Holland 1 (Political Subdivision & Country) Dutch, English, German, Danish, IcelandicFrom Old Dutch
holt "forest" and
lant "land". This is the name of two provinces (North and South Holland) in the Netherlands. It is sometimes informally used to refer to the entire country of the
Netherlands.
Holland 2 (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
hoh "point of land, heel" and
land "land". This is the name of several towns in England.
Hollande (Political Subdivision & Country) FrenchFrench form of
Holland 1, referring to the provinces and sometimes the entire country.
Holstein (Political Subdivision & Region) German, English, DutchFrom the name of a Saxon tribe, derived from Old Saxon
holt meaning "wood" and the suffix
-setio meaning "inhabitant". This is the name of a historical region in Germany, near the Danish border. It forms part of the name of the modern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Hong Kong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Turkish, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, TagalogFrom Cantonese
香港 (Hoenggong), a compound of
香 (hoeng) meaning "fragrant" and
香 (gong) meaning "port, harbour". This is the name of a city, island and special administrative region of southeastern China.
Hongkong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Macedonian, Korean, KhmerForm of
Hong Kong used in various languages.
Hořovice (Settlement) CzechFrom Czech
hora meaning "mountain". This is the name of a town in the Czech Republic.
Hotaka (Mountain) JapaneseFrom Japanese
穂 (ho) meaning "grain" and
高 (taka) meaning "tall". This is the name of a mountain in Japan.
Houston (Settlement) Scottish, EnglishMeans
"Hugh's town", from the given name
Hugh and Old English
tun meaning "enclosure, town". This is the name of a town in Scotland. The American city of Houston is named after the Texas president Sam Houston (1793-1863), whose surname is derived from the Scottish town.
Hungary (Country) EnglishFrom Latin
Hungaria, derived from Byzantine Greek
Οὔγγροι (Oungroi), from Turkic
Onogur meaning
"ten tribes". This is the name of a country in Eastern Europe that was settled by the Hungarians in the 9th century. Because they were identified with the Huns, the
H was added to the beginning of their Latin name. The Hungarian name for the country is
Magyarország.
Hunnacott (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
hunig "honey" or the given name
Huna combined with
cot "cottage". This is the name of a small town in Devon, England.
Huxley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
hux "insult, scorn" (possibly) and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Cheshire, England.
Ibarra (Settlement) Basque, SpanishDerived from Basque
ibar meaning
"meadow". This is the name of a few Basque towns.
Igaunija (Country) LatvianFrom Latvian
igaunis meaning
"Estonian", derived from the name of the old region of
Ugandi in southern Estonia. This is the Latvian name of
Estonia.
India (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Estonian, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian, Greek, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Tagalog, Ancient Roman, Ancient GreekDerived from the name of the
Indus River. In many languages of India, the name
Bharat is used to refer to the country. However, some southern Indian languages use spellings based on English
India.
Indiana (Political Subdivision) EnglishMeans
"land of the Indians". This is the name of an American state.
Indija (Country) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, LithuanianSerbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian and Lithuanian form of
India.
Indo (Country) Japanese, KoreanJapanese and Korean form of
India. It is usually written in katakana in Japan and Hangul in Korea.
Indonesia (Country) Indonesian, Malay, Buginese, Minangkabau, English, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Finnish, KoreanFrom Greek
Ἰνδός (Indos), referring to the
Indus, combined with
νῆσος (nesos) meaning "island". This name has been used since the 18th century by colonial powers to refer to the Indonesian archipelago and since 1945 to refer to the independent nation.
Indus (River) English, Ancient RomanFrom Old Persian
Hindus, which was from Sanskrit
सिन्धु (Sindhu) meaning
"body of trembling water, river". This is the name of a river in Pakistan and India.
Irak (Country) German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovak, Greek, Turkish, Armenian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Thai, Lao, Mongolian, IndonesianForm of
Iraq in several languages.
Iran (Country) Persian, Arabic, English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Hebrew, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Urdu, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Burmese, Thai, Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, MongolianDerived from Middle Persian
Eran, related to Old Iranian
Arya meaning
"Iranian, Aryan". This is the name of a country in western Asia, formerly called
Persia in the West.
Ireland (Country & Island) EnglishDerived from Irish Gaelic
Éire and English
land. This is the name of an island to the west of Great Britain. The country of Ireland occupies the majority of the island.
Irvine (River & Settlement) ScottishDerived from Brythonic elements meaning
"green water". This is a river and city in North Ayrshire, Scotland.
Isin (Settlement) SumerianMeaning unknown. This was the name of a city-state in Mesopotamia, originally Sumerian.
Israel (Country) English, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Indonesian, Malay, Biblical, Biblical GreekFrom the name of the Old Testament hero Jacob, who was also called
Israel. This was the name of an ancient kingdom that existed until the 8th century BC. The modern country of Israel is named for it.
