The word london means

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The name of London is derived from a word first attested, in Latinised form, as Londinium. By the first century CE, this was a commercial centre in Roman Britain.

The etymology of the name is uncertain. There is a long history of mythicising etymologies, such as the twelfth-century Historia Regum Britanniae asserting that the city’s name is derived from the name of King Lud who once controlled the city. However, in recent times a series of alternative theories have also been proposed. As of 2017, the trend in scholarly publications supports derivation from a Brittonic form *Londonjon, which would itself have been of Celtic origin.^[1][2]

Attested forms[edit]

Richard Coates, in the 1998 article where he published his own theory of the etymology, lists all the known occurrences of the name up to around the year 900, in Greek, Latin, British and Anglo-Saxon.^[3] Most of the older sources begin with Londin- (Λονδίνιον, Londino, Londinium etc.), though there are some in Lundin-. Later examples are mostly Lundon- or London-, and all the Anglo-Saxon examples have Lunden- with various terminations. He observes that the modern spelling with <o> derives from a medieval writing habit of avoiding <u> between letters composed of minims.

The earliest written mention of London occurs in a letter discovered in London in 2016. Dated AD 65–80, it reads Londinio Mogontio which translates to «In London, to Mogontius».^[4][5][6][7] Mogontio, Mogontiacum is also the Celtic name of the German city Mainz.

Phonology[edit]

Coates (1998) asserts that «It is quite clear that these vowel letters in the earliest forms [viz., Londinium, Lundinium], both <o> and <u>, represent phonemically long vowel sounds». He observes that the ending in Latin sources before 600 is always -inium, which points to a British double termination -in-jo-n.

However, it has long been observed that the proposed Common Brittonic name *Londinjon cannot give either the known Anglo-Saxon form Lunden, or the Welsh form Llundein. Following regular sound changes in the two languages, the Welsh name would have been *Lunnen or similar, and Old English would be *Lynden via i-mutation.^[8]

Coates (1998) tentatively accepts the argument by Jackson (1938)^[9] that the British form was -on-jo-n, with the change to -inium unexplained. Coates speculates further that the first -i- could have arisen by metathesis of the -i- in the last syllable of his own suggested etymon (see below).

Peter Schrijver (2013) by way of explaining the medieval forms Lunden and Llundein considers two possibilities:

• In the local dialect of Lowland British Celtic, which later became extinct, -ond- became -und- regularly, and -ī- became -ei-, leading to Lundeinjon, later Lundein. The Welsh and English forms were then borrowed from this. This hypothesis requires that the Latin form have a long ī: Londīnium.
• The early British Latin dialect probably developed similarly as the dialect of Gaul (the ancestor of Old French). In particular, Latin stressed short i developed first into close-mid /e/, then diphthongised to /ei/. The combination -ond- also developed regularly into -und- in pre-Old French. Thus, he concludes, the remaining Romans of Britain would have pronounced the name as Lundeiniu, later Lundein, from which the Welsh and English forms were then borrowed. This hypothesis requires that the Latin form have a short i: Londinium.

Schrijver therefore concludes that the name of Londinium underwent phonological changes in a local dialect (either British Celtic or British Latin) and that the recorded medieval forms in Welsh and Anglo-Saxon would have been derived from that dialectal pronunciation.

Proposed etymologies[edit]

Celtic[edit]

Coates says (p. 211) that «The earliest non-mythic speculation … centred on the possibility of deriving London from Welsh Llyn din, supposedly ‘lake fort’. But llyn derives from British *lind-, which is incompatible with all the early attestations.^[3] Another suggestion, published in The Geographical Journal in 1899, is that the area of London was previously settled by Belgae who named their outposts after townships in Gallia Belgica. Some of these Belgic toponyms have been attributed to the namesake of London including Limé, Douvrend, and Londinières.^[10]

