River Place Names

type
usage
Aeron (River) Welsh
River in Wales, possibly derived from the hypothetical Celtic goddess Agrona.
Alabama (Political Subdivision & River) English
The name of an American river and state, appearing in European sources from the 16th-century in spellings such as Alibamu. It is derived from the name of the Alabama people, a Native American tribe, called Albaamaha in the Alabama language. The tribal name might be from the related Choctaw language meaning "plant gatherers", from ạlba "plants, herbs" and ạmo "to reap, to gather, to cut".
Alma (River) Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian, Russian, English
From Crimean Tatar alma meaning "apple". This is the name of a river in Crimea, notable as the site of a 1854 battle in the Crimean War.
Amstel (River) Dutch
Means "water place" in Dutch. This is the name of a river in the Netherlands, which lent its name to Amsterdam.
Avon (River) English
Means "river" in Brythonic (modern Welsh afon). This is the name of several rivers in Britain.
Belice (Country & River) Spanish
Spanish form of Belize.
Beliz (Country & River) Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Greek, Bosnian
Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Greek and Bosnian form of Belize.
Belize (Country & River) English, Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay
From Spanish Belice, earlier Balis, from the name of the Belize River, which may itself be from Mayan beliz meaning "muddy water". This is the name of a country on the Atlantic coast of Central America.
Ceyhun (River) Turkish, Azerbaijani
Turkish and Azerbaijani form of Jayhun.
Columbia (Region, Settlement, Political Subdivision & River) English, Italian, Spanish, Late Roman
Named after the explorer Christopher Columbus, called Cristoforo Colombo in Italian (see the surname Colombo). This is the name of several cities in the Americas (including the District of Columbia, also called Washington D.C.), and a river in Canada and the United States. It is also a name used historically to refer to the New World.
Congo (River & Country) English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Danish
From Kongo, of uncertain origin, the name of a kingdom in central Africa that existed from the 14th to 19th century. The Congo River (also called the Zaire River) was named after the kingdom. Belgian and French colonies were established in the 19th century, named after the river, which eventually led to two African countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo.
Danube (River) English
From Latin Danubius, from Indo-European Danu, probably meaning "river, water". This is the name of a river that flows east through Europe to the Black Sea.
Danubius (River) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Danube.
Deben (River) English
Means "deep" in Old English. This is the name of a river in Suffolk.
Dee (River) English
Possibly from a Celtic root meaning "divine". This is the name of rivers in Scotland (Gaelic Dhè) and Wales (Welsh Dyfrdwy).
Dhè (River) Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Dee.
Donau (River) German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Form of Danube in various languages.
Douglas (River & Settlement) Scottish
From Gaelic dubh "dark" and glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to glas "grey, green"). This is the name of a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water, as well as a town that sits upon it in Lanarkshire.
Dùbhghlas (River & Settlement) Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Douglas.
Duna (River) Hungarian
Hungarian form of Danube.
Dunaj (River) Polish, Czech, Slovak
Polish, Czech and Slovak form of Danube.
Dyfrdwy (River) Welsh
Compound of Old Welsh dwfr "water" and duiu "god". This is the Welsh name of the River Dee.
Effratis (River) Greek
Modern Greek form of Euphrates.
Euphrates (River) English, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek
From Greek Εὐφράτης (Euphrates), the name of a river in Mesopotamia. It is derived from Old Persian 𐎢𐎳𐎼𐎠𐎬𐎢 (Ufratu), itself from Elamite or Sumerian, of uncertain meaning.
Fırat (River) Turkish
Turkish form of Euphrates.
Furat (River) Arabic
Arabic form of Euphrates. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: الفرات (al-Furat).
Gichon (River) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Gihon.
Gihon (River) Biblical
From Hebrew גיחון (Gichon), derived from גּיחַ (giyach) meaning "to burst forth". According to the Old Testament, this was the name of a river that originated in the Garden of Eden.
Giordano (River) Italian
Italian form of Jordan (the river).
Glyme (River) English
Means "bright stream" in Brythonic. This is the name of a river in Oxfordshire, England.
Indos (River) Ancient Greek
Greek form of Indus.
Indus (River) English, Ancient Roman
From Old Persian Hindus, which was from Sanskrit सिन्धु (Sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". This is the name of a river in Pakistan and India.
Iordan (River) Russian, Romanian
Russian and Romanian form of Jordan (the river).
Iordanes (River) Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin
Greek and Latin form of Jordan.
Iordanis (River) Greek
Modern Greek form of Jordan (the river).
Irvine (River & Settlement) Scottish
Derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water". This is a river and city in North Ayrshire, Scotland.
Jayhun (River) Arabic
Arabic form of Gihon, used also as the name of the Amu Darya river in central Asia.
Jordaan (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Jordan (the river).
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 (Yarden), and it is derived from יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "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).
Jourdain (River) French
French form of Jordan (the river).
