Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Billesdone 1086 DB Hy2 Dugd 1274(1579)(p),1276(1579) LRoll l.13 Peake

• Billesdon 1156 Ch 1318 P 1190(p),1191 ChancR 1196

• Billesdun 1203 FF 1229 Bracton

• Billesdoun 1360 Ipm 1394,1395,1412 Cl

• Bilesdon 1196 ChancR 1203(p),1206(p),1261 Cur

• Billisdon 1253×58 RHug Hy3 Crox 1275 Ipm 1364 Wyg

• Billisdona e.13(1404)(p),p.1250(1404) Laz

• Byllesdon 1257 Laz 1404 IpmR 1278 LCh 1516 LEpis 1571

• Byllesdoun 1395 Cl

• Billesden 1546 AAS 1550 BodlCh 1580 LEpis

• Byllesden 1466 Pat 1550 Pat

• Bilsdon 1576 Saxton 1631 LML

• Bylsdon 1576 LibCl

Etymology

Probably 'Bil(l)'s hill', v. dūn . The OE  masc. pers.n. Bil (l ) is either a short form of compound pers.ns. such as Bilfrið , Bilheard , or bill 'a sword' originally used as a by-name. OE  bill could also mean 'a promontory', a topographical extension of the meaning 'sword'. In the case of Billesdon, the hill-formation here seems to preclude the presence of the sb. bill in its sense 'promontory' or 'sword-shaped hill' and the evidence of the surviving forms points to a pers.n. in the possessive case as the first element. It is possible that bill became a generic term for 'hill', but it is difficult to conceive this as such in compound with dūn .However, J. McN. Dodgson was suspicious of the numerous place-names interpreted as containing the pers.n. Bil (l ). For his extended discussion of OE  bill as 'a hill, a promontory', v. BNF iii.