Edinburgh has a fascinating history dating back thousands of years, with evidence of a settlement in the Cramond area from around 8500 BC.
The city’s name comes from ‘Eidyn’, the name for the region in Cumbric – the Brittonic language spoken in the Northern England and Lowland Scotland in the Middle Ages.
At this time a stronghold on Castle Rock was called Din Eidyn, literally meaning ‘the hillfort of Eidyn’. As the Scots language evolved, the Din was replaced by ‘burh’, creating Edinburgh.
And there are plenty more clues to the Capital’s complex past in the names of the streets, roads, and lanes that make up the city, all of which come from a multitude of languages, backgrounds and people.
Leith itself gets its name from the river it sits on, first appearing in the 12th century as part of the compound name Inverleith, meaning ‘mouth of the Leith’.
Further back still some historians think that the name comes from a word similar to ‘Llaith’, which means ‘water’ in Welsh.
Here are the stories behind 10 of the road names in the area.
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1. Henderson Street
Henderson Street was created as part of an improvement scheme in Leith in the 1880s that was the brainchild of the then Provost Doctor John Henderson, after whom the street was named.
Photo: Unknown
2. Pilrig Street
Formerly known as Peilrig, the road gets its name from the Anglican 'pyll hrycg' meaning 'ridge by the stream' - referring to its position between the Water of Leith and the Broughton Burn.
Photo: Google Maps
3. Commercial Street
The Commerce referred to in Commercial Street is the warehouses of Rennie's Docks which the road was created to serve. It also gave the road its former name of Dock Street.
Photo: Google Maps
4. Easter Road
Synonymous with the Hibs FC ground that sits on it, many people think that Easter Road must be called after the religious day of the same name. Actually, it gets its name from being the furthest east road into Leith - with Broughton Road previously being known as Wester Road.
Photo: JPI Media