Browse Place Names

Afghanestan (Country) Persian
Persian form of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan (Country) Pashto, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Malay
From Pashto افغانستان (Afghanistan), from the Persian ethnic name افغان (Afghan) meaning "Afghan, Pashtun" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.

Albania (Region & Country) Late Roman, English, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Indonesian, Malay
Medieval Latin name for the region that was once occupied by the Illyrian tribe called Albanoi. This is the name of a country in the Balkans.

Alemannia (Region) Ancient Roman
Latin 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.

Amersfoort (Settlement) Dutch
Means "ford of the Amer (Eem) River" in Dutch. This is the name of a city in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Anglae Terra (Country) Late Roman
Late Latin form of England (a translation, meaning "land of the Angles").

Arabestan (Region & Country) Persian
From Persian عرب ('arab) meaning "Arab" combined with the suffix ستان (stan) 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 ('Arabestan e-Sa'udi)).

Armanestan (Country) Persian
Persian form of Armenia using the suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of".

Armenstan (Country) Kazakh
Kazakh form of Armanestan. This is an alternate Kazakh name for Armenia.

Asgard (Region) Norse Mythology
English 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.

Asturias (Political Subdivision) Spanish
Possibly 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.

Aureliana (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Means "of Aurelius" in Latin. This was the name of some Roman towns and estates.

Aurelianum (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Means "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.

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.

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, Malay
From Bengali বাংলাদেশ (Bangladesh) meaning "country of the Bengali people", from the name of the Bengali people বাংলা (Bangla) 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.

Bavaria (Political Subdivision) English, Late Roman
From 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).

Belgica (Region & Political Subdivision) Ancient Roman
Derived 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".

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, Malay
From 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).

Bethany (Settlement) Biblical
From Greek Βηθανία (Bethania), which is of uncertain meaning. The first part of the name is derived from Hebrew/Aramaic בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house". Suggestions for the second part of the name include עָנָה ('anah) leading to "house of affliction" or תְּאֵנָה (te'enah) 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) Biblical
Means "house of God" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is a town north of Jerusalem, where Jacob saw his vision of the stairway.

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.

Boston (Settlement) English
Means "Botwulf's stone", from the Old English name Botwulf combined with stan "stone". This is a town in Lincolnshire, England, and a city in the United States that is named after it.

Botswana (Country) Tswana, English, Shona, German, French, Italian, Catalan, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian
Means "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 Southern 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.

Bristol (Settlement) English
Name of a city in southwestern England, derived from Old English Brycgstow meaning "the site of the bridge".

Britain (Island) English
From 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".

Bulgaria (Country) Late Roman, English, Spanish, Italian, Indonesian, Malay
From the name of the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed". This is the name of a country in southeastern Europe.

Carlisle (Settlement) English
Originally 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) English
From 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.

Catalonia (Region & Political Subdivision) English
From 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.

Čechy (Region) Czech, Slovak
From 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, Slovak
From the name of the Slavic tribe of the Czechs (see Čechy). This is the Czech name for the Czech Republic.

Chad (Body of Water & Country) English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Indonesian, Malay
From Arabic تشاد (Tshad), 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.

Courtenay (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Curtenus, derived from Latin curtus "short". This is the name of a few French communes.

Cremona (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Italian
Probably 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.

Daehan (Country) Korean
From Sino-Korean 大 (dae) meaning "big, great" and 韓 (han) meaning "Korea". This is the official Korean name for South Korea.

Denmark (Country) English
From Danish Danmark, derived from the ethnic name Dane, which is possibly from Germanic den meaning "low ground", combined with mark meaning "borderland". This is the name of a country in Northern Europe.

Devon (Political Subdivision) English
From the name of the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe. This is the name of a county in England.

Dogil (Country) Korean
Derived via Japanese from Dutch Duits meaning "German". This is the Korean name for Germany.

Doitsu (Country) Japanese
Derived from Dutch Duits meaning "German". This is the Japanese name for Germany.

Ebenezer (Other) Biblical
From Hebrew אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר ('Even Ha'azer) meaning "stone of help". This is the name of a monument erected by Samuel in the Old Testament.

Egypt (Country) English
From Latin Aegyptus, itself from Greek Αἴγυπτος (Aigyptos), which was probably derived from Egyptian ḥwt-kꜣ-ptḥ, the name of the temple to the god Ptah in Memphis, meaning "the house of the soul of Ptah". Descendants of the Latin name are used in most European languages to refer to the ancient kingdom and modern country of Egypt. However, the name the ancient Egyptians used to refer to the Nile Valley was Kemet, and the Arabic speakers of modern Egypt call it Masr.

