This is a list of nicknames for counties of the United Kingdom. This includes the counties of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Counties are only included if they have a nickname.
List
[edit]County | Nickname | Origins and notes |
---|---|---|
Bedfordshire | Clangers | From Bedfordshire clangers |
Berkshire | Berks The Royal County |
Shortening of Berkshire Due to Windsor Castle being in the county |
Berwickshire | Duns-shire | Due to Duns being the county town |
Buckinghamshire | Bucks | Shortening of Buckinghamshire |
Cambridgeshire | Cambs | Shortening of Cambridgeshire |
Carmarthenshire | Carms / Sir Gar | Shortening of Carmarthenshire / Welsh for Carmarthenshire |
Ceredigion | Cardiganshire | Ceredigion is from the ancient kingdom but Cardiganshire is sometimes colloquially used instead |
Clackmannanshire | The Wee County | Smallest county in Scotland and the UK by area.[1] |
Cornwall | Kernow | Cornish name for Cornwall |
County Antrim | The Glenmen | From the Glens of Antrim |
County Armagh | The Orchard County The Cathedral County |
Due to large number of orchards Due to the Primate of All Ireland being based in the county |
County Durham | Land of the Prince Bishops | From the Bishops of Durham.[2] |
County Down | The Mourne County | From the Mourne Mountains |
County Fermanagh | The Maguire County | From the Medieval Lord, Baron Maguire |
County Londonderry | The Oak-Leaf County | Derry, an anglicisation of Doire, is Irish for oak grove, leading to an oak leaf being used on the county crest |
County Tyrone | The Red Hand County | From the Red Hand of Ulster on the county's GAA crest |
Derbyshire | Derbys | Shortening of Derbyshire |
Denbighshire / Sir Ddinbych | Denbs / Ddinbych | Shortening of Denbighshire / Shorthand from Welsh |
Fife | Kingdom of Fife | Referring to the old Kingdom of Fife |
Flintshire / Sir y Fflint | Flints / Fflint | Shortening of Flintshire / Shorthand from Welsh |
Gloucestershire | Glos
The King's County |
Shortening of Gloucestershire
The current King, King Charles III, has his family residence in this county. |
Hampshire | The Hog County Jane Austen's County |
Wild boar hunting in the New Forest[3] Jane Austen born in Hampshire[4] |
Hertfordshire | Herts | Shortening of Hertfordshire |
Isle of Anglesey / Ynys Môn | Môn | Shortened from the Welsh name for Anglesey |
Kent | The Garden of England | From the county's produce of fruit and agricultural crops |
Kincardineshire | The Mearns | From the Anglicisation of the Scots Gaelic word for The Stewartry |
Lancashire | The Red Rose County | From the red rose symbol of the Duchy of Lancaster |
Leicestershire | Leics | Shortening of Leicestershire |
Lincolnshire | Lincs or yellowbellies | Shortening of Lincolnshire, old name for Lincoln’s yellow belly soldiers |
Middlesex | The Capital County | Location of London, capital of England [5] |
Monmouthshire / Sir Fynwy | Mons / Fynwy | Shortening of Monmouthshire / Shorthand from Welsh |
Norfolk | Nelson's County | Naval officer Horatio Nelson born in Norfolk.[6] |
Northamptonshire | Rose of the Shires | Central position within England.[7] |
Northumberland | Northd | Shortening of Northumberland |
Nottinghamshire | Notts
Robin Hood's Country |
Shortening of Nottinghamshire
From the legend of Robin Hood.[8] |
Oxfordshire | Oxon | Shortening of Oxfordshire |
Peeblesshire | Tweeddale | Due to being part of the district of Tweeddale |
Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro | Pembs / Benfro | Shortening of Pembrokeshire / Shorthand from Welsh |
Shetland | Zetland | From the archaic spelling for Shetland |
Shropshire | Salop | From old abbreviations for Shropshire |
Staffordshire | Staffs | Shortening of Staffordshire |
Sussex | Sx | Shortening of Sussex |
Warwickshire | Warks | Abbreviation for Warwickshire |
Wiltshire | The Moonraker County | Local gin-smuggling story.[9] |
Worcestershire | Worcs | Shortening of Worcestershire |
Yorkshire | God's Own Country | Self-proclaimed |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Williams (31 August 2020). "Zoom Into Clackmannanshire". NLS. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "THE PRINCE BISHOPS OF DURHAM".
- ^ Moore, Amanda (3 September 2012). "What Is A Hampshire Hog?".
- ^ Morton, Anna. "Hampshire: Jane Austen's County".
- ^ http://capitalcounty.co.uk/.
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(help) - ^ Dann, Niamh (September 2021). "A 'Nelson's county' tour of Norfolk that retraces the steps of our most iconic historical figure".
- ^ Lucas. "So is Northamptonshire a good place to live? The most Googled questions revealed".
- ^ Pearce (6 April 2020). "The Robin Hood Trail: 20+ Amazing Robin Hood Places to Visit & Uncover the Legend!".
- ^ Castelow, Ellen. "The Moonrakers".