page_title: Saint-Georges-du-Bois, Sarthe
section_title: Toponymy
hierarchical_section_title: Saint-Georges-du-Bois, Sarthe / Toponymy
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Statue de St Georges dans l'église de Saint-Georges-du-Bois dans le département français de la Sarthe, en juin 2006.
context_page_description: Saint-Georges-du-Bois is a commune, located in the department of Sarthe in Pays de la Loire region in northwestern France.
  Located 8 kilometres southwest of Le Mans and 192 kilometres southwest of Paris as the crow flies
  or 55 minutes by train on TGV Atlantique. It is crossed by the county road 309 that connects Le Mans to Sablé-sur-Sarthe. A few kilometers away, the interchange Le Mans Sud on the highway A11 allows quick access to major cities in the west. The area only has one small stream, the Orne Champagne.
  Saint-Georges-du-Bois had a population of 1781 in 2006. Residents are called 'Boisgeorgiens'. The population was stagnant until the mid-1960s, with less than 500 inhabitants. The arrival of the drinking water network in 1956 has allowed new home construction and the town to expand.
context_section_description: The town is named after the patron saint of the parish and its former location in the woods. St. George was a forest, cut by a small road (currently Sablé-sur-Sarthe road).
  According to the book Noms de personne sur le territoire de l'ancienne Gaule du VIe au XIIe siècle (Personal names in the territory of ancient Gaul from the sixth to the twelfth century), Volume 3, traces of the existence of the town date from 1131 . The town was then called 'Sanctus Georgius de Nemore' or 'Seu de Bosco', then in 1289, 'Seint Jorge'.
  Despite the fact that many municipalities have Saint-Georges or bois in their names, there are few towns named Saint-Georges-du-Bois. Three exist in France, and one abroad: San Giorgio in Bosco in Italy.
  Since then, the town has been known by at least three different French names.
  The oldest name found in the departmental archives of the Sarthe is Saint Georges le Grand (Saint George the Great) (or Saint George Le Grand on Cassini maps). This name was used on the oldest parish registers in 1671 and it seems to officially change in 1692. However, on the handwritten pages of records, this name was still used in the middle of the eighteenth century.
  Le Grand Saint Georges is regarded as the customary usage of the time. Indeed, this name was used when installing road signposts in October 1860, but it was never an official name; it is not used in any official document. However, it is found on handwritten portions of the parish registers for over a hundred years.
  The official name of the town is Saint-Georges-du-Bois, from the creation of the commune during the French Revolution.
caption: Saint Georges in the church of Saint-Georges-du-Bois in June 2006
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