According to legend, The
Hamptons posh area of Long Island is named after the Earl of
Southampton. Thomas Wriothesley, the 4th Earl when Southampton was
founded in 1640, was a Cambridge-educated aristocrat. He eventually
rose to one of the most powerful political offices in Britain, Lord
High Treasurer.
Since the town of Southampton was the first to be settled in that
area, and since the other Hamptons (Bridgehampton, East Hampton,
etc.) take their names from that town, all of them can claim to owe
their name to the Earl.
However, according to the Easthampton Historical Society, “19th
century snobbishness” may have resulted in locals spreading that
story around, since being connected, however tangentially, to
aristocracy was a big deal in early America. According to their
records, Southampton was more likely named because it resembled the
town of Southampton in England with no connection to the Earl.
The word hamp means pasture. The Native Americans had deforested
much of Long Island and farmed it, so the open flat land bordered by
a coarse, brown sandy beach may have evoked memories of the south
coast of England. So the Hamptons are either posh or pasture,
your choice.