Halifax

Meaning

Proper Noun

• (industrial) town West Yorkshire (county) England (constituent country), 20km south-west of Leeds.
• capital city Nova Scotia (province) Canada (country).
• small town, county seat Halifax County (county) North Carolina (state) USA (country).
• town, county seat Halifax County (county) Virginia (state) USA (country).
• An earldom in the Peerage of Great Britain.

Origin

• From Old English halh-ġefeaxe, compounded from healh + feax.
• Folk etymology suggests Old English hāliġfeax, as compounded from hāliġ + feax, from a local legend that the town is said to have received the name from the fact that the hair of a murdered virgin was hung up on a tree in the neighborhood, which became a resort of pilgrims. Compare also Fairfax.