Italy (Country) EnglishAnglicized form of
Italia, originally applied by the Greeks to the south of the Italian Peninsula. It may have been borrowed from Oscan
Víteliú possibly meaning
"land of bulls". According to Roman mythology, the region was named for
Italus, though in fact it was he who was named for the region.
Ithaca (Island) English, Greek MythologyFrom Greek
Ἰθάκη (Ithake), meaning unknown. This is the name of an island off the west coast of Greece. In Greek mythology Ithaca was the home of the hero Odysseus. Homer's epic the
Odyssey describes his long and perilous voyage home after the Trojan War.
Jakarta (Settlement) Indonesian, Malay, Javanese, Acehnese, Balinese, Minangkabau, Sundanese, English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Arabic, HindiFrom Sanskrit
जयकर्ता (Jayakarta) meaning
"victory accomplished", from
जय (jaya) meaning "victory, conquest" and
कृत (krta) meaning "done, accomplished". This is the name of the capital city of Indonesia. It was known as
Batavia during the colonial (Dutch) era.
Janków (Settlement) PolishFrom the given name
Janek. This is the name of several Polish towns.
Jankowo (Settlement) PolishFrom the given name
Janek. This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Janów (Settlement) PolishFrom the given name
Jan 1. This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Janowice (Settlement) PolishFrom the given name
Jan 1. This is the name of a number of towns in Poland.
Janowo (Settlement) PolishFrom the given name
Jan 1. This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Japan (Country) English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Hindi, BurmeseFrom Portuguese
Japão, which was derived from a Malay form of
Riben, the Chinese reading of
Nippon.
Jaskółki (Settlement) PolishDerived from Polish
jaskółka meaning
"swallow (bird)". This is the name of multiple Polish towns.
Jayhun (River) ArabicArabic form of
Gihon, used also as the name of the Amu Darya river in central Asia.
Jemen (Country) German, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Dutch, Afrikaans, Finnish, Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, MacedonianForm of
Yemen in several languages.
Jericho (Settlement) English, BiblicalMeaning uncertain, possibly related to the Hebrew word
יָרֵחַ (yareach) meaning
"moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word
רֵיחַ (reyach) meaning
"fragrant". This is the name of a city in Palestine, mentioned several times in the Old Testament.
Jerusalem (Settlement) English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Luxembourgish, Afrikaans, Catalan, Bosnian, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim), from an earlier Canaanite form like
Urushalim, probably meaning
"established by (the god) Shalim". This is the name of a city in Israel and Palestine. Originally a Canaanite city, it was conquered by the Israelites under King
David at the beginning of the 10th century BC. It is now regarded as a holy city by Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Jordan (River & Country) English, Danish, Norwegian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Slovene, BiblicalRiver that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is
יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from
יָרַד (yarad) meaning
"descend" or
"flow down". The river has lent its name to the country to the east (in German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish and Slovene this is only the name of the river, with the name of the country taking a different form).
Joseon (Region & Country) KoreanThis was the name of two kingdoms in the history of Korea. The first was conquered by the Han Empire in the 2nd century BC. The second ruled Korea from the 14th century until the 19th century. The name of these kingdoms was written using the Sino-Korean characters
朝 (jo) meaning "dynasty" and
鮮 (seon) meaning "new", though the actual origin is assumed to be Korean. This name is now used in North Korea to refer to the country of North
Korea.
Kailash (Mountain) Hindi, MarathiPossibly from Sanskrit
केलास (kelas) meaning
"crystal". This is the name of a mountain in the Himalayas that is believed to be the paradise of the Hindu god
Shiva.
Kanada (Country) German, Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Russian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Indonesian, Malay, JapaneseForm of
Canada in several languages.
Kanne (Settlement) DutchMeaning unknown. This is the name of a town in the province of Limburg in Belgium.
Kantō (Region) JapaneseMeans
"eastern frontier", from Japanese
関 (kan) meaning "frontier" and
東 (tō) meaning "east". This is the name of a region in central
Japan, including
Tokyo.
Karmel (Mountain) Biblical HebrewMeans
"garden, vineyard" in Hebrew. This is the name of a mountain in
Israel mentioned in the Old Testament.
Kazahstan (Country) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, RomanianSerbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian and Romanian form of Kazakh
Қазақстан (see
Kazakhstan).
Kemet (Region) Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
km meaning
"black", referring to the colour of the soil around the
Nile River. This was the Ancient Egyptian name for the Nile Valley in
Egypt.
Kendal (Settlement) EnglishFrom the name of the river
Kent combined with Old English
dæl meaning "valley, dale". This is the name of a town in Cumbria.
Kent (Political Subdivision & River) EnglishPossibly from a Brythonic element meaning
"border, edge, coast". This is the name of a historic kingdom and modern county in southeastern England, called
Cent in Old English,
Cantium in Latin. It is also the name of a river in Cumbria, northwestern England.
