Settlement Place Names

Aalst (Settlement) Dutch
Possibly from Germanic *alhs meaning "temple, shelter". This is the name of various towns in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Aarle (Settlement) Dutch
Meaning unknown. This is the name of various towns in the Netherlands.

Abney (Settlement) English
From the Old English given name Abba combined with eg "island". This is the name of a town in Derbyshire.

Achterberg (Settlement) Low German
The name of various villages and estates in the Netherlands and Germany, derived from Low German achter "behind" and berg "mountain, hill".

Achthoven (Settlement) Dutch
Means "eight farmsteads" in Dutch. This is the name of various towns in the Netherlands.

Adrichem (Settlement) Dutch
Means "Adrik's home". This was the name of an estate and castle (demolished in 1812) that was formerly in North Holland, the Netherlands.

Alexandreia (Settlement) Ancient Greek
Greek form of Alexandria.

Alexandria (Settlement) English, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek (Latinized)
From the Greek given name Ἀλέξανδρος (see Alexander), bestowed by Alexander the Great upon the cities he founded or conquered. This is the name of many cities throughout the world, notably in Egypt.

Alger (Settlement) French, Romanian
French and Romanian form of Algiers.

Algeri (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Algiers.

Algier (Settlement) German, Polish
German and Polish form of Algiers.

Algiers (Settlement) English, Dutch
From Arabic الجزائر (al-Jaza'ir) meaning "the islands". This is the name of the capital city of Algeria, so named because of the islands in its bay.

Altena (Settlement) Dutch
Possibly means "close, near" in Dutch. This is the name of a town in the Netherlands.

Amersfoort (Settlement) Dutch
Means "ford of the Amer (Eem) River" in Dutch. This is the name of a city in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Amsterdam (Settlement) Dutch, English, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Means "dam on the Amstel" in Dutch. This is the name of the capital city of the Netherlands, first mentioned with this name in the 13th century.

Andel (Settlement) Dutch
Possibly means "upper forest" in Old Dutch. This is the name of a town in North Brabant in the Netherlands.

Annesley (Settlement) English
From Old English anne "alone, solitary" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire.

Ansley (Settlement) English
From Old English ansetl "hermitage" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Warwickshire.

Antwerp (Settlement) English
From Dutch Antwerpen, meaning uncertain, perhaps from Dutch werf meaning "wharf". This is the name of a city in Belgium.

Antwerpen (Settlement) Dutch, German, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Hungarian, Slovene, Croatian, Bosnian
Dutch form of Antwerp, as well as the form in several other languages.

Anvers (Settlement) French
French form of Antwerp.

Apeldoorn (Settlement) Dutch
Means "apple tree" in Dutch. This is the name of a city in the Netherlands.

Appleby (Settlement) English
Derived from Old English æppel "apple" and Old Norse býr "farm, settlement". This is the name of towns in England.

Appleton (Settlement) English
Derived from Old English æppeltun "orchard". This is the name of towns in England.

Aquino (Settlement) Italian
Derived from Latin aqua meaning "water". This is the name of a town in Italy.

Arendonk (Settlement) Dutch
Derived from Dutch arend "eagle" and donk "hill". This is the name of a city in northern Belgium.

Argel (Settlement) Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Algiers.

Ariha (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Jericho.

Arimathaea (Settlement) Biblical Latin
Latin form of Arimathea.

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 (Ramatayim) or רָמָה (Ramah) near Jerusalem has been proposed.

Asch (Settlement) Dutch
From Old Dutch ask meaning "ash tree". This is the name of a town in the Netherlands.

Ashley (Settlement) English
From Old English æsc "ash tree" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of various towns in England.

Ashton (Settlement) English
From Old English æsc "ash tree" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.

