History of North America

Origin of name for New Hampshire?

New Hampshire's name derives from the English county of Hampshire. Captain John Mason, who was granted a large tract of land in the region by the Council for New England, suggested the name in honor of the county where he had been a member of Parliament. The name "Hampshire" itself is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "Hamtun", meaning "home farm" or "homestead", and "scir", meaning "shire" or "county". Thus, the name "New Hampshire" roughly translates as "New Homestead County" or "New Homeland".