Samarra (Settlement) Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, GermanThis is the name of a city in Iraq, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century. It was possibly built at the site of the ancient Assyrian city of
Surmarrati, which is of uncertain meaning.
Sandford (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
sand "sand" and
ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of several towns in England.
Santa Ana (Settlement) SpanishThe name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint
Anna.
Santana (Settlement) PortugueseThe name of several places in the Portuguese-speaking world, in honour of Saint
Anna.
Santiago (Settlement) Spanish, PortugueseThis is the name of several cities in Spain and Portugal, so named for Saint
James (see the given name
Santiago for more information). It is also used for many other cities in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking worlds, notably the capital city of Chile.
Sárköz (Region) HungarianDerived from Hungarian
sár "mud" and
köz "margin, lane". This is the name of a region in Hungary.
Saudi Arabia (Country) EnglishFrom the family name
Al Su'ud combined with
Arabia, referring to the Arabian Peninsula. This is a kingdom in the Middle East on the Arabian Peninsula. It was named by its founder Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1932.
Saxony (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom the name of the Germanic tribe of the Saxons, ultimately derived from Germanic *
sahsą meaning "knife". This is the name of a historical region in Germany, and appears in the names of the German states of Saxony, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
Schoorl (Settlement) DutchFrom older
Scoronlo, meaning
"forest by the shore" in Dutch. This is the name of a town in the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands.
Schwyz (Settlement & Political Subdivision) German, English, SpanishMeaning 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.
Sciacca (Settlement) ItalianMeaning uncertain, perhaps of Arabic origin. This is the name of a town on Sicily.
Scotland (Country) EnglishMeans
"land of the Scots", from Latin
Scoti meaning "Gaelic speaker". This is the name of a country (part of the
United Kingdom) in the north of the island of Great Britain.
Seabrook (Settlement) EnglishFrom the old name of a river combined with Old English
broc "stream". This is the name of a town in Buckinghamshire, England.
Sela (Settlement) BiblicalMeans
"rock" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a city, the capital of Edom. In the Greek and Latin Old Testament the name is translated as
Petra, though it may be distinct from the Nabataean city.
Selby (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old Norse
selja "willow, sallow" and
býr "farm, settlement". This is the name of a city near York in England.
Senegal (River & Country) Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Turkish, Armenian, Persian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Mongolian, Hindi, Bengali, Korean, Indonesian, Malay, TagalogFrom Portuguese, possibly from the name of the Berber Zenaga people of northern Senegal. This is the name of a river in Western Africa, and a country named after it. It gained independence from France in 1960.
Shannon (River) IrishFrom Irish
Sionainn, probably from Old Irish
sen meaning
"old, ancient". This is the name of a river in
Ireland. It is personified by the mythological figure
Sionann.
Shenandoah (River) English, IroquoisMeaning uncertain, possibly of Iroquois origin. This is the name of a river in the eastern United States.
Sherborne (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
scir "bright" and
burna "spring, fountain, stream". This is the name of several towns in England.
Sherwood (Region) EnglishFrom 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.
Shiraz (Settlement) PersianMeaning unknown. The name is recorded in Elamite as
Tiraziš. This is the name of a city in southern Iran.
Shirley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
scir "bright" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England.
Shqipëri (Country) AlbanianFrom Albanian
shqip meaning
"Albanian", which is of uncertain origin. It is possibly from
shqipe, a variant of
shkabë meaning "eagle". It could also be from
shqipoj meaning "to say clearly". This is the modern Albanian name for
Albania, replacing
Arbënia around the 18th century. It is usually written with the definite article suffixed:
Shqipëria.
Sicily (Island & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Latin
Sicilia, itself from Greek
Σικελία (Sikelia), named for the the ancient tribe of the Sicels (
Σικελοί). They were probably of Italic origin, but the meaning of their tribal name is unknown. This is the name of a large island in the Mediterranean, part of
Italy.
Sidney (Island) EnglishMeans
"wide island", from Old English
sid "wide" and
eg "island". This is the name of a place in Surrey.
Sin (Country) Arabic, HebrewArabic and Hebrew form of
China. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article:
الصين (al-Sin).
Singapur (Country, Settlement & Island) Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, German, Estonian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Turkish, ArmenianForm of
Singapore in several languages.
Skye (Island) ScottishAnglicized form of Scottish Gaelic
Sgitheanach, meaning unknown. This is the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland.
Slane (Settlement) IrishFrom the given name
Sláine. This is the name of a town in Ireland, said to be named for the legendary high king Sláine.
