Why is London Called London? A Surprisingly Wild Story…
Ever wondered how London got its name? Spoiler: it’s a story that takes us way back – to 43 A.D., when the Romans rolled in and set up shop in what they called Londinium. No one knows exactly why they chose that name (even Sherlock Holmes would have a tough time solving this one!), but one theory suggests it comes from the Celtic word Lund, meaning “wild.” And let’s be honest – London probably was a pretty wild place back then.
Fast forward to the 7th century, when the Anglo-Saxons decided to put their stamp on things. They resettled near Aldwych and called it Londonwick — basically meaning “London Market Town.” Over the centuries, the name kept evolving: Londonwick became London, which eventually became the London we know today.
But here’s the twist you might not know: it wasn’t until Shakespeare’s time that the spelling finally settled into the familiar “London,” swapping out the letters “u” and “i” to look the way it does now. So, next time you’re wandering along the Thames, you can drop a fun fact about how the city’s name is over 2,000 years in the making — and still sounds just as catchy.
📢 Loved this little slice of history? Share it with your fellow London lovers and see if they knew where the name came from!
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