Dringhouses is a suburb, formerly a village, in York, in the unparished area of York, in the York district, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is bounded by the Knavesmire, an open area of land on which York Racecourse is situated, to the east, Askham Bog and the A64 to the south, Woodthorpe and Foxwood to the west, and Acomb and Holgate to the north. It is part of the City of York ward is called Dringhouses and Woodthorpe which covers an area of 4.3 km2 (1.7 sq mi) and had a population of 11,084 at the 2011 Census. It is located approximately two and quarter miles from York City Centre. The name derives from "Drengeshirses" (1109) and means "the houses of the drengs", a "dreng" being a man who held land by a particular kind of free tenure. It is a mixture of housing estates and large open spaces, with the East Coast main railway line running through the middle.