are plentiful in Trøndelag in central Norway, while -land names are typical in south-
western Norway.
For especially eastern central Sweden the place names ending in -by and -stad make up
the large bulk of settlement names within the settlement districts. This is an indication
that these districts saw a restructuring or a new colonisation during the middle and
second half of the first millennium. It is also an indication that these districts were more
or less fully colonised during this period, with no possible expansion with new medieval
farms. One example of this kind of ‘fossilised’ late Iron Age settlement district is the
Markim-Orkesta district, north of Stockholm, in the province of Uppland (Figure 6. 1 ).
Here we find a couple of place names ending in -inge and -tuna, which are probably to be
placed in an earlier settlement-historical phase than the many -by and -sta(d) names.
During the high and late Middle Ages (c. 1000 – 1500 ) new areas were colonised
(especially during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries) and many new settlements
established. Major place-name elements for these new farms and hamlets are -torp, -rud,
- ryd, -röd/-rød, -boda, -böle. Place names ending in -torp and -rød make up the large part
of the Danish settlement names, obviously indicating radical changes in the landscape
and settlement structure. It seems likely that several of these -torp and -rød names are to
be dated to as early as the tenth century. Also in southern Sweden place names ending in
Figure 6. 1 The settlement district of Markim-Orkesta in Uppland, Sweden. (Drawing: Stefan Brink.)–– chapter 6 : Naming the land––