Ashur (Settlement & Region) English, Arabic, Persian, Akkadian
From Akkadian 𒀸𒋩 (Assur), meaning unknown. This was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, supposedly named for the god Ashur, though the god was in fact probably named for the city. The empire, Assyria, was also named for it. The city was destroyed in the 14th century by the forces of Tamerlane.... [more]

Ashworth (Settlement) English
From Old English æsc "ash tree" and worþ "enclosure". This was the name of a town in Lancashire.

Asís (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Assisi.

Asisium (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Assisi.

Assendorp (Settlement) Dutch
From Dutch es meaning "ash tree" (plural essen) and dorp meaning "village". This is the name of a city in the Netherlands.

Assise (Settlement) French
French form of Assisi.

Assisi (Settlement) Italian, English, German
From Latin Asisium, which is of unknown, possibly pre-Latin, origin. This is the name of a city in central Italy.

Astnide (Settlement) Old High German (Latinized)
Old German (Latinized) form of Essen.

Aston (Settlement) English
From Old English east "east" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of many towns in England.

Astoria (Settlement) English
From the surname Astor, in honour of the businessman John Jacob Astor. This is the name of several American towns, such as Astoria, Oregon.

Aten (Settlement) Persian, Swedish
Persian and Swedish form of Athens.

Atena (Settlement) Croatian, Romanian
Croatian and Romanian form of Athens.

Atėnai (Settlement) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Athens.

Atēnas (Settlement) Latvian
Latvian form of Athens.

Atenas (Settlement) Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Athens.

Atene (Settlement) Italian, Slovene, Japanese
Italian, Slovene and Japanese form of Athens.

Athén (Settlement) Hungarian
Hungarian form of Athens.

Athen (Settlement) German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian form of Athens.

Athena (Settlement) Indonesian
Indonesian form of Athens.

Athenae (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Athens.

Athenai (Settlement) Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek form of Athens.

Athene (Settlement) Dutch, Afrikaans
Dutch and Afrikaans form of Athens.

Athènes (Settlement) French
French form of Athens.

Athens (Settlement) English
From Ancient Greek Ἀθήναι (Athenai), meaning unknown, probably from a pre-Greek language. The Greek goddess Athena was probably named for the city, not vice versa. Athens is a city in eastern Greece, emerging as a powerful city-state in the classical period. It has been the capital of the modern country of Greece since 1834.

Athina (Settlement) Greek, Arabic
Modern Greek and Arabic form of Athens.

Atina (Settlement) Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Turkish
Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian and Turkish form of Athens.

Aubigny (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Albinus. This is the name of several French communes.

Audley (Settlement) English
Means "Ealdgyð's clearing" in Old English. This is the name of a village in Staffordshire, England.

Aureliana (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Means "of Aurelius" in Latin. This was the name of some Roman towns and estates.

Aurelianum (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Means "of Aurelianus" in Latin. This was the name of a city in Gaul (modern Orléans, France), which was renamed in honour of the 3rd-century Roman emperor Aurelian.

Avonlea (Settlement) Literature
Created by Lucy Maud Montgomery as the setting for her novel Anne of Green Gables (1908). She may have based the name on the Arthurian island of Avalon, though it also resembles the river name Avon and leah "woodland, clearing".

Ayton (Settlement) English
Derived from Old English ea "river" or ieg "island" combined with tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of towns in Berwickshire and North Yorkshire.

Baard (Settlement) Frisian
Possibly from a given name that was a variant of Bert. This is the name of a town in Frisia in the Netherlands.

Babili (Settlement) Akkadian
Akkadian form of Babylon.

Babilónia (Settlement) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Babylon.

Babilonia (Settlement) Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Babylon.

Babylon (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, Biblical, Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek
Greek form of Akkadian 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 (Babili), which appears to mean "gateway of God", from Akkadian 𒆍 (babu) meaning "gate" and 𒀭 (ilu) meaning "God", though it may in fact derive from a non-Semitic language. This was the name of a major city in ancient Mesopotamia, the capital of the Babylonian Empire. It was located in present-day Iraq.

Babylone (Settlement) French
French form of Babylon.