Ślęża (Mountain) PolishPossibly named after the Germanic tribe the Silingi or from a Slavic root meaning
"humid, damp". This is the name of a mountain in
Silesia, Poland.
Slovakia (Country) English, Norwegian, Finnish, GreekFrom
Slovák, the Slovak form of Old Slavic
slověne, referring to the tribe of the Slavs. This is the name of a country in central Europe. Note that the name of this country is closely related to that of
Slovenia.
Somalia (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Albanian, Indonesian, MalayFrom the ethnic name
Somali, of uncertain meaning. The Somali people connect it to their mythical ancestor
Samaale. Italian and British colonists applied the ethnic name to the Horn of Africa region in the 19th century. It became an independent country in 1960.
Sousa (River) PortuguesePossibly derived from Latin
salsus "salty" or
saxa "rocks", but likely of pre-Latin origin. This is the name of a river in Portugal.
Spain (Country) EnglishDerived from
Hispania, the Latin name of the Iberian Peninsula, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from Punic
I-Shaphan meaning
"land of the rabbits".
Stirling (Settlement) EnglishMeaning unknown. This is the name of a city in Scotland.
St John (Settlement) EnglishName commemorating Saint
John. This is the name of several towns in England.
Sudan (Country) English, Arabic, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Indonesian, Malay, Chinese, ThaiFrom Arabic
سُود (sud) meaning
"black", referring to the darker skin of the inhabitants. This is the name of a country in Africa. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article:
السُودان (al-Sudan).
Suomi (Country) FinnishPossibly from the Balto-Slavic root
zeme meaning
"ground, earth". This is the Finnish name for
Finland.
Suriye (Political Subdivision & Country) TurkishTurkish form of
Syria. This was the name of a province of the Ottoman Empire.
Sweden (Country) English, Medieval DutchFrom Middle Dutch, ultimately from the Old Norse ethnic name
Svíar "Swede", itself possibly from Proto-Norse
Swihoniz meaning "one's own tribe". This is the name of a country in Northern Europe.
Switzerland (Country) EnglishFrom
Switzer, a word meaning "Swiss", ultimately derived from the name of the Swiss town and canton of
Schwyz, plus
land. This is the name of a country in central Europe.
Sydney (Settlement) EnglishCity in Australia that was named after Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733-1800). His title originally came from the name of its first holder, Robert
Sidney (1563-1626).
Syria (Country & Region) English, Polish, Norwegian, Greek, Ancient Roman, Ancient GreekFrom Greek
Συρία (Syria), which was probably a variant of
Assyria, used in an expanded sense to refer to the northern Levant. This was the name of a province of the Roman Empire. It is now the name of a country in western Asia, having gained independence from the Ottoman Empire early in the 20th century.
Tanganyika (Region & Country) Swahili, EnglishFrom Swahili
tanga "sail" and
nyika "wilderness". This is the name of a region in East Africa. It was a German then British colony until 1961 when it gained independence. In 1964 it united with the island of
Zanzibar to create the new country of
Tanzania.
Tanzania (Country) Swahili, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Armenian, Georgian, Indonesian, MalayFrom a combination of
Tanganyika and
Zanzibar, the names of the two countries that were united to create the East African country of Tanzania in 1964.
Tarah (Settlement) BiblicalA place name (an encampment) used in some versions of the Old Testament. It is identical to the personal name
Terah.
Tataouine (Settlement) French, EnglishFrom Tamazight
Tittawin, possibly from
tit meaning
"eye". This is a city in Tunisia. It is the source of the name of the desert planet
Tatooine from the fictional Star Wars universe.
Tatham (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Tata combined with
ham meaning "homestead". This is the name of a town in Lancashire.
Tatooine (Other) Popular CultureThis is a fictional desert planet, the home of Luke Skywalker, in the Star Wars movie series, starting 1977. The planet is not actually named in the first movie. Star Wars creator George Lucas adapted it from the name of the city of
Tataouine in Tunisia, where some scenes of the movie were being filmed.
Tatton (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Tata combined with
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of a town in Cheshire.
Teheran (Settlement) German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, SerbianForm of
Tehran in several languages.
Tehran (Settlement) Persian, EnglishFrom Persian
تهران (Tehran), meaning unknown. This is the name of the capital city of Iran.
