Brierley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
brer "briar" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of various towns in England.
Britain (Island) EnglishFrom
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".
Brittany (Region) EnglishFrom
Britannia (see
Britain). This is the name of a region in northwestern France, so called because many Britons settled there after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. It had earlier been called
Armorica. In the Middle Ages it was sometimes called
Britannia Minor to distinguish it from the island of Great Britain. In French, both the island and the region are called
Bretagne.
Buckley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
bucc "buck, male deer" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few minor towns in England.
Burnham (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
burna "stream, spring" and
ham "home". This is the name of several towns in England.
Burton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
burg "fortress, castle" and
tun "enclosure". This is the name of several English towns.
Bustillo (Settlement) SpanishFrom a diminutive of Late Latin
bustum meaning
"ox pasture". This is the name of towns in Spain.
Busto (Settlement) Spanish, ItalianFrom Late Latin
bustum meaning
"ox pasture". This is the name of several towns in Spain and Italy.
Caiazzo (Settlement) ItalianFrom Latin
Caiatia, a derivative of the given name
Caius. This is the name of a city near Naples.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Crawford (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
crawe "crow" and
ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name various small towns in England.
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.
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.
Dallas (Settlement) EnglishSeveral of the places bearing this name, including probably the city in Texas, were named for the American vice president George M. Dallas (1792-1864). His surname is of Old English origin meaning "valley house".
Danube (River) EnglishFrom Latin
Danubius, from Indo-European
Danu, probably meaning
"river, water". This is the name of a river that flows east through Europe to the Black Sea.
Deasmhumhain (Region) IrishFrom Irish
deas "south" and
Mumhain. This was the name of a medieval kingdom in southern Ireland, created when the kingdom of Munster was partitioned. It is Anglicized as
Desmond.
Debenham (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English river name
Deben combined with
ham meaning "home, homestead". This is the name of a town in Suffolk, on the River Deben.
Dee (River) EnglishPossibly from a Celtic root meaning
"divine". This is the name of rivers in Scotland (Gaelic
Dhè) and Wales (Welsh
Dyfrdwy).
Deighton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
dic "ditch" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of various towns in England.
Delhi (Settlement) EnglishFrom Sanskrit
दिल्ली (Dilli), possibly from
देहली (dehali) meaning
"threshold", or possibly from the name of a 1st-century BC king. This is the name of a large city in northern India, which includes the district of New Delhi, the Indian capital.
Denmark (Country) EnglishFrom 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.
Deutschland (Country) GermanDerived from German
deutsch meaning "German" (ultimately from Germanic *
þeudō "people") and
Land. This is the German endonym for
Germany.
Dogil (Country) KoreanDerived via Japanese from Dutch
Duits meaning "German". This is the Korean name for
Germany.
Doitsu (Country) JapaneseDerived from Dutch
Duits meaning "German". This is the Japanese name for
Germany.
Douglas (River & Settlement) ScottishFrom Gaelic
dubh "dark" and
glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to
glas "grey, green"). This is the name of a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water, as well as a town that sits upon it in Lanarkshire.
Dudley (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Dudda's clearing" in Old English. This is the name of a city in the West Midlands, England.
Eaton (Settlement) EnglishDerived from Old English
ea "river" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.
Eden (Region) Hebrew, BiblicalPossibly 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.
Egypt (Country) EnglishFrom 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.
Éire (Country & Island) IrishPossibly means
"abundant land" in Old Irish. This is the Irish name of the country and island of Ireland. According to legend the island was named for the goddess
Ériu, though in fact it was she who was named for the island.
Ellada (Country) GreekModern Greek form of Ancient Greek
Ἑλλάδα (Hellada), derived from
Ἕλλην (Hellen) meaning
"Greek", which is of uncertain origin. This is the Greek endonym for
Greece.
Endla (Body of Water) EstonianFrom the medieval personal name
Ent or
Endo, which are of uncertain origin, possibly derivatives of the personal name
Hendrik or
Andres. This is the name of an Estonian lake often appearing in folk poetry.
England (Country) English, German, Swedish, Danish, NorwegianFrom 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.
