Belgica (Region & Political Subdivision) Ancient RomanDerived from the
Belgae, a Celtic-Germanic confederation of tribes that inhabited northern Gaul (modern
Belgium). Their name is probably derived from a Celtic root meaning "to swell with anger".
Belgium (Country) English, Hungarian, MalayFrom Latin
Belgica, a province in the Roman Empire. Since 1830 this is the name of a country in Western Europe. Dutch and French are the main spoken languages.
Belize (Country & River) English, Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Turkish, Indonesian, MalayFrom Spanish
Belice, earlier
Balis, from the name of the Belize River, which may itself be from Mayan
beliz meaning
"muddy water". This is the name of a country on the Atlantic coast of Central America.
Bengal (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Persian
بنگاله (Bangaleh), probably from the name of the ancient kingdom of
Vanga. This is a region in south Asia, now divided between the country of
Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
Benin (Settlement, Body of Water & Country) English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Indonesian, MalayFrom Portuguese
Benim, derived from Itsekiri
Ubinu, the name of the capital city of the historical Benin Kingdom (present-day Benin City in Nigeria). Allegedly it was initially named
Ile-Ibinu meaning
"land of anger" because of disputes between different factions. The Bight of Benin (a large bay) was named after the Benin Kingdom, and the modern country of Benin, west of Nigeria, was named after the bay in 1975 (formerly named
Dahomey).
Benington (Settlement) EnglishMeans either
"settlement belonging to Beonna's people" or
"settlement by the River Beane" in Old English. This is the name of towns in England.
Bentley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
beonet "bent grass" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several English towns.
Benton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
beonet "bent grass" and
tun "enclosure". This is the name of towns in England.
Bergamo (Settlement) Italian, EnglishFrom Latin
Bergomum, possibly from a Celtic word meaning
"mountain". This is the name of a city in northern Italy.
Berkeley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
beorc "birch" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a city in Gloucestershire, England.
Bethany (Settlement) BiblicalFrom Greek
Βηθανία (Bethania), which is of uncertain meaning. The first part of the name is derived from Hebrew/Aramaic
בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house". Suggestions for the second part of the name include
עָנָה ('anah) leading to
"house of affliction" or
תְּאֵנָה (te'enah) leading to
"house of figs". In the New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha.
Bethel (Settlement) BiblicalMeans
"house of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a town north of Jerusalem, where
Jacob saw his vision of the stairway.
Bethlehem (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, BiblicalMeans
"house of bread" in Hebrew, from the roots
בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house" and
לֶחֶם (lechem) meaning "bread". This is the name of a city in Palestine. It appears in the both the Old Testament and the New Testament, notably as the town where
Jesus is born.
Beverley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
beofor "beaver" and (possibly)
licc "stream". This is the name of a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
Blackburn (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
blæc "black" and
burna "stream". This is the name of a city in Lancashire, England.
Blakesley (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English byname
Blæcwulf "black wolf" combined with
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a city in Northamptonshire.
Blidworth (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English byname
Blīþa "happy, blithe" and
worþ "enclosure". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire, England.
Bloxham (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English byname
Blocca and
ham meaning "home, homestead". This is the name of a town in Oxfordshire.
Bohemia (Region) English, Spanish, Late RomanFrom Latin
Boiohaemum, from the name of the Gaulish tribe the
Boii combined with Old German
heim "home". This is the name of a historical region within the Czech Republic. The region is called
Čechy in Czech, while the country is called
Česko.
Bohon (Settlement) FrenchMeaning unknown. This is the name of a town in Manche, France.
Boll (Settlement) GermanFrom Middle High German meaning
"hill". This is the name of several towns in Germany.
Bologna (Settlement) Italian, English, GermanFrom Latin
Bononia, possibly derived from a Celtic word meaning
"settlement". This is the name of a city in northern Italy.
Bombay (Settlement) French, Spanish, English (Rare)From Portuguese
Bombaim, probably derived from Marathi
Mumbai, possibly with influence from Portuguese
bom bain meaning
"good little bay". This is an older English name for
Mumbai, officially used until 1995. It is also the form still commonly used in French and Spanish.
Borja (Settlement) SpanishFrom Arabic
بُرْج (burj) meaning
"tower". This is the name of a town in Aragon, Spain.