H. D’Arbois de Jubainville suggested in 1899 that the name meant Londino’s fortress.^[11] But Coates argues that there is no such personal name recorded, and that D’Arbois’ suggested etymology for it (from Celtic *londo-, ‘fierce’) would have a short vowel. Coates notes that this theory was repeated by linguistics up to the 1960s, and more recently still in less specialist works. It was revived in 2013 by Peter Schrijver, who suggested that the sense of the proto-Indo-European root *lend^h— (‘sink, cause to sink’), which gave rise to the Celtic noun *londos (‘a subduing’), survived in Celtic. Combined with the Celtic suffix *-injo— (used to form singular nouns from collective ones), this could explain a Celtic form *londinjon ‘place that floods (periodically, tidally)’. This, in Schrijver’s reading, would more readily explain all the Latin, Welsh, and English forms.^[1] Similar approaches to Schrijver’s have been taken by Theodora Bynon, who in 2016 supported a similar Celtic etymology, while demonstrating that the place-name was borrowed into the West Germanic ancestor-language of Old English, not into Old English itself.^[2]

Coates (1998) proposes a Common Brittonic form of either *Lōondonjon or *Lōnidonjon, which would have become *Lūndonjon and hence Lūndein or Lūndyn. An advantage of the form *Lōnidonjon is that it could account for Latin Londinium by metathesis to *Lōnodinjon. The etymology of this *Lōondonjon would however lie in pre-Celtic Old European hydronymy, from a hydronym *Plowonida, which would have been applied to the Thames where it becomes too wide to ford, in the vicinity of London. The settlement on its banks would then be named from the hydronym with the suffix -on-jon, giving *Plowonidonjon and Insular Celtic *Lowonidonjon. According to this approach, the name of the river itself would be derived from the Indo-European roots *plew- «to flow, swim; boat» and *nejd- «to flow», found in various river names around Europe. Coates does admit that compound names are comparatively rare for rivers in the Indo-European area, but they are not entirely unknown.^[3] Lacey Wallace describes the derivation as «somewhat tenuous».^[12]

Non-Celtic[edit]

Among the first scientific explanations was one by Giovanni Alessio in 1951.^[3][13] He proposed a Ligurian rather than a Celtic origin, with a root *lond-/lont- meaning ‘mud’ or ‘marsh’. Coates’ major criticisms are that this does not have the required long vowel (an alternative form Alessio proposes, *lōna, has the long vowel, but lacks the required consonant), and that there is no evidence of Ligurian in Britain.

Jean-Gabriel Gigot in a 1974 article discusses the toponym of Saint-Martin-de-Londres, a commune in the French Hérault département. Gigot derives this Londres from a Germanic root *lohna, and argues that the British toponym may also be from that source.^[14] But a Germanic etymology is rejected by most specialists.^[15]

Historical and popular suggestions[edit]

The earliest account of the toponym’s derivation can be attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth. In Historia Regum Britanniae, the name is described as originating from King Lud, who seized the city Trinovantum and ordered it to be renamed in his honour as Kaerlud. This eventually developed into Karelundein and then London. However, Geoffrey’s work contains many fanciful suppositions about place-name derivation and the suggestion has no basis in linguistics.^[16]

Other fanciful theories over the years have been:

