Why is the River Thames so called?
Question
Why is the River Thames called the River Thames? Where does the word Thames come from?
Arthur, Grays
Answer
** Definitive **
Name: Phil, Mitcham
Qualification: I did homework with my son
Answer: It was originally from the Celt word Tamesas, which meant dark. The Romans then called it the Tamesis and the "Th" was put in in the Renaissance as they thought the Celts originated from Greece - possibly to reflect a belief that the name was derived from River Thyamis in Greece.
Name: Simon, The City
Answer: It used to be known as the thames (with a soft th at the beginning). But when one of the King Georges took the throne, as he was German, he couldn't pronouce the 'Th', so the Royal Court changed it to the Thames pronunciation as we know it now.
(James O'Brien: Interesting fact, but that's not the question that was asked!)