Boston (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Botwulf's stone", from the Old English name
Botwulf combined with
stan "stone". This is a town in Lincolnshire, England, and a city in the United States that is named after it.
Botsvana (Country) Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Icelandic, Bulgarian, Albanian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Armenian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, MongolianForm of
Botswana in several languages.
Botswana (Country) Tswana, English, Shona, German, French, Italian, Catalan, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, RomanianMeans
"place of the Tswana people" in the Tswana language, from the locative prefix
bo- combined with the name of Tswana people, itself of uncertain origin, possibly from
tswa "to go out" or
tshwana "to resemble". This is the name of a country in Southern Africa. During the British colonial period the region was called
Bechuanaland, which was more accurately rendered as
Botswana when the country achieved independence in 1966.
Brackenrig (Settlement) ScottishFrom Middle English
braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse
brækni) and
rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse
hryggr). This is the name of several Scottish towns.
Bradford (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
brad "broad" and
ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of a city in West Yorkshire, as well as several other towns.
Bradley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
brad "broad" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England.
Brazil (Country) English, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, MalayFrom the name of a type of tree, called
pau-brasil in Portuguese (
brazilwood in English). It may ultimately derive from Portuguese
brasa meaning "ember". This is the name of a country in South America.
Brazilia (Country & Settlement) Romanian, GeorgianRomanian and Georgian form of
Brazil. This is also the Georgian name for Brazil's capital city
Brasília.
Bretagne (Region & Island) French, German, DutchFrench form of
Britannia (see
Britain). In French this typically refers to the region known as Brittany in France, while Great Britain is called
Grande-Bretagne.
Brierley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
brer "briar" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of various towns in England.
Bristol (Settlement) EnglishName of a city in southwestern England, derived from Old English
Brycgstow meaning
"the site of the bridge".
Britain (Island) EnglishFrom
Britannia, the Latin name for the island of Great Britain, the land of the Britons. It derives from the name of the Britons, recorded in Greek in the 4th century BC as
Πρεττανική (Prettanike), and reconstructed as Proto-Brythonic *
Pritanī, possibly meaning "tattooed people".
Brittany (Region) EnglishFrom
Britannia (see
Britain). This is the name of a region in northwestern France, so called because many Britons settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It had earlier been called
Armorica. In the Middle Ages it was sometimes called
Britannia Minor to distinguish it from the island of Great Britain. In French, both the island and the region are called
Bretagne.
Brodie (Settlement) EnglishProbably from Gaelic
broth meaning
"ditch, mire". This is the name of an estate and castle in Moray, Scotland.
Brooklyn (Settlement) EnglishName of a borough of New York City, originally derived from the Dutch town of
Breukelen meaning either
"broken land" (from Dutch
breuk) or
"marsh land" (from Dutch
broek).
Brunei (Country) Malay, Indonesian, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Georgian, Turkish, Hindi, TagalogPossibly from Sanskrit
वरुण, the Hindu god
Varuna or figuratively meaning
"water, ocean". However, according to tradition,
Brunei was from the Malay phrase
baru nah meaning "there!" or "that's it!", which was supposedly declared by Brunei's first sultan Muhammad Shah when he discovered it in the 14th century.
... [more] Buckley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
bucc "buck, male deer" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few minor towns in England.
Buda (Settlement) HungarianPossibly from the given name
Bleda (which belonged to the brother of Attila the Hun). This was the name of a Hungarian city on the west bank of the Danube. Today it is a part of
Budapest, having merged with
Pest in 1873.
Buganda (Region & Political Subdivision) GandaThe name of a region within Uganda and also the root of the country's name (see
Uganda).
Buren (Settlement) DutchFrom Old Dutch
bur "house, dwelling". This is a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in Gelderland.
Burnham (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
burna "stream, spring" and
ham "home". This is the name of several towns in England.
Burton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
burg "fortress, castle" and
tun "enclosure". This is the name of several English towns.
Bustillo (Settlement) SpanishFrom a diminutive of Late Latin
bustum meaning
"ox pasture". This is the name of towns in Spain.
Busto (Settlement) Spanish, ItalianFrom Late Latin
bustum meaning
"ox pasture". This is the name of several towns in Spain and Italy.
Čad (Body of Water & Country) Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian, SloveneCzech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian and Slovene form of Arabic
تشاد (see
Chad).
Caiazzo (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Caiatia, a derivative of the given name
Caius. This is the name of a city near Naples.