• William Camden reportedly suggested that the name might come from Brythonic lhwn (modern Welsh Llwyn), meaning «grove», and «town». Thus, giving the origin as Lhwn Town, translating to «city in the grove».^[17]
• John Jackson, writing in the Gentleman’s Magazine in 1792,^[18] challenges the Llyn din theory (see below) on geographical grounds, and suggests instead a derivation from Glynn din – presumably intended as ‘valley city’.
• Some British Israelites claimed that the Anglo-Saxons, assumed to be descendants of the Tribe of Dan, named their settlement lan-dan, meaning «abode of Dan» in Hebrew.^[19]
• An unsigned article in The Cambro Briton for 1821^[20] supports the suggestion of Luna din (‘moon fortress’), and also mentions in passing the possibility of Llong din (‘ship fortress’).
• Several theories were discussed in the pages of Notes and Queries on 27 December 1851,^[21] including Luandun (supposedly «city of the moon», a reference to the temple of Diana supposed to have stood on the site of St Paul’s Cathedral), and Lan Dian or Llan Dian («temple of Diana»). Another correspondent dismissed these, and reiterated the common Llyn din theory.
• In The Cymry of ’76 (1855),^[22] Alexander Jones says that the Welsh name derives from Llyn Dain, meaning ‘pool of the Thames’.
• An 1887 Handbook for Travellers^[23] asserts that «The etymology of London is the same as that of Lincoln» (Latin Lindum).
• The general Henri-Nicolas Frey, in his 1894 book Annamites et extrême-occidentaux: recherches sur l’origine des langues,^[24] emphasises the similarity between the name of the city and the two Vietnamese words lœun and dœun which can both mean «low, inferior, muddy».
• Edward P. Cheney, in his 1904 book A Short History of England (p. 18), attributes the origin of the name to dun: «Elevated and easily defensible spots were chosen [in pre-Roman times], earthworks thrown up, always in a circular form, and palisades placed upon these. Such a fortification was called a dun, and London and the names of many other places still preserve that termination in varying forms.»
• A New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare (1918)^[25] mentions a variant on Geoffrey’s suggestion being Lud’s town, although refutes it saying that the origin of the name was most likely Saxon.

References[edit]

William Camden reportedly suggested that the name might come from Brythonic lhwn (modern Welsh Llwyn), meaning “grove”, and “town”. Thus, giving the origin as Lhwn Town, translating to “city in the grove”.

The name London is primarily a gender-neutral name of English origin that means From The Great River.

How did London get its name?

London, United Kingdom.Many historians believe that the city’s current name comes from Londinium, a name that was given to the city when the Romans established it in 43 AD. The suffix “-inium” is thought to have been common among the Romans. Other names used included Londinio, Londiniesi, and Londiniensium.

What was London called before the Romans?

Londinium
Ancient Romans founded a port and trading settlement called Londinium in 43 A.D., and a few years later a bridge was constructed across the Thames to facilitate commerce and troop movements.

What is London known as another name?

London is also referred to simply as ‘Town’ (with a capital T) as in ‘no brown in Town’, ‘Town and Country’, etc (as distinct from ‘town’ used in the sticks to refer to the main center of a town or city).

Does London mean moon?

The name London is of English origin and is often thought of as the fortress of the moon.

What does the name London mean for a boy?

Fortress of the Moon
What does London mean? Fortress of the Moon.

What is the old name of London and what could it mean?

The name of London is derived from a word first attested, in Latinised form, as Londinium. By the first century CE, this was a commercial centre in Roman Britain.

What was London called in Viking times?

Lundwic
By the 8th century, Lundwic was a prosperous trading centre, both by land and sea. The term “Wic” itself means “trading town” and was derived from the latin word Vicus. So Lundenwic can loosely be translated as “London Trading Town.”

What did the Romans call England?

Britannia
Britannia (/brɪˈtæniə/) is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin Britannia was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great Britain, and the Roman province of Britain during the Roman Empire.

Did the Vikings invade London?

Viking attacks
London suffered attacks from Vikings, which became increasingly common from around 830 onwards. It was attacked in 842 in a raid that was described by a chronicler as “the great slaughter”. In 851, another raiding party, reputedly involving 350 ships, came to plunder the city.

What is England’s oldest city?

Colchester
In addition, Colchester has long been known as Britain’s oldest recorded town, based on a reference by the Roman writer, Pliny the Elder. In around AD77 while describing the island of Anglesey, he wrote that ‘it is about 200 miles from Camulodunum a town in Britain’.

What is the old name of England?

