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.

Glanty

Early-attested site in the Parish of Egham

Historical Forms

  • Glenthuþe 675 BCS 13th
  • Glenthuthe 1259 Ass 1373 Turner
  • Glantehuthe 1329 Chertsey
  • Glanthuthe 1373 Turner
  • Glanthithe 1548 LRMB
  • Glanhithe 1514 Turner
  • Glanty greene 1605 LRMB
  • the Glante 1642 Rental

Etymology

In PN NbDu (3–4), under Glanton and Glantlees, the suggestion was made that in these p.n.'s, as in Glentham and Glentworth (L), one might have a lost OE  *glænte , corresponding to Dan  glente , Swedish glänta , 'hawk.' Such a possibility is strengthened by the existence of this name. We have in Scandinavian ON  gleða (Dan  dial. glæde ), Swedish glada , 'hawk, kite,' from a root *glid , *glad , side by side with the forms glentey glänta from a nasalised form of this root, and it may well be that we had similarly in OE  the common glida , 'kite, glede,' and a form glænte , from a nasalised root denoting the same or some similar bird. The sense is clearly the same in all cases, viz. that of a bird with swift gliding flight. Hence, probably, 'hythe or landing-place frequented by hawks or kites,' v. hyð .