Cairo (Settlement) EnglishFrom Arabic
القاهرة (al-Qahirah) meaning
"the victorious", in honour of the conquering Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz li Din Allah (932-975). This is the name of the capital city of Egypt.
Caivano (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Calvianum, a derivative of the cognomen
Calvus. This is the name of a city near Naples.
Cale (Settlement) Ancient RomanPossibly from Celtic
gall meaning
"Gaul, Celt". This was the name of an ancient town in what is now Portugal, near the modern city of
Porto.
California (Political Subdivision & Island) English, Spanish, Italian, LiteratureFrom the name of a fictional utopian island populated only by women in the 16th-century novel
The Adventures of Esplandián by the Spanish author Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The name comes from the island's queen, Calafia, itself probably derived from Arabic
خليفة (khalifah), an Islamic title meaning "successor". This is the name of an American state as well as two states of Mexico (Baja California and Baja California Sur).
Canaan (Region) English, French, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
כְּנַעַן (Kena'an), possibly from a root meaning
"low, humble". This was the name of an ancient region, the home of the biblical Canaanites, in what is now Palestine and Israel.
Canada (Country) English, French, Italian, Dutch, Danish, NorwegianDerived from the Iroquoian word
kanata meaning
"village". This word was used by Native Americans to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to Stadacona. Cartier used the word to refer to the region.
Capri (Island & Settlement) Italian, EnglishLikely from Greek
κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar", though it could also be of Etruscan origin or from Latin
capri meaning "goats". This is the name of an Italian island.
Carlisle (Settlement) EnglishOriginally called by the Romans
Luguvalium meaning
"stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element
ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city. This is the name of a city in Cumbria in northern England.
Carpathians (Region) EnglishFrom Latin
Carpates, possibly related to the Dacian tribe of the
Capri, maybe derived from an Indo-European root meaning
"rock, cliff". This is the name of a mountain range in Eastern Europe stretching from
Slovakia to
Romania.
Castile (Region) EnglishFrom Spanish
Castilla, ultimately from Late Latin
castellum meaning
"castle". This was the name of a medieval kingdom in Spain.
Catalonia (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Catalan
Catalunya, of uncertain meaning, possibly from Latin
castellum "castle" or
Gauthia Launia "land of the Goths". This is the name of a region in eastern Spain.
Cathay (Country) EnglishFrom Old Turkic
Khitai, the name of a people who ruled northern China as the Liao dynasty from the 10th to 12th century, also called the Khitan people. This is an archaic English synonym for
China.
Cavan (Political Subdivision) IrishDerived from Irish
cabhán meaning
"hollow". This is the name of an Irish county.
Cawston (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old Norse given name
Kálfr combined with Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of towns in Norfolk and Warwickshire.
Čechy (Region) Czech, SlovakFrom the name of the Slavic tribe of the Czechs, probably derived from the Slavic root
čelo meaning "family, tribe". This is the Czech name of
Bohemia, while the Czech Republic is called
Česko.
Česko (Country) Czech, SlovakFrom the name of the Slavic tribe of the Czechs (see
Čechy). This is the Czech name for the Czech Republic.
Chad (Body of Water & Country) English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Indonesian, MalayFrom Arabic
تشاد (Tshad), derived from a Kanuri word meaning
"lake, large expanse of water". This is the name of a lake in central Africa, as well as the country that is named after it. The lake also borders Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon.
Chadwick (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"village belonging to Chad" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Lancashire and Warwickshire.
Chaves (Settlement) Portuguese, SpanishFrom the Roman name
Flavius. This is the name of a Portuguese city, which was originally named for the Roman emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius.
Chelsea (Settlement) EnglishOriginally derived from Old English and meaning
"landing place for chalk or limestone". This is a district in London.
Cheshire (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishShortened form of
Chestershire, a combination of
Chester and
shire.
Chester (Settlement) EnglishFrom Latin
castrum meaning
"camp, fortress". This is the name of a city in Cheshire, England.
Chile (Country) Spanish, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Portuguese, Romanian, GeorgianThe name of a country in South America, possibly from Quechua
chiri meaning
"cold" or Mapuche
chülle meaning
"seagull". This name was applied to the region by the conquistador Diego de Almagro.
Chili (Country) French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Mongolian, Indonesian, ThaiForm of
Chile in several languages.
