Old Germanic Origin Place Names

This is a list of place names in which the origin is Old Germanic.
type
usage
origin
Saksa (Country) Finnish
From German Sachsen (Saxony), used as the Finnish name of Germany.
Sandford (Settlement) English
From Old English sand "sand" and ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of several towns in England.
Saxony (Region & Political Subdivision) English
From 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.
Scherwode (Region) Medieval English
Middle English form of Sherwood.
Schweden (Country) German
German form of Sweden.
Seeland (Political Subdivision & Country) German
German form of Zealand.
Selby (Settlement) English
From Old Norse selja "willow, sallow" and býr "farm, settlement". This is the name of a city near York in England.
Sherborne (Settlement) English
From Old English scir "bright" and burna "spring, fountain, stream". This is the name of several towns in England.
Sherburn (Settlement) English
Variant of Sherborne, also the name of several English towns.
Sherwood (Region) English
From 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.
Shirley (Settlement) English
From Old English scir "bright" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England.
Sverige (Country) Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
From Swedish svear "Swede" and rike "realm, kingdom". This is the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish name for Sweden.
Sweden (Country) English, Medieval Dutch
From 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.
Taani (Country) Estonian
Estonian form of Denmark.
Tanska (Country) Finnish
Finnish form of Denmark.
Tatham (Settlement) English
From the Old English given name Tata combined with ham meaning "homestead". This is the name of a town in Lancashire.
Tatton (Settlement) English
From the Old English given name Tata combined with tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of a town in Cheshire.
Thornley (Settlement) English
From Old English þorn "thorn" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England and Scotland.
Thornton (Settlement) English
From Old English þorn "thorn" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.
Trefaldwyn (Settlement) Welsh
Means "town of Baldwin" in Welsh. This is another name for the town of Montgomery in Wales.
Trenton (Settlement) English
Means "Trent's town". This is the name of a New Jersey city established in the 17th century by William Trent.
Tyskland (Country) Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Swedish, Norwegian and Danish form of Deutschland.
United Kingdom (Country) English
The name of a Western European island country, composed of the smaller countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is almost always written with the definite article the. This name came into use in the year 1801, when the realm was officially renamed from the Kingdom of Great Britain to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After Ireland became independent in 1922 it was formally renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Upton (Settlement) English
From Old English upp "up" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of various towns in England.
Valachia (Region) Late Roman
Latin form of Wallachia.
Valahia (Region) Romanian
Romanian form of Wallachia. The region is typically called Țara Românească in Romanian.
Valhal (Other) Norse Mythology
Danish form of Valhalla.
Valhall (Other) Norse Mythology
Swedish and Norwegian form of Valhalla.
Valhalla (Other) Norse Mythology
From Old Norse Valhǫll meaning "hall of the battle-dead", from valr meaning "those slain in battle" and hǫll meaning "hall, manor". In Norse mythology this is the name of Odin's enormous hall where half of all warriors go after they die.
Valhǫll (Other) Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of Valhalla.
Vashington (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Russian
Russian form of Washington.
Vashynhton (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Washington.
Vereinigtes Königreich (Country) German
German calque of United Kingdom (using the adjective vereinigt meaning "united"). It is written with the definite article das.
Vereinigte Staaten (Country) German
German calque of United States (using the adjective vereinigt meaning "united"). It is written with the definite article die.
Verenigde Staten (Country) Dutch
Dutch calque of United States (using the adjective verenigd meaning "united"). It is written with the definite article de.
Vitryssland (Country) Swedish
Means "white Russia", a Swedish calque of Belarus.
Vlashko (Region) Bulgarian
Bulgarian form of Wallachia.
Vltava (River) Czech
Probably from Old High German wildi "wild" and aha "river". This is the name of a river in the Czech Republic.
Voshingtan (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Hindi
Hindi form of Washington.
Wakefield (Settlement) English
From Old English wacu "wake, vigil" and feld "field". This is the name of a city in England.
Walachei (Region) German
German form of Wallachia.
