Toponymy
Study of place names / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of toponyms (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types.[1][2][3][4] Toponym is the general term for a proper name of any geographical feature,[5] and full scope of the term also includes proper names of all cosmographical features.[6]
This article is about the study of place names. For a discussion of the origins of place names themselves, see Place name origins.
"Toponymics" redirects here. Not to be confused with Toponomics.
In a more specific sense, the term toponymy refers to an inventory of toponyms, while the discipline researching such names is referred to as toponymics or toponomastics.[7] Toponymy is a branch of onomastics, the study of proper names of all kinds.[8] A person who studies toponymy is called toponymist.[1]