Stratford-on-Avon

Meaning

Proper Noun

• town Warwickshire (county) England (constituent country), birthplace of William Shakespeare. Often used as a byword for a particularly idyllic or historic town.
• local government district Warwickshire (county) with its headquarters in the town.

Origin

• From being the location of a river ford for a roadway. From Old Welsh avon ("river") + Old English ford ("ford") + Old English strǣt ("street"); from Latin strata ("road"). From being a ford for a British Roman road. The ford itself has subsequently been built over, becoming Clopton Bridge. The river itself has subsequently become named River Avon.