English 'Cambridge' is a Norman reshaping of Old English Grantebrycge ('bridge over the Granta') — unusually, the city's altered name then renamed the river itself from Granta to Cam.
A city in eastern England, seat of the University of Cambridge, on the River Cam.
English 'Cambridge' derives from Old English 'Grantebrycge' — 'bridge over the River Granta'. The original river name was Granta, and the settlement was Grantebrycge ('Granta-bridge'). Through Norman French influence and folk-etymological reshaping, 'Grant-' was altered to 'Cam-', and the river itself was back-formed to 'Cam' from the new city name. The element 'bridge' comes from Old English 'brycg', from Proto-Germanic
Cambridge is a city that renamed its own river. The original river was the Granta and the city was Grantebrycge. After Norman scribes mangled the name to 'Cambridge', people assumed the river must be called the 'Cam' — and eventually it was. The upper reaches are still officially called the Granta today.