Persia (Country) Ancient Roman, English, Spanish, ItalianLatin form of Greek
Περσίς (Persis), from Old Persian
Parsa. This is the name used in the West for a region in western
Asia, as well as several empires that were based there, including the Achaemenid Empire, Parthian Empire, and Sasanian Empire. This was the Western name for the country of Iran until 1935, when the king requested that the native name
Iran be used instead.
Petra (Settlement) Ancient Greek, EnglishFrom 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.
Peyton (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Pæga's town". This is the name of a town in Sussex.
Philippines (Country) English, FrenchFrom Spanish
Filipinas, which was derived from the given name
Felipe, bestowed in 1543 in honour of the crown prince Philip (later king Philip II) of Spain by the explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, who originally used it only to refer to the islands of Leyte and Samar. It now refers to the entire archipelago and nation of the Philippines in southeastern
Asia. In English it is usually referred to using the definite article,
the.
Philistia (Region) English, BiblicalEnglish form of Hebrew
פְּלֶשֶׁת (Pelesheṯ) meaning
"land of the Philistines". This was the name of a confederation of cities in
Canaan inhabited by the Philistines. It was conquered by the Babylonians in the 7th century BC.
Portugal (Country) Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, Galician, Catalan, German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Indonesian, MalayFrom
Portugale, which was derived from
Portus Cale, the old name of the city of Porto. The name of the city was later applied to the entire country.
Princeton (Settlement) EnglishThe name of a town in New Jersey, originally called
Princetown when it was established in the early 18th century. It is said to have been named for William III, the Prince of Orange.
Provence (Region) French, English, GermanFrom Latin
provincia meaning
"province", a Roman territorial division. This is the name a region in southern
France, originally acquiring its name because it was the first Roman province beyond the Alps.
Rhine (River) EnglishUltimately from Gaulish
Renos, derived from a Celtic root meaning
"expanse of water, waterway". This is the name of a European river that runs from
Switzerland to the
Netherlands, emptying into the North Sea.
Rhodesia (Region) EnglishFrom the surname
Rhodes. This was a British-controlled region of the south of
Africa, named after the politician and imperialist Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902). It is now the independent countries of
Zimbabwe and
Zambia.
Romagna (Region & Political Subdivision) Italian, English, GermanFrom Latin
Romania, in this case the name of a historic region on the Adriatic coast of
Italy (part of the modern administrative region of Emilia-Romagna).
Romania (Country & Region) English, Italian, Ancient RomanFrom 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] Rome (Settlement) English, French, DutchMeaning uncertain, from Latin
Roma. It is possibly of Etruscan origin. This is the name of the capital city of
Italy, formerly the capital of the Roman Kingdom, Republic and Empire. According to legend the city was named for
Romulus.
Romiley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
rum "roomy, spacious" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This was the name of a town that is now part of Greater Manchester.
Romilly (Settlement) FrenchFrom the Latin name
Romilius, a derivative of
Romulus. This is the name of several communes in northern
France.
Royston (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Royse's town" in Old English. The given name
Royse was a medieval variant of
Rose. This is the name of a town in Hertfordshire.
Ruotsi (Country) FinnishProbably borrowed from Old Norse
róðr meaning
"rowing", referring to people from the coastal region of Roslagen in Sweden. This is the Finnish name for
Sweden.
Rus (Region) Russian, Ukrainian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishProbably of Old Norse origin, possibly from
róðr meaning
"rowing", referring to the Norse Varangians and their main mode of transportation. This was the name of a medieval Slavic state of Eastern
Europe (around
Belarus,
Ukraine and western
Russia), originally founded by the Varangians in the 9th century.
Russia (Country) English, Italian, Late RomanDerived from the name of the medieval state of
Rus. The modern country of Russia includes the eastern portions of Rus, and has also expanded far to the east across
Asia.
Ryley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
ryge "rye" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Lancashire,
England.
Saint Pierre (Settlement & Island) FrenchName commemorating Saint
Peter. This is the name of several communes in
France as well as a French island near Newfoundland.
Salem (Settlement) English, BiblicalFrom 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.
Salvador (Country & Settlement) Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, MongolianMeans
"saviour" in Spanish, referring to
Jesus. This is the name of a country in Central America. Since 1915 its official name has been
El Salvador, with the definite article. Many languages also include the Spanish article at the front of the name.
