Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• in Hripis, Hrypis c.715 Eddi

• Inhrypum c.738 Bede c.890 OEBede

• in Hripum 785 ASC 11 ASC 788 RogerHoveden 12

• ad Hripe 709 ASC 12

• Hrypensis ecclesia, Hripensis ecclesia c.738 Bede 8

• Hrypsetna cirican c.890 OEBede

• of Rypum, æt Rypum, into Rypum c.972 BCS1278 11 YCh7 c.1030

• to Ripum 709 ASC 11

• æt Rypon 948 ASC 11 Ripi c.925 13

• Rypone 925–40 YCh114 15

• ad Ripun 12 SD

• æt Hryopan c.1000 Saints

• Ripum, Rypum 1086 DB 1192 P 1259 Ass

• Rhipum 12 HCY

• Ripun, Rypun 1086 DB 12 c.1108 1123–9 YCh115 1125–35 1131–3 1132 Fount c.1140 HCY 1141–4 YCh358 1143 Ripi 1154–86 RegAlbi,68d 1364 Ripi

• Ripon(a), Rypon(a) Wm1 Whitby 1100 Ripi 1173 RegAlbii,57 1180–9,1198 Fount 1202 FF 1224 Pat 1585 PRRip

• Repuna 1114–40 Whitby

• Rippun 1225 Pat

• Ripoun, Rypoun 1293 Ripi 1298 Ebor 1405 Pat

• Repon 1433 Pat 1454 RipAct 1547 Ripiii

• Rippon, Ryppon 1444 Pat 1533 MinAcct 1721 LdsM

• Reppon(e) 1546 YChant 1578 PRRip

• Hrypadune 848 KCD 261

• Hreopadune 9 ASC

Etymology

Ripon is an old folk-name Hrypum , dat.pl. of Hrype , and means 'amongst the Hrype ' (v. -um ). The Hrype were an important Anglian folk and their territory (v. Riponshire 77supra ) certainly extended as far south as Ripley (101supra ); a branch of the same tribe gave its name to Repton Db 653, Hrypadune 848 KCD 261, Hreopadune 9 ASC(A) s.a. 755. The folk-name is of an ancient type parallel to Dene 'the Danes', Merce 'the Mercians', Seaxe 'the Saxons', and as with many of them its etymology is obscure. It may be related to OE  Hryp , the name of one of the ancestors of the East Anglian kings (Sweet, OET 640), but this pers.n. is also of obscure origin (cf. Redin 31). Though there may be an etymological connexion between Hrype and the pers.n. Hryp , we cannot (with Moorman) necessarily seek an East Anglian origin for the Hrype . The name is found in the gen.pl. Hrypa in Riponshire 77, Ripley 101supra and probably Ripestic 177 infra .

The various forms of the name follow normal developments: OE  Hripum represents late ONb unrounding of y to i , already found in the tenth century (Luick § 287), and commonly found in Y p.ns. from the time of DB. OE  Rypum , Ripum arise from the sporadic loss of h - in initial hr - in all OE  dialects as in ring , rīm for hring , hrīm , etc. (Bülbring § 480 note). The spellings Hreop -, Hryop -, Riopum have ONb u -mutation of i from y (Bülbring § 252). The original vowel was short and remained so, as suggested by such spellings as Rippon and the occasional dial. lowering of short -i - to -e - in Rep (p )on .