Babylon(Settlement)English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek Greek form of Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Babili), which appears to mean "gateway of God", from Akkadian 𒆍 (babu) meaning "gate" and 𒀭 (ilu) meaning "God", though it may in fact derive from a non-Semitic language. This was the name of a major city in ancient Mesopotamia, the capital of the Babylonian Empire. It was located in present-day Iraq.
Bethlehem(Settlement)English, German, Dutch, Biblical Means "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.
Bohemia(Region)English, Spanish, Late Roman From 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.
Bretagne(Region & Island)French, German, Dutch French 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.
Cheshire(Region & Political Subdivision)English Shortened form of Chestershire, a combination of Chester and shire.
Chester(Settlement)English From Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress". This is the name of a city in Cheshire, England.
Damascus(Settlement)Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, English Meaning unknown, probably of Semitic origin. It is first mentioned in Egyptian records from the 15th century BC under the name Tmsq. It is now the capital city of Syria.
Éire(Country & Island)Irish Possibly means "abundant land" in Old Irish. This is the Irish name of the country and island of Ireland. According to legend the island was named for the goddess Ériu, though in fact it was she who was named for the island.
Ellada(Country)Greek Modern Greek form of Ancient Greek Ἑλλάδα (Hellada), derived from Ἕλλην (Hellen) meaning "Greek", which is of uncertain origin. This is the Greek endonym for Greece.
England(Country)English, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian From Old English Englaland meaning "land of the Angles", the Angles being one of the Germanic tribes that settled in the area in the post-Roman period. This is the name of a country (part of the United Kingdom) on the southern portion of the island of Great Britain. The United Kingdom is sometimes (inaccurately) referred to as England.
Essen(Settlement)German, English From older Astnide, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree". This is the name of a city in Germany, founded in the 9th century.
Gotham(Settlement)English, Popular Culture From Old English gat "goat" and ham "home". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire, famous for folk tales about its inhabitants pretending to be imbeciles in order to avoid a visit from the king. Based on this tale, writer Washington Irving applied the name to New York City in his satirical periodical Salmagundi (1807). Subsequently, Gotham or Gotham City was used as the setting of the Batman comics, starting 1940.
Jericho(Settlement)English, Biblical Meaning 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, Biblical From 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.
Nineveh(Settlement)English, Biblical From Akkadian 𒉌𒉡𒀀 (Ninua), possibly related to 𒄩 (nūnu) meaning "fish". When written, the name is usually prefixed with 𒌷 indicating a city. This may have referred to an aspect of Ishtar, as from an early time the city was a center of worship of the goddess. The cuneiform symbols used to represent the city's name depict a fish within a house.... [more]
Norway(Country)English From Old English Norþweg meaning "north way". This is the name of a country in Scandinavia in Northern Europe.
Olympos(Mountain)Ancient Greek, Greek Meaning unknown. This is the name of the highest mountain in Greece. According to legend is the home of the Greek gods.
Philadelphia(Settlement)Biblical, English Means "brotherly love" from Greek φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love" and ἀδελφός (adelphos) meaning "brother". This was the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the New Testament. It is now known as Alaşehir (in Turkey). It is also the name of a city in the United States.
Salem(Settlement)English, Biblical From Hebrew שָׁלֵם (shalem) meaning "complete, safe, peaceful". This is the name of a town in the Old Testament where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with Jerusalem. Several places are named after the biblical town, mostly in America.
Schwyz(Settlement & Political Subdivision)German, English, Spanish Meaning uncertain, possibly related to Old High German suedan"to burn" or possibly of Celtic origin. This is the name of a town (and a canton named for it) in central Switzerland.
Sherwood(Region)English From Old English scir "shire, district" and wudu "wood". This is the name of a forest near Nottingham. It is known in English folklore as the home of the outlaw hero Robin Hood.