Etymology

Hampshire takes its name from the settlement that is now the city of Southampton. An Old English name for Southampton was Hantum, and references to the county - Southampton and shire - became Hantum plus Scir. This is where the abbreviation Hants originates from. The county was known by the Anglo-Saxons as Hamtunschire and was recorded in theDomesday book as Hantescire.^[3] From 1889 until 1959, the administrative county was named the County of Southampton.^[4][5]