Abney (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Abba combined with
eg "island". This is the name of a town in Derbyshire.
Adrichem (Settlement) DutchMeans
"Adrik's home". This was the name of an estate and castle (demolished in 1812) that was formerly in North Holland, the
Netherlands.
Aegean (Body of Water) EnglishFrom Greek
Αἰγαῖος (Aigaios), said to have been named for the mythological figure
Aigeus. It might instead be derived directly from
αἶγες meaning
"waves". This is the name of a sea within the Mediterranean, between
Greece and
Turkey.
Afganistan (Country) Russian, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Bulgarian, Finnish, Estonian, Icelandic, Greek, IndonesianForm of
Afghanistan in several languages.
Afghanistan (Country) Pashto, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, MalayFrom Pashto
افغانستان (Afghānistān), from the Persian ethnic name
افغان (Afghān) meaning "Afghan, Pashtun" combined with the Persian suffix
ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central
Asia.
Afrika (Region) German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Lithuanian, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, UzbekForm of
Africa in several languages.
Alabama (Political Subdivision & River) EnglishThe name of an American river and state, appearing in European sources from the 16th-century in spellings such as
Alibamu. It is derived from the name of the Alabama people, a Native American tribe, called
Albaamaha in the Alabama language. The tribal name might be from the related Choctaw language meaning
"plant gatherers", from
ạlba "plants, herbs" and
ạmo "to reap, to gather, to cut".
Alankomaat (Country) FinnishFrom Finnish
alanko "lowland" and
maat "lands". This is the Finnish name for the
Netherlands (for which it is also a translation).
Albaniya (Country) Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, UzbekRussian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek form of
Albania.
Alemannia (Region) Ancient RomanLatin name for the lands where the Alemanni lived. The Alemanni were a confederation of Germanic tribes who lived around the upper
Rhine River in the time of the Roman Empire.
Algiers (Settlement) English, DutchFrom Arabic
الجزائر (al-Jazāʾir) meaning
"the islands". This is the name of the capital city of
Algeria, so named because of the islands in its bay.
Altena (Settlement) DutchPossibly means
"close, near" in Dutch. This is the name of a town in the
Netherlands.
Amazon (River & Region) EnglishThe name of a river and rainforest situated in
Brazil and some neighbouring countries. The river was named
Río Amazonas, reportedly after the Amazons of Greek mythology, by the Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana when his expedition was attacked there in 1542 by indigenous warrior women. The Greek name may be of Iranian origin meaning
"warriors".
Amazonas (River & Political Subdivision) Portuguese, Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Czech, SlovakPortuguese, Spanish and German form of
Amazon (the river). This is also the name of states and departments within
Brazil,
Venezuela,
Colombia and
Peru. Other languages such as English and French have different names for the river but use
Amazonas to refer to the regions.
Amerika (Region & Country) German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Luxembourgish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Albanian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Georgian, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Indonesian, Malay, JapaneseForm of
America, used to refer to the continents and sometimes to the
United States of America.
Amersfoort (Settlement) DutchMeans
"ford of the Amer (Eem) River" in Dutch. This is the name of a city in Utrecht, the
Netherlands.
Amsterdam (Settlement) Dutch, English, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, French, Italian, Spanish, PolishMeans
"dam on the Amstel" in Dutch. This is the name of the capital city of the
Netherlands, first mentioned with this name in the 13th century.
Andel (Settlement) DutchPossibly means
"upper forest" in Old Dutch. This is the name of a town in North Brabant in the
Netherlands.
Angel (Region) DanishPossibly derived from Germanic roots meaning
"narrow, tight, tapering" or
"hook". This is the name of a peninsula in northern
Germany near
Denmark, the original home of the Germanic tribe the Angles.
Angola (Country) Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Indonesian, MalayPortuguese form of
Ngola, the royal title of the kings of Ndongo, an African kingdom that was conquered by the Portuguese in the 17th-century. It was a Portuguese colony until 1975, when it became an independent country.
Annesley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
anne "alone, solitary" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire.
Ansley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
ansetl "hermitage" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Warwickshire.
