Beesley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
beos "bent grass" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This was the name of a hamlet or farm in Lancashire,
England.
Begbie (Settlement) ScottishDerived from the Old Norse byname
Baggi and
býr meaning "farm, settlement". This is the name of a small town in East Lothian,
Scotland.
Begoña (Settlement) Basque, SpanishPossibly from Basque meaning
"lower foot". This is the name of a district (formerly a separate town) of Bilbao,
Spain.
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".
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 (Bangāleh), 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.
Bergamo (Settlement) Italian, EnglishFrom Latin
Bergomum, possibly from a Celtic word meaning
"mountain". This is the name of a city in northern
Italy.
Berlin (Settlement) German, English, French, Polish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, TurkishCity in
Germany, the name of which is of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from an Old Slavic stem
berl- meaning
"swamp".
Bethany (Settlement) BiblicalFrom Greek
Βηθανία (Bethania), which is of uncertain meaning. The first part of the name is derived from Hebrew/Aramaic
בַּיִת (bayiṯ) meaning "house". Suggestions for the second part of the name include
עָנָה (ʿana) leading to
"house of affliction" or
תְּאֵנָה (teʾena) 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, from the roots
בַּיִת (bayiṯ) meaning "house" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is a town north of Jerusalem, where
Jacob saw his vision of the stairway.
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.
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, EnglishFrom 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
برْج (burj) meaning
"tower". This is the name of a town in Aragon,
Spain.
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 the south of
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.
Brazilia (Country & Settlement) Romanian, GeorgianRomanian and Georgian form of
Brazil. This is also the Georgian name for Brazil's capital city
Brasília.
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.
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.
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-Qāhira) 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.
Calcutta (Settlement) English, FrenchPrevious English name of
Kolkata, officially used until 2001. This is also the form still typically used in French.
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 (khalīfa), 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).
Cameroon (Country) EnglishFrom the name the Portuguese gave to the Wouri River,
Camarões, meaning
"shrimp, prawns". It was later applied to the area, becoming
Kamerun when it was a German colony. This is the name of a country in central
Africa.
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.
Ceylon (Island & Country) EnglishFormer name of the country of
Sri Lanka. It is derived from Portuguese
Ceilão, ultimately from a Pali form of Sanskrit
सिंहल (siṃhala) meaning
"lion-like".
Chad (Body of Water & Country) English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Indonesian, MalayFrom Arabic
تشاد (Tshād), 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.
Chicago (Settlement) English, FrenchFrom French
Chécagou, derived from Algonquian
šikaakwa meaning
"wild garlic" referring to a plant (species Allium tricoccum) that grew there in abundance.
... [more] 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.
Colby (Settlement) EnglishDerived from the Old Norse byname
Koli (an Old Danish form of
Kolr) and
býr meaning "farm, settlement". This is the name of a small town in Norfolk,
England.
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.
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.
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.