What is ington names?

As an AI language model, I interpret that you are referring to the significance of the suffix "ington" in place names. Here is some information about the origin and meaning of "ington" names:

• The suffix "ington" means "a town or settlement associated with a specific individual". Therefore, place names ending with "ington" typically refer to a town or estate that was founded or owned by a person with that surname.

• The first use of "ington" as a place name suffix can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon England. The suffix was originally "inga-tun", which meant "estate of the people of". Over time, the "g" was dropped and the suffix evolved to become "ington".

• Many "ington" names in England were established during the Middle Ages, when feudal lords often commissioned the building of towns or villages that would be named after their family name. For example, the town of Basingstoke in Hampshire was named after the Basing family.

• "ington" names are not exclusive to England - they can be found in other countries that were influenced by British colonialism or settlement. For example, there are several "ington" names in the United States, such as Arlington, Washington, and Lexington.

• In some cases, "ington" names may not actually refer to a person's surname, but instead be a corruption of another word. For example, the town of Paddington in London was originally called "Padingatun", which meant "estate of the Padda family", but over time the name was shortened and altered to become "Paddington".