Cochrane (Settlement) ScottishMeaning unknown. This was the name of an estate in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Cockburn (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
cocc "rooster" and
burna "stream". This was the name of a town in Berwickshire, Scotland.
Cologne (Settlement) French, EnglishFrench form of Latin
Colonia, shortened from
Colonia Agrippina meaning "colony of Agrippina", named after the wife of Emperor Claudius. This is the name of a city in western Germany.
Colombie (Country & Political Subdivision) FrenchFrench form of
Colombia and sometimes of
Columbia (for example
Colombie-Britannique for
British Columbia).
Colton (Settlement) EnglishMeans "
Cola's town" in Old English. This is the name of several English towns.
Columbia (Region, Settlement, Political Subdivision & River) English, Italian, Spanish, Late RomanNamed after the explorer Christopher Columbus, called
Cristoforo Colombo in Italian (see the surname
Colombo). This is the name of several cities in the Americas (including the District of Columbia, also called Washington D.C.), and a river in Canada and the United States. It is also a name used historically to refer to the New World.
Comoros (Country) EnglishFrom French
Comores, derived from Arabic
qamar meaning
"moon". This is the name of an island country off the eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean.
Congo (River & Country) English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, DanishFrom
Kongo, of uncertain origin, the name of a kingdom in central Africa that existed from the 14th to 19th century. The Congo River (also called the
Zaire River) was named after the kingdom. Belgian and French colonies were established in the 19th century, named after the river, which eventually led to two African countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo.
Corinth (Settlement) EnglishFrom Greek
Κόρινθος (Korinthos), from Doric Greek
Ϙόρινθος (Qorinthos), of Pre-Greek origin. This was the name of an ancient Greek city-state on the Peloponnese, as well as a nearby modern city.
Courtenay (Settlement) FrenchFrom the Gallo-Roman given name
Curtenus, derived from Latin
curtus "short". This is the name of a few French communes.
Crawford (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
crawe "crow" and
ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name various small towns in England.
Crema (Settlement) ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from a Lombardic word meaning
"hill". This is the name of a city in
Cremona (to which the name is unrelated) in northern
Italy.
Cremona (Settlement & Political Subdivision) ItalianProbably from the name of the Celtic tribe the Cenomani, or possibly from a pre-Latin word meaning "stone". This is the name of a city and province in northern
Italy.
Croatia (Country) English, Late RomanFrom Croatian
Hrvatska, from Old Slavic *
xŭrvatŭ, of unknown meaning. This is the name of a country in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe.
Cuinchy (Settlement) FrenchFrom older
Quintiacum, derived from the personal name
Quintus plus the local suffix
-acum. This is the name of a village in France.
Cymru (Country) WelshFrom the Celtic roots *
kom "with, together" and *
mrogis "territory, region". This is the Welsh name for
Wales.
Cyprus (Island & Country) English, DutchFrom Greek
Κύπρος (Kypros), which may get its name from the cypress tree (Greek
κυπάρισσος). This is the name of an island country in the eastern Mediterranean. Although considered one nation by most other countries, the northern part of the island is occupied by Turkish forces and claims independence.
Czajków (Settlement) PolishDerived from Polish
czajka meaning
"lapwing (bird)". This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Czechia (Country) EnglishEnglish form of
Čechy (via Polish
Czechy), used as an alternative name for the Czech Republic (and not as a name for
Bohemia).
Czechoslovakia (Country) EnglishCombination of
Czechia and
Slovakia. This was the name of a country that existed between 1918 and 1993, at which time it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Czechy (Region & Country) PolishPolish form of
Čechy, used to refer both to the region of
Bohemia and the larger Czech Republic.
Daehan (Country) KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
大 (dae) meaning "big, great" and
韓 (han) meaning "Korea". This is the official Korean name for South
Korea.
Dallas (Settlement) EnglishSeveral of the places bearing this name, including probably the city in Texas, were named for the American vice president George M. Dallas (1792-1864). His surname is of Old English origin meaning "valley house".
Danube (River) EnglishFrom Latin
Danubius, from Indo-European
Danu, probably meaning
"river, water". This is the name of a river that flows east through Europe to the Black Sea.
Deasmhumhain (Region) IrishFrom Irish
deas "south" and
Mumhain. This was the name of a medieval kingdom in southern Ireland, created when the kingdom of Munster was partitioned. It is Anglicized as
Desmond.