Kenya (Country & Mountain) English, Kikuyu, Swahili, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Greek, TurkishThe country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called
Kĩrĩnyaga meaning
"the one having stripes".
Kerry (Political Subdivision) IrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Ciarraí meaning
"Ciar's people". This is the name of an Irish county.
Kimberley (Settlement) EnglishMeans either
"Cyneburga's field",
"Cynebald's field" or
"Cynemær's field". This is the name of towns in Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and Norfolk. In the case of the city in South Africa, it was named after John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (1826-1902). His title was taken from the name of the town in Norfolk.
Kingsley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
cyning "king" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England.
Kingston (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
cyning "king" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of many towns in England, as well as other parts of the English-speaking world (including the capital of Jamaica).
Kōbe (Settlement) JapanesePossibly means
"shrine supporters", in reference to the families who tended the local Ikuta Shrine. This is the name of a city in Japan.
Kobe (Settlement) JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
神戸 (see
Kōbe).
Kolumbija (Country, Region, Settlement & Political Subdivision) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, LithuanianSerbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian and Lithuanian form of
Columbia and
Colombia.
Kongo (Region, River & Country) Kongo, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Turkish, GeorgianForm of
Congo in many languages.
Korea (Country) English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Greek, Georgian, Armenian, Indonesian, Malay, TagalogFrom medieval Latin
Corea, itself derived from
Goryeo, the name of a kingdom that ruled most of the Korean Peninsula from the 10th to 14th centuries. This is the name of two countries, North and South Korea.
Hanguk and
Joseon are the Korean names for the countries.
Kozłów (Settlement) PolishFrom Polish
kozioł meaning
"male goat". This is the name of several Polish towns.
Kozłowo (Settlement) PolishFrom Polish
kozioł meaning
"male goat". This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Kraków (Settlement) PolishFrom the name of the city's legendary founder
Krak, of uncertain meaning. This is a city in southern Poland.
Kurdistan (Region) Kurdish, Arabic, English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, RussianFrom Kurdish
کوردستان (Kurdistan), from the Persian ethnic name
کرد (Kord) meaning "Kurd" combined with the Persian suffix
ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the name of the region in the midst of Iran, Iraq and Turkey that is primarily inhabited by the Kurdish people.
Kynaston (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Cynefrith's town" in Old English. This is the name of hamlets in Herefordshire and Shropshire.
Kyrgyzstan (Country) Kyrgyz, EnglishFrom Kyrgyz
Кыргызстан (Kyrgyzstan), a combination of the name of the Kyrgyz people and the Persian suffix
ستان (stan) meaning "land of". The ethnic name may be derived from the Turkic word
kyrk meaning "forty". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Landau (Settlement) GermanFrom Old High German
lant meaning "land" and
auwa meaning "damp valley". This is the name of a town in the Palatinate region of Germany.
Langley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
lang "long" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of numerous towns in the United Kingdom and North America.
Laos (Country) French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Greek, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Hebrew, Hindi, Nepali, Malay, Indonesian, TagalogThe name of a country in southeastern Asia, derived from the Lao people, the majority ethnic group. Their name may be derived from an Austroasiatic root meaning "human". The name
Laos was originally applied to the region by France, who established it as a colony in 1893. It achieved independence in 1953.
Lassy (Settlement) FrenchDerived from
Lascius, a Gallo-Roman name of unknown meaning. This is the name of a commune in Calvados, France.
Layton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
leac "leek, herb" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of towns in England.
Lecce (Settlement & Political Subdivision) ItalianFrom Latin
Licea or
Litium, earlier
Lupiae. This is the name of a city in southern Italy, as well as a province named for it.
Lehi (Region) BiblicalMeans
"jawbone" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the site where the hero
Samson killed 1,000 men using only a donkey's jawbone.
Leire (Mountain) BasquePossibly from Latin
legionarius meaning
"pertaining to a legion". This is the name of a mountain in Navarre, the site of an old monastery.
Leitzkau (Settlement) GermanPossibly of Slavic origin. This is the name of a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
Lennox (Region) ScottishFrom Gaelic
Leamhnachd, possibly meaning
"lace of elms". This is the name of a district in Scotland.
León (Settlement & Political Subdivision) SpanishDerived from Latin
legio (genitive
legionis) meaning
"legion", so named because the Roman 7th Legion Gemina was stationed there. This is the name of a city and province in northern Spain.
Lesselyn (Region) Medieval ScottishProbably from Scottish Gaelic
leas celyn meaning
"garden of holly". This was the name of a location in Aberdeenshire.
Liberia (Country) English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Spanish, PolishDerived from Latin
liber meaning
"free". This was the name of a colony established in Western Africa by free African Americans in the 1820s. It declared its independence in 1847, and was one of only two independent countries in Africa in the early 20th century (along with
Ethiopia).