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.

Ermənistan (Country) Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Armanestan, referring to Armenia.

Ermenistan (Country) Turkish
Turkish form of Armanestan, referring to Armenia.

Esharra (Other) Ancient Assyrian
From Sumerian 𒂍 (e) meaning "temple, house" and 𒊹 (shar) meaning "totality, world". This was the name of the main temple dedicated to the god Ashur in the city of Ashur.

Finland (Country) English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Malay
From Old Norse Finnr, which referred to the Finn and Sami peoples, combined with land. This is the name of a country in Northern Europe, called Suomi in Finnish.

France (Country) French, English
From Latin Francia meaning "land of the Franks". The Franks were the Germanic tribe who settled in the region in the 3rd century. They derived their tribal name from the name of a type of spear that they used.

Franconia (Region) Late Roman, English, Italian, Spanish
Latin name derived from Frank, the name of a Germanic tribe. This is the name of a region in southern Germany.

Frankenstein (Settlement) German
From German Franken, the name of the Germanic tribe of the Franks, and Steinn meaning "stone". This is the name of a few small towns in Germany.

Friuli (Region) Italian, English, Spanish
From the name of the Roman town of Forum Iulii (now called Cividale del Friuli) meaning "forum of Julius". This is the name of a region in northeastern Italy.

Gilead (Region) Biblical
Means "heap of witness" in Hebrew. This is the name of a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, as mentioned in the Old Testament.

Gorjestan (Country) Persian
From Persian گرج (Gorj) meaning "Georgia (country)" combined with the suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the modern Persian name for the country of Georgia.

Greece (Country) English
English form of Latin Graecia, the name used by the Romans for the land of the Greeks, derived from Greek Γραικός (Graikos), which is of uncertain origin. It is possibly derived from the city of Graia in Boeotia.

Guatemala (Country) Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Italian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Turkish
From Nahuatl Cuauhtemallan meaning "place of the woodpile". This is the name of a country in Central America.

Hanguk (Region) Korean
From Sino-Korean 韓 (han) meaning "Korea" and 國 (guk) meaning "country, land". This is the term used in South Korea to refer to South Korea or the entire Korean Peninsula.

Harel (Other) Biblical Hebrew
Means "altar, mountain of God" in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Old Testament this name is applied to the altar in the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43:15).

Harley (Settlement) English
From Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of towns in England.

Hayastan (Country) Armenian
From the Armenian word հայ (hay) meaning "Armenian" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the Armenian name for Armenia.

Hendustan (Country) Persian
Extended form of هند (Hend), the Persian form of India, using the suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of".

Holland 2 (Settlement) English
From Old English hoh "point of land, heel" and land "land". This is the name of several towns in England.

Indiana (Political Subdivision) English
Means "land of the Indians". This is the name of an American state.

Indus (River) English, Ancient Roman
From 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.

Italy (Country) English
Anglicized 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.

Kazakhstan (Country) English, Russian, Ukrainian, French
From Kazakh Қазақстан (Qazaqstan), from the ethnic name қазақ (qazaq), which is probably of Turkic origin, combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.

Kordestan (Region) Persian
Persian form of Kurdistan.

Kurdistan (Region) Kurdish, Arabic, English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian
From 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.

Kyrgyzstan (Country) Kyrgyz, English
From 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) German
From Old High German lant meaning "land" and auwa meaning "damp valley". This is the name of a town in the Palatinate region of Germany.

Lennox (Region) Scottish
From Gaelic Leamhnachd, possibly meaning "lace of elms". This is the name of a district in Scotland.

Lesselyn (Region) Medieval Scottish
Probably from Scottish Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". This was the name of a location in Aberdeenshire.

Lorraine (Political Subdivision) French, English
Ultimately from Latin Lothari regnum meaning "kingdom of Lothar". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of France now called Lorraine, or in German Lothringen.

Luguvalium (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Older Roman name of Carlisle.

Madrid (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Spanish, Asturian, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, French, Italian, English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Mongolian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From Old Spanish Magerit, itself from Arabic مجريط (Majrit), of uncertain meaning. It may be derived from Arabic مجرى (majra) meaning "watercourse, channel" or from Latin matrix meaning "source, origin (of a river)". This is the name of the capital city of Spain as well as an autonomous community surrounding it.

