Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Tatenaya 1085 Dugdiii 16

• Tatenai 1086 DB c.1115 LS

• Tateneia R1 Spaldi c.1331

• Tatenay 1194,1195 P 1250 FF

• Tataneyo l11 Spaldi c.1331

• Tataneine (sic) Hy2 Dane

• Tatanay 1203 FF

• Thateneia Hy2 Dane

• Tetanai eHy2 RAiv

• Tetenay eHy2 AD 1240 RRG 1242–43 Fees 1275 RH 1291 RSu 1309 Pat 1327,1332 SR 1333 Pat 1338 Misc 1341 Extent 1428 FA

• Teteneia 1155–58 Ch 1334 Hy2 Ass 1314 1202

• Teteney 1226 FF 1267 Ch 1316,1428 FA 1514 LPxi

• Teteneye 1245,1263 FF 1291 Tax 1296 RSu 1329 Ass 1331 Cl

• Teteneya 1254 ValNor

• Tetenai 1201 P

• Tetenaia 1212 Fees

• Tetney 1381 Peace 1412 Pap 1431 FA 1449 Fine 1523–24 MinAcct 1526 Sub 1535 VEiv

• Tetneye 1282 Ch

• Tetnay 1384 Peace 1396 del'Isle 1435 AD 1446 Cl 1450 Anc 1474 Cl 1506 Ipm 1539 AOMB 1546–47 MinAcct

• Tetnaye 1492 Fine 1536–37 Dugdvi

• Tettenai 1201 Ass 1202 P

• Tetteney 1308 Inqaqd 1327 Banco 1331 Ipm 1406 Cl 1421–23 MinAcct 1451 Cl 1477 DC 1478 Cl 1547 Pat

• Tetteneye 1314,1351 Ch 1355,1359 Cor 1402 Pat 1402 FA 1413 Cl 1435 FF

• Tettnay 1536–37 Dugdvi

• Tettney 1537–38 1545 LPxx

• Theteneio (sic) 1199 Ch 1330

• Theteneyo (sic) 1200 ChR

• Theteney Hy3(1409),l13 AD

• Thetenay 1297 ib

• Thedeneye 1303 FA

• Tedeneye 1390 Pat

• Tedeney 1391,1392 Cl

• Toteny 1303 FA

• Totenay 1309 Orig 1325 Pat

• Totenaye 1318 ib

• Toteneye 1342 Cl

• Toteney 1454 Pat

Etymology

Dr Insley suggests that this is 'Tǣte's island of land', from the unrecorded OE  fem. pers.n. Tǣte (gen.sg. Tǣtan ) and ēg 'an island of land'. OE  *Tǣte is a hypocoristic form of fem. names in Tāt and as Dr Insley points out contains the Germanic -jōn suffix, which caused i -mutation of the stem syllable. He also notes OE  Tāte , which is attested in independent use, and the masc. variant Tāta , which is also found quite frequently. Tetney is situated on a distinct island of land in a low-lying marshy coastal area, typical of places with names from OE  ēg. Margaret Gelling has plausibly argued that p.ns. in ēg belong to “the earlier rather than the later centuries of the Anglo-Saxon period” and further that ēg is a topgraphical term which had a quasi-habitative significance, v. PNITL 38–39.