Old Persian Origin Place Names

This is a list of place names in which the origin is Old Persian. Old Persian was the language spoken in ancient Persia.
type
usage
origin
Afeganistão (Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Afghanistan.
Afganistán (Country) Spanish
Spanish form of Afghanistan.
Afghanestan (Country) Persian
Persian form of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan (Country) Pashto, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Malay
From Pashto افغانستان (Afghānistān), from the Persian ethnic name افغان (Afghān) meaning "Afghan, Pashtun" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Arabestan (Region & Country) Persian
From Persian عرب (ʿarab) meaning "Arab" combined with the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the Persian name for both the Arabian Peninsula and the country of Saudi Arabia (alongside the fuller form عربستان سعودی (ʿArabestān e-Saʿūdī)).
Arman (Country) Persian (Archaic)
Persian form of Armenia. This form is archaic: the usual name for the country is ارمنستان (Armanestān).
Armanestan (Country) Persian
Persian form of Armenia using the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of".
Arménia (Country) Portuguese (European)
European Portuguese form of Armenia.
Armênia (Country) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Armenia.
Armenia (Country) English, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Polish, Greek, Norwegian, Finnish, Indonesian, Malay, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek
From Greek Ἀρμενία (Armenia), which was from Old Persian Armina, which is itself probably of Armenian origin. This is the name of a country in the Caucasus region, called Hayastan in Armenian.
Arménie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Armenia.
Armenië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Armenia.
Armenien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Armenia.
Armėnija (Country) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Armenia.
Armēnija (Country) Latvian
Latvian form of Armenia.
Armenija (Country) Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene
Croatian, Bosnian and Slovene form of Armenia.
Armeniya (Country) Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Bengali
Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Bengali form of Armenia.
Armenstan (Country) Kazakh
Kazakh form of Armanestan. This is an alternate Kazakh name for Armenia.
Armina (Country) Old Persian
Old Persian form of Armenia.
Arminiya (Country) Hindi
Hindi form of Armenia.
Avganistan (Country) Serbian, Macedonian
Serbian and Macedonian form of Afghanistan.
Eran (Country) Middle Persian
Middle Persian form of Iran.
Ermənistan (Country) Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani form of Armanestan, referring to Armenia.
Ermenija (Country) Macedonian
Macedonian form of Armenia.
Ermenistan (Country) Turkish
Turkish form of Armanestan, referring to Armenia.
Faris (Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Persia.
Geórgia (Country & Political Subdivision) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Georgia 1 or Georgia 2.
Georgia 1 (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Late Roman
Possibly of Persian origin, maybe from Middle Persian gurg meaning "wolf". In Europe the name was long explained as derived from the given name George. This is the name of a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It is called Sakartvelo in Georgian.
Géorgie (Country & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Georgia 1 or Georgia 2.
Georgië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Georgia 1.
Georgien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Georgia 1.
Gorj (Country) Persian (Archaic)
Archaic Persian name of Georgia 1, possibly from Middle Persian gurg meaning "wolf".
Gorjestan (Country) Persian
From Persian گرج (Gorj) meaning "Georgia (country)" combined with the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the modern Persian name for the country of Georgia.
Gruziya (Country) Russian, Bulgarian
Russian and Bulgarian form of Gorj, used as the name for the country of Georgia.
Hayastan (Country) Armenian
From the Armenian word հայ (hay) meaning "Armenian" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the Armenian name for Armenia.
Hendustan (Country) Persian
Extended form of هند (Hend), the Persian form of India, using the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of".
Hindistan (Country) Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Uyghur
Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Uyghur form of Hendustan, used as the name of the country of India.
Hindiston (Country) Uzbek
Uzbek form of Hendustan.
Hindustan (Country) Hindi, Urdu, English (Archaic)
Alternate name for India, of Persian origin.
Irã (Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Iran.
Írán (Country) Czech
Czech form of Iran.
İran (Country) Azerbaijani, Turkish
Azerbaijani and Turkish form of Iran.
Irán (Country) Spanish, Slovak, Hungarian
Spanish, Slovak and Hungarian form of Iran.
Iran (Country) Persian, Arabic, English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Hebrew, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Urdu, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Burmese, Thai, Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian
Derived from Middle Persian Eran, related to Old Iranian Arya meaning "Iranian, Aryan". This is the name of a country in western Asia, formerly called Persia in the West.