Maghrib (Region & Country) Arabic
From Arabic المغرب (al-Maghrib) meaning "the place of the sunset, the west". This is the Arabic name of Morocco as well as the entire region of western North Africa (known as the Maghreb in English). In Arabic the name is usually written with the definite article: المغرب (al-Maghrib).

Marlow (Settlement) English
Means "remnants of a lake" in Old English, from mere "lake" and lafe "remnants, remains". This is the name of a town in Buckinghamshire, England.

Marrakesh (Settlement) English, Dutch
From Arabic مرّاكش (Marrakush), possibly from Berber Murt n Akush meaning "land of God". This is the name of a city in Morocco.

Mexico (Country & Settlement) English, French, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
From Spanish México, itself derived from Nahuatl Mehxico. There are many theories regarding the ultimate origin, including Nahuatl metztli meaning "moon" combined with xictli meaning "navel". This is the name of a country in North America, as well as its capital city (the country is named after the city). In French and Swedish Mexico is the name of the capital city, while the country is called Mexique in French and Mexiko in Swedish.

Milan (Settlement) English, French
From Latin Mediolanum, perhaps derived from Celtic elements meaning "middle of the plain". This is the name of a major city in Italy.

Nippon (Country) Japanese
Means "origin of the sun, sunrise", from Sino-Japanese 日 (nichi) meaning "sun" and 本 (hon) meaning "root, origin". This is the Japanese name for Japan.

Pakistan (Country) Urdu, Punjabi, English, Italian, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Slovak, Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian
From Persian پاک (pak) meaning "pure" and the suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". The name was coined in 1933 by the Pakistani nationalist Choudhry Rahmat Ali who justified it as an acronym of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir and Sindh, plus the final three letters of Baluchistan.

Petra (Settlement) Ancient Greek, English
From Greek πέτρα (petra) meaning "rock". This was the Greek name of the capital city of the Nabataeans, which may have been known as Raqmu to its Semitic inhabitants. Its ruins lie in Jordan.

Portus Cale (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Means "port of Cale" in Latin. This was the name of the city now known as Porto. The name of the city was later applied to the entire region of Portugal.

Romania (Country & Region) English, Italian, Ancient Roman
From Latin meaning "land of the Romans" (see Rome). This is the name of a country in Eastern Europe, so named in the 16th century because of its historic and linguistic connections to the Roman Empire.... [more]

Sakartvelo (Country) Georgian
From Georgian ქართველი (kartveli), a term referring to a Georgian person, itself derived from the central region of ქართლი (Kartli). It is prefixed with სა (sa), indicating a place. This is the Georgian name for the country of Georgia.

Saxony (Region & Political Subdivision) English
From 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.

Scotland (Country) English
Means "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.

Sela (Settlement) Biblical
Means "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.

Sousa (River) Portuguese
Possibly 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) English
Derived 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".

Timbuktu (Settlement) English, Arabic, Bamileke
Meaning 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.

Trefaldwyn (Settlement) Welsh
Means "town of Baldwin" in Welsh. This is another name for the town of Montgomery in Wales.

Turan (Region) Persian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Arabic
Historical 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) English
From 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) Irish
From 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, Malay
From 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.

Uzbekistan (Country) English, Russian, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Swedish
From Uzbek O'zbekiston, derived from the ethnic name O'zbek (which is probably in part from Turkic beg meaning "chieftain, master") combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stan) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.

Valencia (Settlement & Region) Spanish, Italian, English, German
The name of a city and surrounding region in eastern Spain, originally named in Latin Valentia (Edetanorum) meaning "strength (of the Edetani people)", and derived from Latin valentius "strength, vigour", from valens "strong, vigorous". Besides the city in Spain, this is also the name of a city in Venezuala.

Valhalla (Other) Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Valhǫll meaning "hall of the battle-dead", from valr meaning "those slain in battle" and hǫll meaning "hall, manor". In Norse mythology this is the name of Odin's enormous hall where half of all warriors go after they die.

Winchester (Settlement) English
Derived from Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress". This is the name of a city in southern England.

Zimbabwe (Country & Settlement) Shona, Ndebele, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian
From the Shona language, possibly from dzimba "houses" and ibwe "stone". Great Zimbabwe was an ancient city, falling into ruin in the 15th century. It was located in the country of Zimbabwe, which was named after the ancient city in 1980 when it gained independence from the United Kingdom. It was formerly called Southern Rhodesia by the British.