Biblical Hebrew Origin Place Names

This is a list of place names in which the origin is Biblical Hebrew. Classical Hebrew was the Semitic language spoken by the ancient Israelites.
type
usage
origin
Ariha (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Jericho.
Bayt Lahm (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Bethlehem. The Arabic word لحم (laḥm) meaning "meat" is cognate with Hebrew לֶחֶם (leḥem) meaning "bread".
Belén (Settlement) Spanish, Biblical Spanish
Spanish form of Bethlehem.
Bet-'El (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Bethel.
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.
Bethléem (Settlement) French
French form of Bethlehem.
Bethleem (Settlement) Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Form of Bethlehem used in the Greek and Latin Bibles.
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.
Bet-Lechem (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Bethlehem.
Betlehem (Settlement) Slovak
Slovak form of Bethlehem.
Betlém (Settlement) Czech
Czech form of Bethlehem.
Betlemme (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Bethlehem.
Canaán (Region) Spanish
Spanish form of Canaan.
Canaan (Region) English, French, Biblical
From Hebrew ךְּנַעַן (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.
Cananea (Region) Italian
Italian form of Canaan.
Carmel (Mountain) Biblical, Biblical Latin
Form of Karmel used in the Latin and English Bibles.
Ceyhun (River) Turkish, Azerbaijani
Turkish and Azerbaijani form of Jayhun.
Chanaan (Region) Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin
Greek and Latin form of Canaan.
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) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Eden.
Éden (Region) Biblical French
French form of Eden.
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.
'Even Ha'azer (Other) Biblical Hebrew
Original Hebrew form of Ebenezer.
Galaad (Region) Biblical French
French form of Gilead.
Gichon (River) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Gihon.
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.
Gilad (Region) Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Gilead.
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.
Giordania (Country) Italian
Italian form of Jordan (the country).
Giordano (River) Italian
Italian form of Jordan (the river).
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).
Iordan (River) Russian, Romanian
Russian and Romanian form of Jordan (the river).
Iordanes (River) Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin
Greek and Latin form of Jordan.
Iordania (Country) Romanian, Greek, Georgian
Romanian, Greek and Georgian form of Jordan (the country).
Iordanis (River) Greek
Modern Greek form of Jordan (the river).
Iordaniya (Country) Russian
Russian form of Jordan (the country).
Israël (Country) Dutch, French
Dutch and French form of Israel.
Israel (Country) English, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Indonesian, Malay, Biblical, Biblical Greek
From the name of the Old Testament hero Jacob, who was also called Israel. This was the name of an ancient kingdom that existed until the 8th century BC. The modern country of Israel is named for it.
Israele (Country) Italian
Italian form of Israel.
Israhel (Country) Biblical Latin
Latin form of Israel.
İsrail (Country) Turkish, Azerbaijani
Turkish and Azerbaijani form of Israel.
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.
'Iwwa (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew form of Ivah.
Izrail (Country) Russian
Russian form of Israel.
Izrayil (Country) Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Israel.
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.
Jordaan (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Jordan (the river).
Jordaania (Country) Estonian
Estonian form of Jordan (the country).
Jordán (River) Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
Spanish, Czech, Slovak and Hungarian form of Jordan (the river).
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).
Jordania (Country) Spanish, Finnish, Polish
Spanish, Finnish and Polish form of Jordan (the country).
Jordanie (Country) French
French form of Jordan (the country).
Jordanië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Jordan (the country).
Jordanien (Country) German, Swedish
German and Swedish form of Jordan (the country).
Jordanija (Country) Slovene, Lithuanian
Slovene and Lithuanian form of Jordan (the country).
Jourdain (River) French
French form of Jordan (the river).
Kənan (Region) Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Canaan.
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.
Kena'an (Region) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Canaan.
Kenan (Region) Turkish
Turkish form of Canaan.
Lechi (Region) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Lehi.
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.
Moriya (Mountain) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Moriah.
Qe'ila (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Keilah.
Queila (Settlement) Biblical Portuguese
Portuguese form of Keilah.
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.
Sela' (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Sela.
Shalem (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Salem.
Sharon (Region) Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Means "plain" in Hebrew, referring to the fertile plain near the coast of Israel.
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.
Terach (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Tarah.
Urdun (River & Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Jordan, usually written with the definite article: الأردن (al-ʾUrdun).
Yarden (River & Country) Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew
Hebrew form of Jordan.
Yericho (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Jericho.
Yisra'el (Country) Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Israel.
Yordaniya (Country) Bulgarian, Ukrainian
Bulgarian and Ukrainian form of Jordan (the country).