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-Qahirah) 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.
Caivano (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Calvianum, a derivative of the cognomen
Calvus. This is the name of a city near Naples.
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 (khalifah), 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).
Canaan (Region) English, French, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
כְּנַעַן (Kena'an), possibly from a root meaning
"low, humble". This was the name of an ancient region, the home of the biblical Canaanites, in what is now Palestine and Israel.
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.
Chad (Body of Water & Country) English, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Indonesian, MalayFrom 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.
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.
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.
Cochrane (Settlement) ScottishMeaning unknown. This was the name of an estate in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Cockburn (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
cocc "rooster" and
burna "stream". This was the name of a town in Berwickshire, Scotland.
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.
Crawford (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
crawe "crow" and
ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name various small towns in England.
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.
Croatia (Country) English, Late RomanFrom Croatian
Hrvatska, from Old Slavic *
xŭrvatŭ, of unknown meaning. This is the name of a country in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe.
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.
Czajków (Settlement) PolishDerived from Polish
czajka meaning
"lapwing (bird)". This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Czechia (Country) EnglishEnglish form of
Čechy (via Polish
Czechy), used as an alternative name for the Czech Republic (and not as a name for
Bohemia).
Czechoslovakia (Country) EnglishCombination of
Czechia and
Slovakia. This was the name of a country that existed between 1918 and 1993, at which time it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Czechy (Region & Country) PolishPolish form of
Čechy, used to refer both to the region of
Bohemia and the larger Czech Republic.