# | Originally uploaded by mag3737.
The odd name for this ancient sign for numbering derives from thorpe, the Old Norse word for a village or farm that is often seen in British placenames. The symbol was originally used in mapmaking, representing a village surrounded by eight fields, so it was named the octothorp.
Courtesy of Neatorama, via Boing Boing.
Knowing it's called an Octothorp, in addition to just plain old "pound sign", has gotta be worth about ten points right off the bat.