Badalocum (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Baggio.

Baggio (Settlement) Italian
From Latin Badalocum meaning "watch place". This is the name of an Italian town, now a district of Milan.

Bagley (Settlement) English
From the Old English given name Bacga (of uncertain meaning) combined with leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of various towns in England.

Banama (Country & Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Panama.

Banbh (Settlement) Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic form of Banff.

Banff (Settlement) Scottish, English
Possibly from Gaelic banbh meaning "young pig". This is the name of a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is also the name of a town and national park in Alberta, Canada.

Bardsley (Settlement) English
From the Old English name Beornræd and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a village near Manchester.

Baris (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Paris.

Batra (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Petra. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: البتراء (al-Batra).

Bayt Lahm (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Bethlehem. The Arabic word لحم (lahm) meaning "meat" is cognate with Hebrew לֶחֶם (lechem) meaning "bread".

Becske (Settlement) Hungarian
Possibly derived from the Hungarian given name Benedek. This is the name of a small town in Hungary.

Beers (Settlement) Dutch
Possibly from Dutch baar meaning "bar". This is the name of a town in the Netherlands (plus a smaller one in Frisia).

Beesley (Settlement) English
From Old English beos "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing". This was the name of a hamlet or farm in Lancashire, England.

Begbie (Settlement) Scottish
Derived from the Old Norse name Baggi and býr meaning "farm, settlement". This is the name of a small town in East Lothian, Scotland.

Begoña (Settlement) Basque, Spanish
Possibly from Basque meaning "lower foot". This is the name of a district (formerly a separate town) of Bilbao, Spain.

Beijing (Settlement) Chinese, English, Korean
From Chinese 北 (běi) meaning "north" and 京 (jīng) meaning "capital city". This is the name of the capital of China.

Beit-'El (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Bethel.

Beit-Lechem (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Bethlehem.

Bejing (Settlement) Hindi
Hindi form of Beijing.

Belén (Settlement) Spanish, Biblical Spanish
Spanish form of Bethlehem.

Benetke (Settlement) Slovene
Slovene form of Venice.

Benim (Settlement, Body of Water & Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Benin.

Bénin (Settlement, Body of Water & Country) French
French form of Benin.

Benín (Settlement, Body of Water & Country) Spanish, Catalan, Icelandic
Spanish, Catalan and Icelandic form of Benin.

Benin (Settlement, Body of Water & Country) English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Indonesian, Malay
From Portuguese Benim, derived from Itsekiri Ubinu, the name of the capital city of the historical Benin Kingdom (present-day Benin City in Nigeria). Allegedly it was initially named Ile-Ibinu meaning "land of anger" because of disputes between different factions. The Bight of Benin (a large bay) was named after the Benin Kingdom, and the modern country of Benin, west of Nigeria, was named after the bay in 1975 (formerly named Dahomey).

Benington (Settlement) English
Means either "settlement belonging to Beonna's people" or "settlement by the River Beane" in Old English. This is the name of towns in England.

Bentley (Settlement) English
From Old English beonet "bent grass" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several English towns.

Benton (Settlement) English
From Old English beonet "bent grass" and tun "enclosure". This is the name of towns in England.

Bergamo (Settlement) Italian, English
From Latin Bergomum, possibly from a Celtic word meaning "mountain". This is the name of a city in northern Italy.

Bergomum (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Bergamo.

Berkeley (Settlement) English
From Old English beorc "birch" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a city in Gloucestershire, England.

Berlin (Settlement) German, English, French, Polish, Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian
City in Germany, the name of which is of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from an Old Slavic stem berl- meaning "swamp".

Betânia (Settlement) Biblical Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bethany.

Betania (Settlement) Biblical Spanish, Biblical Italian
Spanish and Italian form of Bethany.

Bethania (Settlement) Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Form of Bethany used in the Greek and Latin New Testament.