The name “England” is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means “land of the Angles”. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages.

Why is London called the Big Smoke?

“The Smoke” / “The Big Smoke” / “The Old Smoke” – air pollution in London regularly gave rise to pea soup fogs, most notably the Great Smog of 1952, and a nickname that persists to this day.

What is the capital of London?

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. It is the U.K.’s largest metropolis and its economic, transportation, and cultural centre. London is also among the oldest of the world’s great cities, with its history spanning nearly two millennia.

How old is London?

The city of London was founded by the Romans and their rule extended from 43 AD to the fifth century AD, when the Empire fell. During the third century, Londinium, the name given to the town by the Romans, had a population of 50,000, mainly due to the influence of its major port.

What is London known for?

Apart from Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, London is famous for its status as one of the world’s greatest cosmopolitan cities, with an incredible array of museums, shops, and restaurants. It’s also known for its interesting history in regards to royalty, politics, arts, science, and architecture.

Is London a person’s name?

London is a surname, derived from the city of London, and a unisex given name.

What does the name Lindon mean?

as a boys’ name (also used as girls’ name Lindon) is of Old English derivation, and Lindon means “linden tree hill”. Lindon is a version of Linden. Nature name: a tall. Lindon is also a variation of Lyndon (Old English): surname.

Can London be a girl name?

London Origin and Meaning
The name London is a girl’s name of English origin.It’s in the unisex column, with one boy starbaby (Saul ‘Slash’ Hudson) and one girl (Neal McDonough).

Can a boy be named London?

London Origin and Meaning
The name London is a boy’s name of English origin. In the US, London is popular for both sexes, though as the name rises for girls, it’s levelled off for boys.

Asked by: Dr. Sierra Altenwerth IV

Score: 4.5/5
(40 votes)

The name of London is derived from a word first attested, in Latinised form, as Londinium. By the first century CE, this was a commercial centre in Roman Britain. The etymology of the name is uncertain.

When did London change its name?

Fast-forward to the 8th century and Alfred the Great took over the dilapidated, formerly Roman town and anglicized the name to Lundenburh, which eventually got shortened to London.

Is London a proper name?

A proper noun is the special word that we use for a person, place or organization, like John, Marie, London, France or Sony.

What does London mean in Latin?

chief city and capital of England, Latin Londinium (Tacitus, c. … London broil «large flank steak broiled then cut in thin slices» attested 1930s, American English; London fog first attested 1785.

What did the Romans call London?

Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50.

36 related questions found

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English London, from Old English Lunden, from Proto-Celtic via Latin Londinium — see for details.

Pronunciation[edit]

• enPR: lŭn’dən, IPA^(key): /ˈlʌn.dən/
• (dialectal) enPR: lŭ’nən, IPA^(key): /ˈlʌ.nən/
• Rhymes: -ʌndən

Proper noun[edit]

London (countable and uncountable, plural Londons)

1. The capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England. Situated near the mouth of the River Thames in southeast England, with a metropolitan population of more than 13,000,000.

   • 2022 October 12, Bernardine Evaristo, “Read Your Way Through London”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     An eccentric city with a live-and-let-live vibe, London is a place where people can be free to be themselves, find the communities to which they belong and write whatever they want. There are, in a sense, many Londons for writers to explore.

2. A former administrative county in England, created in 1889 from parts of Kent, Middlesex and Surrey, and merged into Greater London in 1965.
3. (figuratively) The government of the United Kingdom.
4. A city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a population of approximately 300,000.
5. A small agricultural village in the commune of Savigny-sur-Seille, Saône-et-Loire department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, France.
6. A village in Kiritimati atoll, Kiribati.
7. An urban neighborhood of the city of Belgrade, Serbia.
8. Several places in the United States:
   1. A small city in Pope County, Arkansas, with a population of approximately 900.
   2. A census-designated place in Tulare County, California, with a population of approximately 1,800.
   3. An unincorporated community in Moral Township, Shelby County, Indiana.
   4. A city, the county seat of Laurel County, Kentucky, with a population of approximately 8,000.
   5. An unincorporated community in Freeborn County, Minnesota.
   6. A city, the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, with a population of approximately 9,000.
   7. An unincorporated community in Kimble County, Texas, with a population of approximately 180.
   8. An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
   9. An unincorporated community in Dane County and Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
9. A habitational surname for someone from London.
10. (rare) A unisex given name transferred from the place name.

