It lies on the west bank of the River Derwent, 6 miles (10 km) east of Selby.

The toponym is of Old Norse origin, and means "the hamlet of a man called Menni or Menja".

[1] In the Middle Ages the village was in the Ouse and Derwent wapentake of the East Riding of Yorkshire.

An area of Menthorpe between the village and Bowthorpe was a detached part of Skipwith parish.

[2] Between 1853 and 1953 the hamlet was served by Menthorpe Gate railway station on the Selby to Driffield Line.