's Survey of Cornwall 30 a, where it is used of a kind of fish-net employed in tidal waters. Ekwall (PN La 71) suggests that it is a derivative of OE  haca , 'bolt.' The derivation of Hackney from Haking is obscure.