Antarctica (Region) English, Dutch, Romanian, Late RomanFrom the Greek prefix
ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, opposed to" and the adjective
ἀρκτικός (arktikos) meaning "north" (referring to the northerly position of the Great Bear constellation). This is the name of the earth's southernmost continent.
Antarktida (Region) Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Armenian, Azerbaijani, GeorgianForm of
Antarctica used in various languages.
Antwerp (Settlement) EnglishFrom Dutch
Antwerpen, meaning uncertain, perhaps from Dutch
werf meaning
"wharf". This is the name of a city in Belgium.
Antwerpen (Settlement) Dutch, German, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, BosnianDutch form of
Antwerp, as well as the form in several other languages.
Appleton (Settlement) EnglishDerived from Old English
æppeltun "orchard". This is the name of towns in
England.
Arabestan (Region & Country) PersianFrom Persian
عرب (ʿarab) meaning "Arab" combined with the suffix
ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the Persian name for both the Arabian Peninsula and the country of
Saudi Arabia (alongside the fuller form
عربستان سعودی (ʿArabestān e-Saʿūdī)).
Arabia (Region) Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Norwegian, Finnish, PolishFrom Greek
Ἀραβία (Arabia), derived from Arabic
عرب (ʿArab) meaning "Arabs, Arabian people". This is the name of a large peninsula in the Middle East, also called the Arabian Peninsula.
Arendonk (Settlement) DutchDerived from Dutch
arend "eagle" and
donk "hill". This is the name of a city in northern Belgium.
Argentina (Country) Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Romanian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Hebrew, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Indonesian, MalayFrom Latin
argentinus meaning
"silvery", a derivative of
argentum meaning "silver". This is the name of a country in South
America, arising from a Latinized form of Spanish
Río de la Plata meaning "river of silver".
Arimathea (Settlement) BiblicalFrom Greek
Ἁριμαθαία (Harimathaia), of unknown meaning. In the New Testament this is the home town of Joseph of Arimathea. The town has not been positively identified, though
רָמָתַיִם (Ramaṯayim) or
רָמָה (Rama) near Jerusalem has been proposed.
Arizona (Political Subdivision) EnglishThe name of an American state. It is derived from Spanish
Arizonac, possibly from a local O'odham name meaning
"small spring" (
ʼali "small, child" and
ṣon "water spring"). Alternatively it derive from Basque meaning
"good oak" (
haritz "oak" and
ona "good").
Armenia (Country) English, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Polish, Greek, Norwegian, Finnish, Indonesian, Malay, Ancient Roman, Ancient GreekFrom Greek
Ἀρμενία (Armenia), which was from Old Persian
Armina, which is itself probably of Armenian origin. This is the name of a country in the Caucasus region, called
Hayastan in Armenian.
Asch (Settlement) DutchFrom Old Dutch
ask meaning
"ash tree". This is the name of a town in the
Netherlands.
Asgard (Region) Norse MythologyEnglish form of Old Norse
Ásgarðr meaning
"enclosure of the Æsir", composed of Old Norse
áss meaning "god, Æsir" and
garðr meaning "enclosure, stronghold". This is the name of the home of the Æsir gods in Norse Mythology.
Ashley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
æsc "ash tree" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of various towns in
England.
Ashton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
æsc "ash tree" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.
Ashur (Settlement & Region) English, Arabic, Persian, AkkadianFrom Akkadian
𒀸𒋩 (Assur), meaning unknown. This was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, supposedly named for the god
Ashur, though the god was in fact probably named for the city. The empire, Assyria, was also named for it. The city was destroyed in the 14th century by the forces of Tamerlane.
... [more] Ashworth (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
æsc "ash tree" and
worþ "enclosure". This was the name of a town in Lancashire.
Asia (Region) English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek, Norwegian, Indonesian, Malay, Ancient Roman, Ancient GreekPerhaps derived from Akkadian
asu, meaning
"east". This is the name of the world's largest continent.
Assendorp (Settlement) DutchFrom Dutch
es meaning "ash tree" (plural
essen) and
dorp meaning "village". This is the name of a city in the
Netherlands.
Assisi (Settlement) Italian, English, GermanFrom Latin
Asisium, which is of unknown, possibly pre-Latin, origin. This is the name of a city in central
Italy.
