Foreign names in Innnes

The heritage of World War II in place names in the capital area

Abstract

During the occupation in the Second World War, British and American soldiers in the Greater-Reykjavik area replaced Icelandic place names with English ones which were easier for them to pronounce and read, and they also anglicized some Icelandic names. In the article, these names are described and discussed. The British soldiers mostly used names which they knew from districts in England and Scotland. The US soldiers were, on the other hand, more fond of names of heroes and generals in the US army. The English place names never really gained a foothold in Iceland after the Second World War, and they disappeared in one decade.