Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• on Gyðling dale, on Gyþinga deal c.1030 YCh7

• Gherindale 1086 DB

• Geuendal(e), Gevendal(e) 1198 Fount 1301,1324 Ebor 1379 BM 1408 Pat 1535 VE

• Gevyndale 1524 YDx

• Givendale, Gyuendale, Gyvendale 13 Font 1228 Ripi 1297 LS 1303 KF 1685 RipQS

• Gyvendall 1535 VE

• Gyvendaile 1579 Dep

• Gyvenedale 1248 Ch

• Givildale 1250 YI

• Gyveldale 1266 KF 1316 Pat

• Geveldale, Gevildale c.1291 Tax 1298 Hom 1428 FA

• Gewendall 1309 Percy

• Guendale 1428 FA

• Gendale 1457 FountBurs

• Gayndale 1486 Pat

• Geyndell als. Gyuendale 1536 FF

• Genedale als. Gevendale 1586 FF

Etymology

'Gȳðla's valley' or 'the valley of Gȳðla's folk', v. -ing 4 , -ingas , dæl .The OE  pers.n. Gȳðla is not recorded but would be a normal hypocoristic form of pers.ns. in Gūð - like Gūðheard , Gūðhelm , etc. The ME  variation between Givel - and Given - is due to AN  interchange of unstressed -el and -en (v. IPN 107). These forms appear to represent an OE  Gyðla -dæl beside the recorded Gyðlingdaley they may point to the OE  connective -ing rather than -inga as the correct OE  form, since -ing often disappears in ME (cf. EPN i, 294 § c ). The ME forms regularly have medial -v - for -th - and this substitution may be accounted for by the well-evidenced change of -th - to -v - (cf. Phonol. § 49), but it may have been confirmed as the regular spelling by confusion with some such word as ME  given , gevin , gewin , pa.part. of give 'to give', which would also explain the spellings with Geven - instead of the normal Given -.