Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Stopum l.12 Puds

• Stoupum c.1200 Sawl35

• Stoupome Hy3 ib

• Stuplum Hy3 Puds

• Stouplum a.1280 Puds c.1280 Sawl49

• Stawpe loyn l.15 Puds

• Stoup leane 1646 PRBlt

• Stoupelane 1693 ib

• Stooplane 1708 ib

Etymology

Stoop Lane, Stopum l. 12 Puds, Stoupum c. 1200Sawl 35, Stoupome Hy 3 ib 28d, Stuplum Hy 3 Puds, Stouplum a. 1280 Puds, c. 1280Sawl 49, Stawpe loyn l. 15 Puds, Stoup leane 1646 PRBlt, Stoupelane 1693 ib, Stooplane 1708 ib. The earlier spellings can hardly be from ON  stolpi 'stake', as we might have expected amongst them some evidence of the normal ME  sto (u )lpe . It is probably an OE  stōplum , dat.pl. of the rare OE  stōpel which meant 'a foot-print' and in ME 'a step in a flight of stairs'. The word is ultimately related by vowel-gradation to the root stap - (as in OE  stæpe, steppa 'step', used of stepping- stones); this fact and a possible connection of this word with a rare and obsolete stupple which seems to mean 'a row of stepping stones' (NED s.v.) suggest a further meaning and one that would be appropriate in this p.n., as Stoop Lane farm is close to Skirden Beck; 'at the stepping stones' (v. -um ).