Jul 30, 2020 - 10:35 PM
-ikon stems from the German -hof via an intermediate '-ig-hof', so -ikon is related to the -hof or -hofen suffix as well. The reason there are so many around Zurich is just its proximity to where the Alemannic tribes arrived form the north to settle.
Like dozens of placenames, -ikon and -wil come from the same origin as other suffixes across Europe, related also to -iken, -ken, -gen and even -eben (interestingly there is a cluster of the latter in the Harz region of central Germany).
A lot of placename suffixes in all languages, not just German speaking territories mean much the same thing - a home of some sort, be it an actual dwelling or a yard, court, farmstead, hamlet, manor (think of the East London phrase 'my manor' in the UK), field, garden etc etc - but end up being what they are today by 'human laziness' - not in a rude sense but in the sense that humans will make things easier if they possibly can - including simplifying placenames and words to make them easier to say.
Wil is equivalent of -weil (Rottweil, Weil am Rhein) and is prevalent across southern Germany hence it stretching across the northern Swiss border.
Last modified on Jul 30, 2020 - 10:36 PM by 1960man