Teman (Settlement & Country) Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, HebrewMeans
"right hand" or
"south" in Hebrew. This is an Edomite town in the Old Testament, supposedly named for a grandson of Esau. In modern Hebrew this name refers to the country of
Yemen.
Tennessee (Political Subdivision & River) EnglishFrom Cherokee
ᏔᎾᏏ (Tanasi), the name of a now-abandoned village, of unknown meaning. It has given its name to an American state and a river.
Texas (Political Subdivision) English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, PortugueseA state of the United States, from Spanish
Texas or
Tejas, originally an ethnic name used by the Spanish for the Caddo. It was derived from the Caddo word
taysha meaning
"friends, allies".
Thai (Country) Thai, KhmerPossibly from a Thai root meaning
"person". This is the Thai word for
Thailand, usually written in the compounds
เมืองไทย (Meueng Thaiy) meaning "region of Thailand",
ประเทศไทย (Prathet Thaiy) meaning "nation of Thailand" or
ราชอาณาจักรไทย (Rachanachakn Thaiy) meaning "kingdom of Thailand".
Thornley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
þorn "thorn" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England and Scotland.
Thornton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
þorn "thorn" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.
Timbuktu (Settlement) English, Arabic, BamilekeMeaning uncertain. It could be derived from Songhai meaning
"hollow, hole", or from Berber meaning
"place of small dunes". This is the name of a city in central Mali. Descriptions of the city's wealth and remoteness first reached Europe from the 16th-century Berber author Leo Africanus. Since then the city has been used in Western Culture as a symbol for a distant, mysterious place.
Tokio (Settlement) Spanish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian, Greek, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, MongolianForm of
Tokyo used in various languages.
Tokyo (Settlement) Japanese, English, French, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Estonian, Turkish, Hindi, IndonesianFrom Japanese
東 (tō) meaning "east" and
京 (kyō) meaning "capital city". This is the name of the capital of Japan.
Tracy (Settlement) FrenchDerived from the given name
Thracius. This is the name of communes in Calvados, France.
Trefaldwyn (Settlement) WelshMeans
"town of Baldwin" in Welsh. This is another name for the town of Montgomery in Wales.
Trefor (Settlement) WelshMeans
"big village" from Middle Welsh
tref "village" and
maur "large". This is the name of a few towns in Wales.
Trent 1 (River) EnglishRiver in England, possibly from the Celtic elements
tri "across" and
sant "travel", a reference to its frequent floods.
Trento (Settlement) ItalianDerived from Latin
Tridentum meaning
"three teeth", a reference to three surrounding hills. This is the name of a city in Trentino, Italy.
Trenton (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Trent's town". This is the name of a New Jersey city established in the 17th century by William Trent.
Troy (Settlement) Greek Mythology, EnglishFrom Greek
Τροία (Troia), said to derive from its mythical founder
Τρώς (Tros), but more likely of Luwian or Hittite origin. In Greek mythology (most notably in
Homer's
Iliad) this was the name of a city, also called
Ilium, that was besieged by the Greeks after
Helen was abducted by
Paris 1.
Troyes (Settlement) French, English, German, DutchThe name of a city in France, called in Latin
(Augustobona) Tricassium, which was named after the Gallic tribe of the Tricasses.
Turan (Region) Persian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, ArabicHistorical region in central Asia, originally inhabited by nomadic Iranian peoples and traditionally said to mean
"land of Tur". It is mentioned frequently in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Turkey (Country) EnglishFrom Latin
Turcia, derived from the ethnonym
Turk, which is from Old Turkic possibly meaning "ancestry". This is the name of a country situated on the Anatolian peninsula.
Tyrone (Political Subdivision) IrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Tir Eoghain meaning
"land of Eoghan". This is the name of a county in Northern Ireland.
Uganda (Country) English, Ganda, Swahili, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Hebrew, Persian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, MalayFrom
Buganda, the name of a kingdom within Uganda, which means
"land of the Ganda" in the Luganda language. The
Ganda are an ethnic group, their name possibly deriving from a Bantu word meaning "family". Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa.
Ukraina (Country) Polish, Russian, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen, Albanian, Armenian, Georgian, Hebrew, IndonesianForm of
Ukraine in several languages.
Ukraine (Country) English, French, German, Danish, MalayFrom Ukrainian
Україна (Ukrayina), which is probably from Old East Slavic
ꙋкраина (ukraina) meaning
"boundary, borderland", derived from
ꙋ (u) meaning "at, from" and
краи (krai) meaning "edge, end, rim". This is the name of a country in Eastern Europe.