Aston (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
east "east" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of many towns in
England.
Astoria (Settlement) EnglishFrom the surname
Astor, in honour of the businessman John Jacob Astor. This is the name of several American towns, such as Astoria, Oregon.
Asturias (Political Subdivision) SpanishPossibly derived from Basque
asta "rock" and
ur "water". This was the name of an 8th to 10th-century kingdom of northern Iberia. It is now the name of a Spanish province.
Athens (Settlement) EnglishFrom Ancient Greek
Ἀθήναι (Athenai), meaning unknown, probably from a pre-Greek language. The Greek goddess
Athena was probably named for the city, not vice versa. Athens is a city in eastern
Greece, emerging as a powerful city-state in the classical period. It has been the capital of the modern country of Greece since 1834.
Atlantic (Body of Water) EnglishFrom Greek
Ἀτλαντικός (Atlantikos), derived from the name of the mythical island of
Atlantis. Greek writers used this name to refer to the waters beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar).
Atlantis (Island) Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
Ἄτλας (see
Atlas), a mythological king with the same name as the Titan. According to Greek mythology, Atlantis was an island that sank in the
Atlantic Ocean.
Aubigny (Settlement) FrenchFrom the Gallo-Roman given name
Albinus. This is the name of several French communes.
Aurelianum (Settlement) Ancient RomanMeans
"of Aurelianus" in Latin. This was the name of a city in Gaul (modern
Orléans, France), which was renamed in honour of the 3rd-century Roman emperor Aurelian.
Avalon (Island) Arthurian CycleThe name of the island paradise to which King
Arthur was brought after his death. The name of this island is perhaps related to Welsh
afal meaning
"apple", a fruit that was often linked with paradise.
Avon (River) EnglishMeans
"river" in Brythonic (modern Welsh
afon). This is the name of several rivers in
Britain.
Avonlea (Settlement) LiteratureCreated by Lucy Maud Montgomery as the setting for her novel
Anne of Green Gables (1908). She may have based the name on the Arthurian island of
Avalon, though it also resembles the river name
Avon and
leah "woodland, clearing".
Ayton (Settlement) EnglishDerived from Old English
ea "river" or
ieg "island" combined with
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire.
Baard (Settlement) FrisianPossibly from a given name that was a variant of
Bert. This is the name of a town in Frisia in the
Netherlands.
Babylon (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical GreekGreek 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.
Baggio (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Badalocum meaning
"watch place". This is the name of an Italian town, now a district of Milan.
Bagley (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Bacga (of uncertain meaning) combined with
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of various towns in
England.
Bahrain (Country & Island) Arabic, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Romanian, Catalan, Indonesian, Malay, TagalogMeans
"two seas" in Arabic, derived from
بحر (baḥr) meaning "sea" combined with the dual suffix
ين (ayn). This is the name of a small island country in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article:
البحرين (al-Baḥrayn).
Banff (Settlement) Scottish, EnglishPossibly from Gaelic
banbh meaning
"young pig". This is the name of a town in Aberdeenshire,
Scotland. It is also the name of a town and national park in Alberta,
Canada.
Bangladesh (Country) Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Mongolian, Armenian, Hebrew, Persian, Indonesian, MalayFrom Bengali
বাংলাদেশ (Bānglādesh) meaning
"country of the Bengali people", from the name of the Bengali people
বাংলা (Bānglā) combined with
দেশ (desh) "country, state". The ethnic name is derived from that of the ancient kingdom of
Vanga. This is the name of a country in south
Asia.
Bardsley (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English name
Beornræd and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a village near Manchester.
Batra (Settlement) ArabicArabic form of
Petra. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article:
البتراء (al-Batrāʾ).
Bavaria (Political Subdivision) English, Late RomanFrom Late Latin
Baiovarii, the name of a Germanic tribe, named after an earlier Gaulish tribe the
Boii. This is the name of a state in
Germany (called
Bayern in German).
Becske (Settlement) HungarianPossibly derived from the Hungarian given name
Benedek. This is the name of a small town in Hungary.
Beers (Settlement) DutchPossibly from Dutch
baar meaning
"bar". This is the name of a town in the
Netherlands (plus a smaller one in Frisia).