The name Tallinn(a) is Estonian. It is widely considered a historical derivation of ''Taani-linn(a)'', meaning 'Danish-town' (), after the Danes built the castle in place of the Estonian stronghold at Lindanisse. However, according to minor theories it could also have come from ''tali-linna'' ('winter-castle or town'), or ''talu-linna'' ('house/farmstead-castle or town'). The element ''-linna'', like Germanic ''-burg'' and Slavic ''-grad'' / ''-gorod'', originally meant 'fortress', but is used as a suffix in the formation of town names.