Wales (Country) English, German, Dutch
From Old English Wealas, derived from wealh meaning "foreigner, Celt". This is the name of a country (part of the United Kingdom) in the west of the island of Great Britain. In Welsh it is called Cymru.
Wallachia (Region) Romanian
From Slavic volxŭ meaning "foreigner, Roman", from the Germanic word walhaz. This was the name of a historic principality that was located in southern Romania. It united with Moldavia in 1859 to create the Kingdom of Romania.
Walmersley (Settlement) English
Meaning uncertain. The final element is Old English leah "woodland, clearing". The first element may be a given name such as Wealdmær or Wealhmær. This is the name of a town near Manchester.
Warwick (Settlement) English
From Old English wer "weir, dam" and wic "village, town". This is the name of a town in England.
Washington (Settlement & Political Subdivision) English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Means "settlement belonging to Wassa's people", from the given name Wassa and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of a town in northern England. It is also the name of the capital city and a state in the United States, both named after the president George Washington (1732-1799), whose surname was derived from the name of the English town.
Washinton (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Japanese
Japanese form of Washington.
Washintun (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Arabic
Arabic form of Washington.
Waszyngton (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Polish
Polish form of Washington.
Wealas (Region) Anglo-Saxon
Old English form of Wales.
Weißrussland (Country) German
Means "white Russia", a German calque of Belarus.
Wembley (Settlement) English
Means "Wemba's clearing" in Old English. This was the name of a town that is now part of Greater London.
Weosingteon (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Korean
Korean form of Washington.
Westcott (Settlement) English
From Old English west "west" and cot "cottage". This is the name of several towns in England.
Westley (Settlement) English
From Old English west "west" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few small English towns.
Weston (Settlement) English
From Old English west "west" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several towns in England.
Whitney (Settlement) English
Probably from Old English hwit "white" and ieg "island". This is the name of a small town in Herefordshire.
Wickham (Settlement) English
From Old English wic "village, town" (of Latin origin) and ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a few towns in England.
Willey (Settlement) English
From Old English welig "willow" or weoh "idol, image" combined with leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few towns in England.
Willoughby (Settlement) English
From Old English welig meaning "willow" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement". This is the name of several towns in England.
Wilton (Settlement) English
From Old English welig meaning "willow", wille meaning "well, spring, water hole", or the name of the River Wylye, combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of various towns in England.
Winslow (Settlement) English
Means "Wine's hill" in Old English. This is the name of a town in Buckinghamshire.
Winthrope 1 (Settlement) English
Means "Wine's village", from the given name Wine and Old English þrop "village". This is the name of a town in Lincolnshire.
Winthrope 2 (Settlement) English
Means "Wigmund's village", from the given name Wigmund and Old English þrop "village". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire.
Winton (Settlement) English
Means "Wine's enclosure" in Old English. This is the name of various towns in England.
Wit-Rusland (Country) Dutch
Means "white Russia", a Dutch calque of Belarus.
Włochy (Country) Polish
From Old Slavic volxŭ meaning "foreigner, Roman". This is the Polish name for Italy.
Wortham (Settlement) English
From Old English worþ "enclosure" and ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a town in Suffolk.
Wymondham (Settlement) English
From the given name Wigmund combined with Old English ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a town in Norfolk.
Yoxall (Settlement) English
Derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess". This is the name of a town in Staffordshire.
Zealand (Country) English, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
From Dutch Zeeland, from Middle Dutch Seelant, derived from see "sea" and lant "land". This is the name of a province in the western Netherlands (now typically called Zeeland in many languages). It is also borne by the country of New Zealand in the South Pacific, which was named by the Dutch in the 17th century.
Zeeland (Political Subdivision & Country) Dutch, English, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Dutch form of Zealand. Several other languages, including English, use this spelling to refer to the Dutch province (but not the country of New Zealand).
Zelanda (Political Subdivision & Country) Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Zealand.
Zélande (Political Subdivision & Country) French
French form of Zealand.
Zelândia (Political Subdivision & Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Zealand.
Zelandia (Political Subdivision & Country) Polish
Polish form of Zealand.
Zweden (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Sweden.