Londyn

Londyn is an Americanized respelling of London. The given name London is essentially the transferred use of a surname which originated as a place name, which we, of course, know as London, England. An ancient city, the etymological sources of the name can be found as far back as the 2nd century. The name is thought to be derived from an old Indo-European word “(p)lowonida” which indicated a ‘river too wide to ford (cross)’ presumably referring to the River Thames which flows through London. As ancient Celtic (Brythonic) people developed the area, the settlement came to be called “Lowonidonjon” (dropping the original “p”). The Latin “Londinium” was also recorded by the Roman historian, Tacitus, during the Roman occupation in the early 2nd century. In the Middle Ages, the surname was probably given (for identification purposes) to those who left the city of London and settled elsewhere, or else a person who visited the city and returned to their village with some remarkable account of their experience (hence, another identifier). The name is thought to derive from the Celtic element "lond" which means ‘wild or bold.’ London as a given name is distinct to the United States; other English-speaking countries don’t appear to be using it at all. The respelling of Londyn was probably developed in an attempt to further feminize the name.