Irāna (Country) Latvian
Latvian form of Iran.
Iranas (Country) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Iran.
Jierjisisitan (Country) Chinese
Chinese form of Kyrgyzstan.
Jurjiya (Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Gorj. This is the Arabic name for the country of Georgia.
Kasachstan (Country) German
German form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Kazachstan (Country) Dutch, Polish, Slovak
Dutch, Polish and Slovak form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Kazahstan (Country) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian
Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian and Romanian form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Kazajistán (Country) Spanish
Spanish form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Kazakhstan (Country) English, Russian, Ukrainian, French
From Kazakh Қазақстан (Qazaqstan), from the ethnic name қазақ (qazaq), which is probably of Turkic origin, combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Kazakistan (Country) Italian, Turkish
Italian and Turkish form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Kazakstan (Country) Kyrgyz, Greek, Finnish, Swedish
Kyrgyz, Greek, Finnish and Swedish form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Kirghizistan (Country) French, Italian
French and Italian form of Kyrgyzstan.
Kirghizstan (Country) French
Variant form of Kirghizistan.
Kirgisistan (Country) German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian form of Kyrgyzstan.
Kirgistan (Country) Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Icelandic, German
Form of Kyrgyzstan in several languages, as well as a German variant.
Kırgızistan (Country) Turkish
Turkish form of Kyrgyzstan.
Kirguistán (Country) Spanish
Spanish form of Kyrgyzstan.
Kirguizistán (Country) Spanish
Variant form of Kirguistán.
Kordestan (Region) Persian
Persian form of Kurdistan.
Kürdistan (Region) Turkish
Turkish form of Kurdistan.
Kurdistan (Region) Kurdish, Arabic, English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian
From Kurdish کوردستان (Kurdistan), from the Persian ethnic name کرد (Kord) meaning "Kurd" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of the region in the midst of Iran, Iraq and Turkey that is primarily inhabited by the Kurdish people.
Kyrgyzstan (Country) Kyrgyz, English
From Kyrgyz Кыргызстан (Kyrgyzstan), a combination of the name of the Kyrgyz people and the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". The ethnic name may be derived from the Turkic word kyrk meaning "forty". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Macaristan (Country) Turkish
Turkish form of Majarestan.
Majarestan (Country) Persian
From Persian مجار (majār) meaning "Hungarian" combined with the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the Persian name for Hungary.
Oesbekistan (Country) Afrikaans
Afrikaans form of Uzbekistan.
Oezbekistan (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Uzbek Ўзбекистон (see Uzbekistan).
Ouzbékistan (Country) French
French form of Uzbekistan.
Ozbakestan (Country) Persian
Persian form of Uzbek Ўзбекистон (see Uzbekistan).
O'zbekiston (Country) Uzbek
Uzbek form of Uzbekistan.
Ozbekstan (Country) Kazakh, Kyrgyz
Kazakh and Kyrgyz form of Uzbek Ўзбекистон (see Uzbekistan).
Pakestan (Country) Persian
Persian form of Pakistan.
Pákistán (Country) Czech
Czech form of Pakistan.
Pakistán (Country) Spanish
Spanish form of Pakistan.
Pakistan (Country) Urdu, Punjabi, English, Italian, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Slovak, Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian
From Persian پاک (pāk) meaning "pure" and the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". The name was coined in 1933 by the Pakistani nationalist Choudhry Rahmat Ali who justified it as an acronym of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir and Sindh, plus the final three letters of Baluchistan.
Paquistão (Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Pakistan.
Parsa (Country) Old Persian
Old Persian form of Persia.
Perse (Country) French
French form of Persia.
Pérsia (Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Persia.
Persia (Country) Ancient Roman, English, Spanish, Italian
Latin 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.
Persië (Country) Afrikaans
Afrikaans form of Persia.
Persien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Persia.
Persis (Country) Ancient Greek
Greek form of Persia.
Perzië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Persia.
Qadhaghstan (Country) Bashkir
Bashkir form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Qazaqstan (Country) Kazakh, Chechen
Kazakh (and Chechen) form of Kazakhstan.
Qazoqiston (Country) Tajik
Tajik form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Qirghiziston (Country) Tajik
Tajik form of Kyrgyzstan.
