ington

The suffix -ington is a common element in English toponymy. It appears in many place names and, less commonly, in surnames derived from those places. The form originates in Old English, from a combination of -ing- (a suffix meaning “people connected with” or “descendants of”) and -tun (a farmstead or village). The resulting -ington is typically read as “the town of X's people” or “the settlement of the people of X,” though individual etymologies vary by location. The -ing- element often reflects an association with a person or group rather than a simple geographic descriptor.

In practice, -ington is found throughout England and in many former British colonies, especially the United States. It is a common second element in compound place names: a name or descriptor plus -ington. Over time spellings have varied, with -inton or -ingtone appearing in older records.

Notable examples include Harrington, Darlington, Huntington, Wellington, Donington, and Burlington. In the United States there are towns named Huntington (New York), Huntington Beach (California), Wellington (Florida, Kansas, Colorado), Burlington (Vermont, New Jersey, Ontario), Donington (various spots), and Harrington (Delaware, Washington). The suffix also appears in surnames originated from these places, and in many modern place names the exact origin may be obscure.