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.

Cosby

Major Settlement in the Parish of Cosby

Historical Forms

  • Cossebi 1086 DB Hy2 Dugd 1207 GildR
  • Cosseby c.1130 LeicSurv c.1200 LCDeeds 1406 Ferrers 1504 Banco
  • Cosbi 1086 DB
  • Cosby 1502 MiscAccts 1505 Ipm
  • Coseby 1212,1261 Cur

Etymology

Either 'the farmstead or village of a man called Kofsi or Kopsi ', with a Scand masc. pers.n., or 'the farmstead or village of a man called Cosa or Cossa', with an unrecorded OE  masc. pers.n. Cos (s )a which appears in such place-names as Cosham (Ha 59), Corsham (W 95) and Cossington (Lei 359), v. . It should be noted, however, that in the case of a Scand  masc. pers.n. Kofsi or Kopsi , fs or ps would have been expected to leave some trace in early forms, although their assimilation to ss would be regular.