Bethany (Settlement) Biblical
From Greek Βηθανία (Bethania), which is of uncertain meaning. The first part of the name is derived from Hebrew/Aramaic בַּיִת (bayit) meaning "house". Suggestions for the second part of the name include עָנָה ('anah) leading to "house of affliction" or תְּאֵנָה (te'enah) 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. 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 (bayit) meaning "house" and לֶחֶם (lechem) 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.

Betlehem (Settlement) Slovak
Slovak form of Bethlehem.

Betlém (Settlement) Czech
Czech form of Bethlehem.

Betlemme (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Bethlehem.

Beverley (Settlement) English
From Old English beofor "beaver" and (possibly) licc "stream". This is the name of a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Bikin (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Beijing.

Blackburn (Settlement) English
From Old English blæc "black" and burna "stream". This is the name of a city in Lancashire, England.

Blakesley (Settlement) English
From the Old English byname Blæcwulf "black wolf" combined with leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a city in Northamptonshire.

Blidworth (Settlement) English
From the Old English byname Blīþa "happy, blithe" and worþ "enclosure". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire, England.

Bloxham (Settlement) English
From the Old English byname Blocca and ham meaning "home, homestead". This is the name of a town in Oxfordshire.

Bohon (Settlement) French
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in Manche, France.

Boll (Settlement) German
From Middle High German meaning "hill". This is the name of several towns in Germany.

Bologna (Settlement) Italian, English, German
From Latin Bononia, possibly derived from a Celtic word meaning "settlement". This is the name of a city in northern Italy.

Bologne (Settlement) French
French form of Bologna.

Bolonia (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Bologna.

Bombaim (Settlement) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bombay.

Bombay (Settlement) French, Spanish, English (Rare)
From Portuguese Bombaim, probably derived from Marathi Mumbai, possibly with influence from Portuguese bom bain meaning "good little bay". This is an older English name for Mumbai, officially used until 1995. It is also the form still commonly used in French and Spanish.

Bononia (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Bologna.

Borja (Settlement) Spanish
From Arabic بُرْج (burj) meaning "tower". This is the name of a town in Aragon, Spain.

Boston (Settlement) English
Means "Botwulf's stone", from the Old English name Botwulf combined with stan "stone". This is a town in Lincolnshire, England, and a city in the United States that is named after it.

Brackenrig (Settlement) Scottish
From Middle English braken meaning "bracken" (via Old Norse brækni) and rigg meaning "ridge" (via Old Norse hryggr). This is the name of several Scottish towns.

Bradford (Settlement) English
From Old English brad "broad" and ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of a city in West Yorkshire, as well as several other towns.

Bradley (Settlement) English
From Old English brad "broad" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England.

Brazilia (Country & Settlement) Romanian, Georgian
Romanian and Georgian form of Brazil. This is also the Georgian name for Brazil's capital city Brasília.

Brierley (Settlement) English
From Old English brer "briar" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of various towns in England.

Bristol (Settlement) English
Name of a city in southwestern England, derived from Old English Brycgstow meaning "the site of the bridge".

Brodie (Settlement) English
Probably from Gaelic broth meaning "ditch, mire". This is the name of an estate and castle in Moray, Scotland.

Brooklyn (Settlement) English
Name of a borough of New York City, originally derived from the Dutch town of Breukelen meaning either "broken land" (from Dutch breuk) or "marsh land" (from Dutch broek).

Buckley (Settlement) English
From Old English bucc "buck, male deer" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few minor towns in England.

Buda (Settlement) Hungarian
Possibly from the given name Bleda (which belonged to the brother of Attila the Hun). This was the name of a Hungarian city on the west bank of the Danube. Today it is a part of Budapest, having merged with Pest in 1873.

Budapest (Settlement) Hungarian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Combination of Buda and Pest, two cities that merged in 1873. This is the name of the capital city of Hungary.

Buren (Settlement) Dutch
From Old Dutch bur "house, dwelling". This is a small town on the island of Ameland in the north of the Netherlands, as well as a small city in Gelderland.