... [more] Santa Ana (Settlement) SpanishThe name of several places in the Spanish-speaking world, in honour of Saint
Anna.
Santana (Settlement) PortugueseThe name of several places in the Portuguese-speaking world, in honour of Saint
Anna.
Santiago (Settlement) Spanish, PortugueseThis 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.
Saudi Arabia (Country) EnglishFrom the family name
Al Su'ud combined with
Arabia, referring to the Arabian Peninsula. This is a kingdom in the Middle East on the Arabian Peninsula. It was named by its founder Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1932.
Saxony (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom 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) EnglishMeans
"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) BiblicalMeans
"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.
Shannon (River) IrishFrom Irish
Sionainn, probably from Old Irish
sen meaning
"old, ancient". This is the name of a river in
Ireland. It is personified by the mythological figure
Sionann.
Sherwood (Region) EnglishFrom Old English
scir "shire, district" and
wudu "wood". This is the name of a forest near Nottingham. It is known in English folklore as the home of the outlaw hero Robin Hood.
Shiraz (Settlement) PersianMeaning unknown. The name is recorded in Elamite as
Tiraziš. This is the name of a city in southern
Iran.
Sicily (Island & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Latin
Sicilia, itself from Greek
Σικελία (Sikelia), named for the ancient tribe of the Sicels (
Σικελοί). They were probably of Italic origin, but the meaning of their tribal name is unknown. This is the name of a large island in the Mediterranean, part of
Italy.
Sin (Country) Arabic, HebrewArabic and Hebrew form of
China. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article:
الصين (al-Ṣīn).
Singapur (Country, Settlement & Island) Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, German, Estonian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Turkish, ArmenianForm of
Singapore in several languages.
Slane (Settlement) IrishFrom the given name
Sláine. This is the name of a town in
Ireland, said to be named for the legendary high king Sláine.
Spain (Country) EnglishDerived 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".
Sri Lanka (Country & Island) English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Greek, Turkish, Malay, IndonesianFrom Sinhalese
ශ්රී ලංකා (Shrī Lankā), derived from the Sanskrit honorific
श्री (śrī) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with the name of the legendary island of
Lanka. This is an island nation in southern
Asia. Formerly known as
Ceylon when it was a colony of the Portuguese, Dutch and English, the country adopted the name
Sri Lanka when it became a republic in 1972.
Suriye (Political Subdivision & Country) TurkishTurkish form of
Syria. This was the name of a province of the Ottoman Empire.
Sweden (Country) English, Medieval DutchFrom Middle Dutch, ultimately from the Old Norse ethnic name
Svíar "Swede", itself possibly from Proto-Norse
Swihoniz meaning "one's own tribe". This is the name of a country in Northern
Europe.
Sydney (Settlement) EnglishCity in
Australia that was named after Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733-1800). His title originally came from the name of its first holder, Robert
Sidney (1563-1626).
Syria (Country & Region) English, Polish, Norwegian, Greek, Ancient Roman, Ancient GreekFrom Greek
Συρία (Syria), which was probably a variant of
Assyria, used in an expanded sense to refer to the northern Levant. This was the name of a province of the Roman Empire. It is now the name of a country in western
Asia, having gained independence from the Ottoman Empire early in the 20th century.
Tajikistan (Country) English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, TagalogFrom Tajik
Тоҷикистон (Tojikiston), which is derived from the name of the Tajik people combined with the Persian suffix
ستان (stān) meaning "land of". The ethnic name is of debated origin, but it is generally believed to be from Persian
تازیک (tāzīk) meaning "Arab". This is the name of a country in central
Asia.
Tanzania (Country) Swahili, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Armenian, Georgian, Indonesian, MalayFrom a combination of
Tanganyika and
Zanzibar, the names of the two countries that were united to create the East African country of Tanzania in 1964.
Tarah (Settlement) BiblicalA place name (an encampment) used in some versions of the Old Testament. It is identical to the personal name
Terah.
Tatham (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Tata combined with
ham meaning "homestead". This is the name of a town in Lancashire.
Tatton (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Tata combined with
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of a town in Cheshire.
Teheran (Settlement) German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, SerbianForm of
Tehran in several languages.
Teman (Settlement) Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"right hand" or
"south" in Hebrew. This is an Edomite town in the Old Testament, supposedly named for a grandson of Esau.
Thornton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
þorn "thorn" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.