Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Turnebi 1156 Ch 1318 Dane l.12

• Turneby Hy2,12 Dugd 1220 MHW 1227 Fees 1231 Ch c.1258 RHug

• Sturnebi 1207 P

• Sturneby 1207 RFinib

• Thurneby 1208 FF 1231 Cl 1585,1589 Fine

• Thorneby 1228 Ch 1371 Ipm 1535 VE 1540 Dugd 1558 Pat

• Thirneby 1289 Ch 1252 GildR 1420 Inqaqd 1428 FA 1518 Visit 1622 Burton

• Thyrneby 1247 Fees 1262 Fine 1449 MiD 1526 AAS

• Therneby 1255 Cl c.1258 RHug 1352 Fine 1361 Cl

• Thurnby(e) 1386 Banco 1477 Charyte e.16 Saxton 1576 Ipm 1624

• Thornby 1371 Cl 1507 Ipm 1535 VE

• Thirnby(e) 1535 VE 1575 LEpis 1633 ISLR

• Thirnbie 1580 LEpis

• þirne c.1050 YCh 9

Etymology

'The farmstead where thorn-bushes grow' or 'the farmstead at the thorn-scrub' seems probable, v. þyrne , þyrnir , þyrni , bȳ . Formally, an OScand  by-name þyrnir (recorded as þirne c.1050 YCh 9) is also possible as the specific. However, when taken with adjoining Bushby infra , these names appear to record a former area of scrubland which had remained poorly exploited until the period of Scandinavian settlement.A few spellings indicate the occasional substitution of OE  þorn 'a thorn- tree' as the specific. Note AN prosthetic s before t (for initial p) in two early spellings.