Fál(Island)Irish From the name of the stone on the Hill of Tara where Irish high kings were crowned, called the "stone of destiny", the Lia Fáil. This is from Irish lia meaning "stone" and probably fál (genitive fáil) meaning "enclosure, fence" and figuratively "king, chief".... [more]
Farnham(Settlement)English From Old English fearn "fern" and ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure". This is the name of several towns in England, notably in Surrey.
Fátima(Settlement)Portuguese Derived from the Arabic feminine name Fatima, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. This is the name of a town in Portugal, which became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Fiji(Country)English, Portuguese, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay English form of Fijian Viti, of unknown meaning, the name of the largest island (called Viti Levu meaning "great Viti") of the archipelago. The change from Viti to Fiji is reportedly explained by the fact that the British (on an 18th-century expedition of James Cook) first heard it pronounced this way by the neighbouring Tongans.
Flanders(Region)English From Middle Dutch Vlander, from a Germanic root meaning "waterlogged", referring to the marshy landscape of Flanders. This is the name of the northern portion of Belgium.
Florida(Political Subdivision)English, Spanish, German, Italian A state of the United States, meaning "flowery, ornate" in Spanish, so called because in 1513 the explorer Juan Ponce de León landed there during the Pascua Florida (meaning "flowery Easter", a Spanish name for Palm Sunday).
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.
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.
Frankreich(Country)German Derived from German Franken, the name of the Germanic tribe of Franks, and Reich meaning "empire, realm". This is the German name for France.
Frisia(Region)English, Late Roman From the name of the West Germanic Frisian people, called the Frisii in Latin, possibly from Germanic *frisaz meaning "curly". This is the name of an area along the coast of the North Sea stretching from the Netherlands to 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.