Esharra (Other) Ancient AssyrianFrom 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.
Essen (Settlement) German, EnglishFrom older
Astnide, possibly a derivative of Old High German
asc meaning
"ash tree". This is the name of a city in Germany, founded in the 9th century.
Estonia (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian, Malay, Late RomanFrom Estonian
eesti meaning
"Estonian", a word borrowed from Low German in the 17th century. It is of uncertain origin. It could be from a Germanic rendering of the Baltic tribe of the Aesti, mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus.
Estoniya (Country) Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, UzbekRussian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek form of
Estonia.
Ethiopia (Country) EnglishFrom Latin
Aethiopia, itself from Greek
Αἰθιοπία (Aithiopia), said to derive from
αἴθω (aitho) meaning "to burn" and
ὄψ (ops) meaning "face", referring to the skin colour of the inhabitants (probably a folk etymology). This is the name of a country in East Africa.
Etiopia (Country) Italian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Georgian, Korean, IndonesianItalian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Georgian, Korean and Indonesian form of
Aethiopia (see
Ethiopia).
Euripos (Body of Water) Ancient GreekPossibly from Greek
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ῥιπή (rhipe) meaning "throw, swing". This was the name of the strait between Euboea and Boeotia.
Europa (Region) Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Galician, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, Kazakh, Ancient RomanForm of
Europe in several languages.
Evropa (Region) Czech, Slovene, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Georgian, Kyrgyz, Armenian, RussianForm of
Europe used in various languages. This is also an alternate transcription of Armenian
Եվրոպա or Russian
Европа (see
Yevropa).
Ewart (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
ea "river" and
worþ "enclosure". This is the name of a town in Northumberland, England.
Farnham (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
fearn "fern" and
ham "home" or
ham "water meadow, enclosure". This is the name of several towns in England, notably in Surrey.
Filipów (Settlement) PolishDerived from the given name
Filip. This is the name of a town in Poland.
Florida (Political Subdivision) English, Spanish, German, ItalianA 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).
Foulden (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
fugol meaning "bird" and
dun meaning "hill". This is the name of a town in Norfolk.
France (Country) French, EnglishFrom 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) GermanFrom 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) GermanDerived 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 RomanFrom 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, SpanishFrom 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.
Galatia (Region & Political Subdivision) Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, EnglishFrom the Greek word for the Gaulish people
Γαλάτης (Galates), probably a cognate of Latin
Gallus (see
Gallia). This was the Greek name for the region of
Gaul. It was also used to refer to a region in Anatolia (modern Turkey) where Gauls settled in the 3rd century BC.
... [more] Galilee (Region) English, BiblicalFrom Hebrew
גָּלִיל (Galil) meaning "district, roll". This is a region in northern Israel, mentioned in the Old and New Testament.
Gallia (Region, Political Subdivision & Country) Ancient Roman, Italian, GreekLatin name for the historical region of
Gaul. It is derived from the Latin ethnic word
Gallus, referring to the Gauls (Celts of continental Europe), probably ultimately derived from the Celtic root *
galn- "be able".
... [more] Gary (Settlement) EnglishCity in Indiana that was named after businessman Elbert Henry
Gary (1846-1927), the founder of U.S. Steel.
Gaul (Region) EnglishFrom French
Gaule, the name of a historical region that was situated approximately in the area of modern
France. In the Roman era it was called
Gallia, which may be the origin of
Gaule, though the evolution of the word would be irregular. It is more likely derived from Frankish
walh meaning
"foreigner, Celt".
Genoa (Settlement) EnglishFrom Latin
Genua, probably derived from
genu meaning
"knee". This is the name of a port city in northwestern Italy. It is called
Genova in Italian.
Georgia 2 (Political Subdivision) English, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, DutchFrom the given name
George, named in honour of the British king George II. This was the name of an American colony, later a state.
Germany (Country) EnglishFrom Latin
Germania, first attested in the writings of Julius Caesar, used to refer to the areas east of the Rhine and north of the Danube. The origin of the term is uncertain. This is an English exonym corresponding to German
Deutschland.