    • 2012, Louise Erdrich, The Round House, Corsair, published 2013, →ISBN, page 178:

      Sonja made me promise I would go to college. She said she’d wanted her daughter, Murphy, to go. She’d named her baby Murphy because it could never be a stripper name. But her daughter had changed her name to London.

Synonyms[edit]

• (in the United Kingdom): the Big Smoke, Eine, the Great Wen, Londongrad, Londonistan, Rum-ville, the Smoke

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

• Norwegian Bokmål: London

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• the City
• Cockney
• Londonshire

References[edit]

• Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎^[2], volume I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 7.72, page 222.

• 2003, A. D. Mills, A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

Further reading[edit]

• London at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “London”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “London”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
• “London”, in Collins English Dictionary.

Anagrams[edit]

• Donlon, nonold

Azerbaijani[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Danish[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /lɔndə(n)/

Proper noun[edit]

London n

1. London (a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada)

Usage notes[edit]

The city in England, capital of England and the United Kingdom, is invariably named Londen in Dutch. The spelling “London” is used for other cities, such as London, Ontario.

Estonian[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Faroese[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London ?

1. London (the capital of the United Kingdom; capital of England)

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔndɔn/ (most common)
• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔndn̩/ (particularly Swiss; also elsewhere, but often perceived as affected)

Proper noun[edit]

London n (proper noun, genitive Londons or (optionally with an article) London)

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Hungarian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [ˈlondon]
• Hyphenation: Lon‧don
• Rhymes: -on

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	London	—
accusative	Londont	—
dative	Londonnak	—
instrumental	Londonnal	—
causal-final	Londonért	—
translative	Londonná	—
terminative	Londonig	—
essive-formal	Londonként	—
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	Londonban	—
superessive	Londonon	—
adessive	Londonnál	—
illative	Londonba	—
sublative	Londonra	—
allative	Londonhoz	—
elative	Londonból	—
delative	Londonról	—
ablative	Londontól	—
non-attributive possessive — singular	Londoné	—
non-attributive possessive — plural	Londonéi	—

Possessive forms of London
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	Londonom	—
2nd person sing.	Londonod	—
3rd person sing.	Londonja	—
1st person plural	Londonunk	—
2nd person plural	Londonotok	—
3rd person plural	Londonjuk	—

Derived terms[edit]

• londoni

Middle English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• Lundon, Londun, Londoun, Lunden

Etymology[edit]

From Old English Lunden, from Latin Londinium — see for details.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈlundən/

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of England)

Descendants[edit]

• English: London
  • Norwegian Bokmål: London
• Scots: Lunnon

References[edit]

• “Lǒndon, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-01.

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English London, from Middle English London (“London”), from Old English Lunden (“London”), a borrowing from Latin Londinium (“London”), likely from Proto-Celtic *Londinjon (“place that floods”), from Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- (“to sink; subdue”) — see the Latin entry for details.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔndɔn/
• Rhymes: -ɔn
• Hyphenation: Lon‧don

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England) with a metropolitan population of more than 13,000,000.

   London ligger på begge sider av elven Themsen i Sørøst-England.

   London is located on both sides of the River Thames in the South East of England.

