Lambeth

Rather satisfyingly, the name means ‘landing place for lambs’, and it’s a shortened version of the earlier Lambehitha (hitha being a common ending for riverside landing places like Rotherhithe).

http://londonist.com/2013/07/how-the-london-boroughs-got-their-names.php

OMG SO DULL

Newham

One of the few borough names not to derive directly from ancient roots. Newham was formed in 1965 from East Ham and West Ham, the ‘new’ bit conjured up to declare that, yes, this political entity is new. The ‘ham’ part of the name indicates, in this case, low-laying land surrounded by marsh.

Tower Hamlets

Predictably, the name refers to the hamlets and villages closest to the Tower of London. Despite having the whiff of a modern coinage, the name has been used for centuries.

Bit predictable. Lambeth best so far.

Iseldon's nice too

i thought this was going to a thread about how the names were chosen in the run-up to 1965 which would be IMO rather more interesting than what's been produced. given that all the london boroughs bar the city were the product of amalgamations of former metropolitan and other boroughs, there was some horse-trading and arguing went on, and despite being aware from hints that there were discussions going on about the names the minutes of the meetings don't appear to have survived. with lb hackney, it seems the borough formed from the amalgamation of shoreditch, hackney and stoke newington received its name as other suggestions - eg kingsland - did not find universal favour.

so's isledon

Hackney - a raised ground in marsh land - yep that is pretty correct

Coincidentily I was wondering this just yesterday on the train to Victoria.

Croydon

The borough and its largest conurbation take their name from the Anglo-Saxon phrase croeas deanas, and later crogdene, which, contrary to Croydon’s current appearance, meant ‘valley of the crocuses’. The valley was no doubt a centre of crocus cultivation, yielding saffron.

Southwark

This ancient part of London was settled by the Romans. Early records call it Suthriganaweorc or Suthringa geweorche, meaning ‘the defensive works of the men of the south’ (i.e. Surrey).

with the highest part of the borough being the summit estate.

Lewisham was where I lived. They're making it up cos they don't know :cool: