Arimathea(Settlement)Biblical From Greek Ἁριμαθαία (Harimathaia), of unknown meaning. In the New Testament this is the home town of Joseph of Arimathea. The town has not been positively identified, though רָמָתַיִם (Ramaṯayim) or רָמָה (Rama) near Jerusalem has been proposed.
Bayt Lahm(Settlement)Arabic Arabic form of Bethlehem. The Arabic word لحم (laḥm) meaning "meat" is cognate with Hebrew לֶחֶם (leḥem) meaning "bread".
Bethany(Settlement)Biblical From Greek Βηθανία (Bethania), which is of uncertain meaning. The first part of the name is derived from Hebrew/Aramaic בַּיִת (bayiṯ) meaning "house". Suggestions for the second part of the name include עָנָה (ʿana) leading to "house of affliction" or תְּאֵנָה (teʾena) 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, from the roots בַּיִת (bayiṯ) meaning "house" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". 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 (bayiṯ) meaning "house" and לֶחֶם (leḥem) 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 (Kenaʿan), 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 (ʾEven Haʿazer) 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 (ʿeḏen) 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.
Gethsemane(Region)Biblical From Γεθσημανί (Gethsemani), the Greek form of an Aramaic place name meaning "oil press". In the New Testament this is the name of the garden where Jesus was arrested, located on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem.
Gihon(River)Biblical From Hebrew גִּיחוֹן (Giḥon), derived from גִּיחַ (giyaḥ) 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.
Giudea(Region & Political Subdivision)Italian Italian form of Iudaea (see Judea).
Har'el(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).
Ivah(Settlement)Biblical Derived from Hebrew עַוָּה (ʿawwa) meaning "ruin, destruction". According to the Old Testament, this was the name of a city in Assyria.
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 (yareaḥ) meaning "moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word רֵיחַ (reyaḥ) meaning "fragrance". This is the name of a city in Palestine, mentioned several times in the Old Testament.
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 (Yarḏen), and it is derived from יָרַד (yaraḏ) meaning "descend, 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).
Judah(Region)Biblical From the name of the Old Testament figure Judah, a son of Jacob and Leah. This was the name of a kingdom located in the south of what is now Israel and Palestine, existing until the 6th century BC. This spelling occurs in the English Old Testament; in the New Testament the Latinized spelling Judaea or Judea is typically used to refer to the region (by then a Roman province).
Judea(Region & Political Subdivision)Biblical, English, Spanish, Polish From Iudaea, the Latin form of Judah. This was the name of a Roman province, the location of many of the events of the New Testament.
Judée(Region & Political Subdivision)French French form of Iudaea (see Judea).
Judeia(Region & Political Subdivision)Portuguese Portuguese form of Iudaea (see Judea).
Karmel(Mountain)Biblical Hebrew Means "garden, vineyard" in Hebrew. This is the name of a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament.
Keilah(Settlement)Biblical From Hebrew קְעִילָה (Qeʿila) meaning "fortress, citadel". This was the name of a town in Judah mentioned in the Old Testament.
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 Possibly means "seen by Yahweh" in Hebrew, from the roots רָאָה (raʾa) meaning "to see" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is both the place where Abraham is to sacrifice Isaac and the mountain upon which Solomon builds the temple.
Palaestina(Region & Political Subdivision)Ancient Roman Latin form of Palestine. There was a Roman province named Syria Palaestina after the 2nd century.
Palestine(Country & Region)English, French From Latin Palaestina, derived from Greek Παλαιστίνη (Palaistine), from a Semitic source such as Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת (Pelesheṯ) meaning "land of the Philistines". This is the name of a historical region between the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. In modern times it is the name of a partially recognized country located in a portion of the region (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with the remainder being the country of Israel).
Philistia(Region)English, Biblical English 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.
Saint Pierre(Settlement & Island)French Name commemorating Saint Peter. This is the name of several communes in France as well as a French island near Newfoundland.
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)Biblical, Biblical Hebrew Means "right hand" or "south" in Hebrew. This is an Edomite town in the Old Testament, supposedly named for a grandson of Esau.