Kent (Political Subdivision & River) English
Possibly from a Brythonic element meaning "border, edge, coast". This is the name of a historic kingdom and modern county in southeastern England, called Cent in Old English, Cantium in Latin. It is also the name of a river in Cumbria, northwestern England.
Neilos (River) Ancient Greek
Greek form of Nile.
Níger (River & Country) Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Icelandic
Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan and Icelandic form of Niger.
Niger (River & Country) English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, Serbian, Late Roman
Meaning unknown, possibly of Berber origin, though influenced by Latin niger "black". This is the name of a river in western Africa (and a country that is named after it).
Nijl (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Nile.
Níl (River) Slovak
Slovak form of Nile.
Nil (River) Arabic, French, German, Luxembourgish, Catalan, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish, Azerbaijani
Form of Nile in various languages. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: النيل (al-Nil).
Nile (River) English
From Latin Nilus, which was from Greek Νεῖλος (Neilos), possibly of Semitic origin meaning "river". This is the name of a long river in Africa.
Nilo (River) Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Nilus (see Nile).
Nilus (River) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Nile.
Ottawa (River & Settlement) English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch
From the name of the Odawa or Ottawa people, derived from Ojibwe odaawaa meaning "trader". This is the name of a river and the capital city of Canada.
Paraguái (Country & River) Indigenous American, Guarani
Guaraní form of Paraguay.
Paraguai (Country & River) Portuguese, Catalan, Japanese
Portuguese, Catalan and Japanese form of Paraguay.
Paraguay (Country, River & Settlement) Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Indigenous American, Guarani
The name of a landlocked country in South America. It is derived from a river of the same name, of uncertain meaning. It possibly means "water from the sea" in Guaraní, from para "sea", gua "from" and y "water". In Guaraní Paraguái is the name of the country and the river, with Paraguay the name of the capital city Asunción.
Paragvaj (Country & River) Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian
Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Macedonian of Paraguay.
Purattu (River) Akkadian
Akkadian form of Euphrates.
Roe (River) Irish
Possibly from Irish rua meaning "red". This is the name of a river in Ireland.
Rudawa (River) Polish
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a river in Poland, near Krakow.
Samara (Settlement & River) Russian, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, German
Meaning unknown, possibly from an Iranian root meaning "summer". This is the name of a city in Russia, founded in the 16th century, as well as the river on which it is situated.
Senegaal (River & Country) Western African, Wolof
Wolof form of Senegal.
Sénégal (River & Country) French
French form of Senegal.
Senegal (River & Country) Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Turkish, Armenian, Persian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Mongolian, Indian, Hindi, Bengali, Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, Malay, Tagalog
From Portuguese, possibly from the name of the Berber Zenaga people of northern Senegal. This is the name of a river in western Africa, and a country named after it. It gained independence from France in 1960.
Shannon (River) Irish
From 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.
Shenandoah (River) English, Indigenous American, Iroquois
Meaning uncertain, possibly of Iroquois origin. This is the name of a river in the eastern United States.
Sinainn (River) Old Irish
Old Irish form of Shannon.
Sindhu (River) Sanskrit
Sanskrit form of Indus.
Sionainn (River) Irish
Irish form of Shannon.
Ślęza (River) Polish
Variant of Ślęża. This is the name of a river in Silesia, Poland.
Sousa (River) Portuguese
Possibly derived from Latin salsus "salty" or saxa "rocks", but likely of pre-Latin origin. This is the name of a river in Portugal.
Tennessee (Political Subdivision & River) English
From Cherokee ᏔᎾᏏ (Tanasi), the name of a now-abandoned village, of unknown meaning. It has given its name to an American state and a river.
Trent 1 (River) English
River in England, possibly from the Celtic elements tri "across" and sant "travel", a reference to its frequent floodings.
Ufratu (River) Old Persian
Old Persian form of Euphrates.
Ural (Region & River) Russian, English, German, Turkish, Bashkir
Meaning unknown, possibly from Turkic aral meaning "island, boundary". This is the name of a mountain range and a river in western Russia.
Urdann (River & Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Jordan, usually written with the definite article: الأردنّ (al-Urdann).
Wylye (River) English
Possibly from a Celtic word meaning "tricky". This is the name of a river in southern England.
Yamuna (River) Indian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit
Name of an Indian river, which is possibly derived from the name of the goddess Yami.
Yarden (River & Country) Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew
Hebrew form of Jordan.
Zaïre (River & Country) French, Dutch
French and Dutch form of Zaire.
Zaire (River & Country) Portuguese, English
Older name of the Congo River, said to be derived via Portuguese from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers". This was also the former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Zambezi (River) Southern African, Chewa, Bemba, Tonga, Shona, English
The name of a river in southern Africa, of uncertain meaning. It could possibly be from the name of the Bisa people of Zambia. According to the explorer David Livingstone it meant "great river".