Qirg'iziston (Country) Uzbek
Uzbek form of Kyrgyzstan.
Qozog'iston (Country) Uzbek
Uzbek form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Qyrghyzstan (Country) Kazakh
Kazakh form of Kyrgyzstan.
Shiraz (Settlement) Persian
Meaning unknown. The name is recorded in Elamite as Tiraziš. This is the name of a city in southern Iran.
Tacikistan (Country) Turkish, Azerbaijani
Turkish and Azerbaijani form of Tajikistan.
Tadjikistan (Country) French, Catalan, Romanian, Afrikaans
French, Catalan, Romanian and Afrikaan form of Tajikistan.
Tadjiquistão (Country) Portuguese (Brazilian)
Brazilian Portuguese form of Tajikistan.
Tadschikistan (Country) German
German form of Tajikistan.
Tadsjikistan (Country) Danish, Norwegian
Danish and Norwegian form of Tajikistan.
Tadzhikistan (Country) Russian, Bulgarian
Russian and Bulgarian form of Tajikistan.
Tadzhykystan (Country) Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Tajikistan.
Tádžikistán (Country) Czech
Czech form of Tajikistan.
Tadžikistan (Country) Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Finnish, Estonian
Form of Tajikistan in several languages.
Tadzjikistan (Country) Dutch, Swedish
Dutch and Swedish form of Tajikistan.
Tadżykistan (Country) Polish
Polish form of Tajikistan.
Tagikistan (Country) Italian
Italian form of Tajikistan.
Tahran (Settlement) Arabic, Turkish
Arabic and Turkish form of Tehran.
Täjigistan (Country) Turkmen
Turkmen form of Tajikistan.
Tajikesitan (Country) Chinese
Chinese form of Tajikistan.
Tajikestan (Country) Persian
Persian form of Tajikistan.
Tajikistan (Country) English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From 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.
Tajiquistão (Country) Portuguese (European)
European Portuguese form of Tajikistan.
Tansaania (Country) Estonian
Estonian form of Tanzania.
Tansania (Country) German, Finnish
German and Finnish form of Tanzania.
Tanzánia (Country) Hungarian, Slovak
Hungarian and Slovak form of Tanzania.
Tanzânia (Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Tanzania.
Tanzania (Country) Swahili, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Armenian, Georgian, Indonesian, Malay
From 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.
Tanzanie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Tanzania.
Tanzanija (Country) Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Lithuanian
Form of Tanzania in several languages.
Tanzaniya (Country) Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek
Form of Tanzania in several languages.
Tanzanya (Country) Arabic, Persian, Turkish
Arabic, Persian and Turkish form of Tanzania.
Tayikistán (Country) Spanish
Spanish form of Tajikistan.
Tazhikstan (Country) Kazakh
Kazakh form of Tajikistan.
Téhéran (Settlement) French
French form of Tehran.
Teheran (Settlement) German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian
Form of Tehran in several languages.
Tehran (Settlement) Persian, English
From Persian تهران (Tehrān), meaning unknown. This is the name of the capital city of Iran.
Tojikiston (Country) Tajik, Uzbek
Tajik and Uzbek form of Tajikistan.
Turan (Region) Persian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Arabic
Historical region in central Asia, originally inhabited by nomadic Iranian peoples and traditionally said to mean "land of Tur". It is mentioned frequently in the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh.
Undistan (Country) Kazakh
Kazakh form of Hendustan.
Uzbekistán (Country) Spanish, Czech
Spanish and Czech form of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan (Country) English, Russian, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Swedish
From Uzbek O'zbekiston, derived from the ethnic name O'zbek (which is probably in part from Turkic beg meaning "chieftain, master") combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Uzbekiston (Country) Tajik
Tajik form of Uzbek Ўзбекистон (see Uzbekistan).
Uzbekystan (Country) Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Uzbek Ўзбекистон (see Uzbekistan).
Zangibar (Island) Persian
Persian form of Zanzibar.
Zanjibar (Island) Arabic
Arabic form of Zanzibar.
Zanzibar (Island) Swahili, English
From Arabic زنجبار (Zanjibār), from Persian زنگبار (Zangibār), derived from زنگی (zangī) meaning "black, dark-skinned" and بار (bār) meaning "shore, coast". This is the name of an island, part of Tanzania.