2. London (a former administrative county in England), created in 1889 from parts of Kent, Middlesex and Surrey, and merged into Greater London in 1965.
3. (figuratively) The government of the United Kingdom.
4. London (a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada), with a population of approximately 300,000.
5. London (a small agricultural village in the commune of Savigny-sur-Seille, Saône-et-Loire department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, France).
6. London (a village in Kiritimati atoll, Kiribati).
7. London (an urban neighborhood of the city of Belgrade, Serbia).
8. Several places in the United States:
   1. London (a small city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States), with a population of approximately 900.
   2. London (a census-designated place in Tulare County, California, United States).
   3. London (an unincorporated community in Moral Township, Shelby County, Indiana, United States).
   4. London (a city, the county seat of Laurel County, Kentucky, United States), with a population of approximately 8,000.
   5. London (an unincorporated community in Freeborn County, Minnesota, United States).
   6. London (a city, the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States), with a population of approximately 9,000.
   7. London (a small city in California, United States), with a population of approximately 1,800.
   8. London (an unincorporated community in Kimble County, Texas, United States), with a population of approximately 180.
   9. London (an unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States).
   10. London (an unincorporated community in Dane County and Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States).

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

• “London” in Store norske leksikon
• “London (Canada)” in Store norske leksikon

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Derived terms[edit]

• londonar
• Stor-London

Portuguese[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (a city in Ontario, Canada)
2. (rare) Synonym of Londres

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /lǒndoːn/
• Hyphenation: Lon‧don

Proper noun[edit]

Lòndōn m (Cyrillic spelling Ло̀ндо̄н)

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Declension[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔndɔn/

Proper noun[edit]

London n (genitive Londons)

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Derived terms[edit]

• londonsk
• Storlondon

Tatar[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

Declension[edit]

Uzbek[edit]

Proper noun[edit]

London

1. London (the capital city of the United Kingdom; capital city of England)

26.10.2011

Лондон. История Названия Города.

Ах, как приятно вернуться снова к работе. Да, этот блог — действительно моя работа, горячо любимая и бережно хранимая на отдельном жестком диске)))

Итак, после 3хмесячного перерыва начинаем новую главу со статьи про не менее горячо любимый Лондон.

Происхождение названия города Лондона.

Ло́ндон (англ. London ) — столица Соединённого Королевства Великобритании и Северной Ирландии, а также Англии.

Как и  все,что относится к древности и вызывает диспуты ученых по поводу своего происхождения, происхождение названия «Лондон» имеет несколько версий:

• Современное название города — Лондон — восходит к его латинскому наименованию «Лондиниум» (лат. Londinium) —  «место,принадлежащее человеку по имени  Londinos,» предположительно Кельтское имя,означающее «дикий.»
• Название — латинского происхождения, и происходит от слова Lond, что означает «Дикое (то есть заросшее лесом) место».
• Название — кельтского происхождения, и состоит из двух слов: Llyn (озеро) и Dun («дун», укрепление): в кельтский период город назывался Llyndid.

Город Лондон был основан Римлянами в первом веке н.э.на месте уже существовавших туземных поселений. Корни Londin—  и Lundin-являются самыми распространенными в названиях, используемые римлянами в те времени касаемо новых земель.

Один из исследователей этимологии названия Лондона объясняет современное произношение через «О» (lOndOn) средневковым обычаем пропускать  <u> перед буквами n,m,i.

Неофициальные названия Лондона

Англичане часто называют Лондон The Big Smoke (или The Great Smog). Это название можно буквально перевести как «Большой дым». Связано это определение со знаменитым лондонским смогом XIX—XX веков.

Другое неофициальное название города — The Great Wen. Wen — это старое английское слово, которое переводится буквально как «фурункул», что в этом контексте означает «перенаселённый город»

Во времена Британской Империи Лондон часто неофициально называли столицей мира, а в 1960-е город получил прозвище «Свингующий Лондон».

Кстати, есть еще и канадский Лондон  — город на юго-востоке Канады, пров. Онтарио, этакий провинциальный Лондон с населением чуть более 400 тыс.жителей