Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Hvmerstane 1086 DB

• Humberstan(e) c.1130 LeicSurv Hy2 Dugd c.1150 BM l.13 CRCart 1379,1380 Pat

• Humbirstan' l.13 CRCart

• Humbrestan' Edw1 CroxR 1386 Hastings

• Humbrestein 1205 Cur

• Humbrestain 1229 RHug

• Humb'stayn c.1291 Tax

• Humbristona 1190×1204 France

• Humbreston(e) 1299 Ipm 1338 Banco 1450,1451 Comp 1519 EpCB

• Humberston(e) 1210 Cur 1220 MHW 1294 Pat 1306 Hazlerigg

• Humberston(e)on-the-Hill 1576 LEpis

• Humbirston' 1359 Rut 1374 LCDeeds 1390 Misc

• Humburston(e) 1373 Rut 1377 LCDeeds 1377 Wyg 1419 Fine 1459 LCDeeds

Etymology

'Hūnbeorht's stone', v. stān . The township was named from a glacial erratic to the north of its site. It is uncertain whether the stone constituted a boundary marker for the Anglo-Saxon Hūnbeorht . It is the Horston '1467 × 84LTD , Hooreston 1601Terrier , which may be interpreted as either 'the boundary stone' or simply 'the grey, hoar stone', v. hār 2 , stān and Humber Stone infra for additional forms. Some 13th century spellings of the township's name show the influence of ON  steinn 'a stone'.