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.
Canaan(Region)English, French, Biblical From 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.
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.
Eden(Region)Hebrew, Biblical Possibly from Hebrew עֵדֶן ('eden) meaning "pleasure, delight", or perhaps derived from Sumerian 𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Galilee(Region)English, Biblical From Hebrew גָּלִיל (Galil) meaning "district, roll". This is a region in northern Israel, mentioned in the Old and New Testament.
Gihon(River)Biblical From Hebrew גיחון (Gichon), derived from גּיחַ (giyach) meaning "to burst forth". According to the Old Testament, this was the name of a river that originated in the Garden of Eden.
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.
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).
Janków(Settlement)Polish From the given name Janek. This is the name of several Polish towns.
Jankowo(Settlement)Polish From the given name Janek. This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Janów(Settlement)Polish From the given name Jan 1. This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Janowice(Settlement)Polish From the given name Jan 1. This is the name of a number of towns in Poland.
Janowo(Settlement)Polish From the given name Jan 1. This is the name of several towns in Poland.
Jayhun(River)Arabic Arabic form of Gihon, used also as the name of the Amu Darya river in central Asia.
Jericho(Settlement)English, Biblical Meaning uncertain, possibly related to the Hebrew word יָרֵחַ (yareach) meaning "moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word רֵיחַ (reyach) meaning "fragrant". This is the name of a city in Palestine, mentioned several times in the Old Testament.
Jerusalem(Settlement)English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Luxembourgish, Afrikaans, Catalan, Bosnian, Biblical From Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim), from an earlier Canaanite form like Urushalim, probably meaning "established by (the god) Shalim". This is the name of a city in Israel and Palestine. Originally a Canaanite city, it was conquered by the Israelites under King David at the beginning of the 10th century BC. It is now regarded as a holy city by Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Jordan(River & Country)English, Danish, Norwegian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Slovene, Biblical River that flows between the countries of Jordan and Israel. The river's name in Hebrew is יַרְדֵן (Yarden), and it is derived from יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "flow down". The river has lent its name to the country to the east (in German, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish and Slovene this is only the name of the river, with the name of the country taking a different form).
Lehi(Region)Biblical Means "jawbone" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the site where the hero Samson killed 1,000 men using only a donkey's jawbone.
Moriah(Mountain)Biblical, Biblical Hebrew Possibly means "seen by Yahweh" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is both the place where Abraham is to sacrifice Isaac and the mountain upon which Solomon builds the temple.
Nazareth(Settlement)English, French, Biblical, Biblical Latin Possibly from Hebrew נֵצֶר (netzer) meaning "branch, shoot" or נָצַר (natzar) meaning "watch, guard". This is the name of a town in Galilee in Israel. It was the home town of Jesus.
Salem(Settlement)English, Biblical From Hebrew שָׁלֵם (shalem) meaning "complete, safe, peaceful". This is the name of a town in the Old Testament where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with Jerusalem. Several places are named after the biblical town, mostly in America.
Santa Ana(Settlement)Spanish The name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint Anna.
Santana(Settlement)Portuguese The name of several places in the Portuguese-speaking world, in honour of Saint Anna.
Santiago(Settlement)Spanish, Portuguese This 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.
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.
St John(Settlement)English Name commemorating Saint John. This is the name of several towns in England.
Tarah(Settlement)Biblical A place name (an encampment) used in some versions of the Old Testament. It is identical to the personal name Terah.
Teman(Settlement & Country)Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew Means "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.