Burnham (Settlement) English
From Old English burna "stream, spring" and ham "home". This is the name of several towns in England.

Burton (Settlement) English
From Old English burg "fortress, castle" and tun "enclosure". This is the name of several English towns.

Bustillo (Settlement) Spanish
From a diminutive of Late Latin bustum meaning "ox pasture". This is the name of towns in Spain.

Busto (Settlement) Spanish, Italian
From Late Latin bustum meaning "ox pasture". This is the name of several towns in Spain and Italy.

Caerfyrddin (Settlement) Welsh
From Welsh caer "fort" and Moridunum. This is the name of a town in southern Wales.

Caiatia (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Caiazzo.

Caiazzo (Settlement) Italian
From Latin Caiatia, a derivative of the given name Caius. This is the name of a city near Naples.

Cairo (Settlement) English
From Arabic القاهرة (al-Qahirah) meaning "the victorious", in honour of the conquering Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz li Din Allah (932-975). This is the name of the capital city of Egypt.

Caivano (Settlement) Italian
From Latin Calvianum, a derivative of the cognomen Calvus. This is the name of a city near Naples.

Cale (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Possibly from Celtic gall meaning "Gaul, Celt". This was the name of an ancient town in what is now Portugal, near the modern city of Porto.

Calvianum (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Caivano.

Capri (Island & Settlement) Italian, English
Likely from Greek κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar", though it could also be of Etruscan origin or from Latin capri meaning "goats". This is the name of an Italian island.

Carlisle (Settlement) English
Originally called by the Romans Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of Lugus". Later the Brythonic element ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city. This is the name of a city in Cumbria in northern England.

Carmarthen (Settlement) English
English form of Caerfyrddin.

Cawston (Settlement) English
From the Old Norse given name Kálfr combined with Old English tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of towns in Norfolk and Warwickshire.

Ceaster (Settlement) Anglo-Saxon
Old English form of Chester.

Chadwick (Settlement) English
Means "village belonging to Chad" in Old English. This is the name of towns in Lancashire and Warwickshire.

Chaves (Settlement) Portuguese, Spanish
From the Roman name Flavius. This is the name of a Portuguese city, which was originally named for the Roman emperor Vespasian, whose family name was Flavius.

Chelsea (Settlement) English
Originally derived from Old English and meaning "landing place for chalk or limestone". This is a district in London.

Chester (Settlement) English
From Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress". This is the name of a city in Cheshire, England.

Cochrane (Settlement) Scottish
Meaning unknown. This was the name of an estate in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Cockburn (Settlement) English
From Old English cocc "rooster" and burna "stream". This was the name of a town in Berwickshire, Scotland.

Cologne (Settlement) French, English
French form of Latin Colonia, shortened from Colonia Agrippina meaning "colony of Agrippina", named after the wife of Emperor Claudius. This is the name of a city in western Germany.

Colonia (Settlement) Ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish
Latin form of Cologne, as well as the Italian and Spanish form.

Colton (Settlement) English
Means "Cola's town" in Old English. This is the name of several English towns.

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.

Corinth (Settlement) English
From Greek Κόρινθος (Korinthos), from Doric Greek Ϙόρινθος (Qorinthos), of Pre-Greek origin. This was the name of an ancient Greek city-state on the Peloponnese, as well as a nearby modern city.

Corinthe (Settlement) French
French form of Corinth.

Corinthus (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Corinth.

Courtenay (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Curtenus, derived from Latin curtus "short". This is the name of a few French communes.

Cracovie (Settlement) French
French form of Kraków.

Cracow (Settlement) English
English form of Kraków.

Crawford (Settlement) English
From Old English crawe "crow" and ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name various small towns in England.

Crema (Settlement) Italian
Meaning uncertain, possibly from a Lombardic word meaning "hill". This is the name of a city in Cremona (to which the name is unrelated) in northern Italy.

Cremona (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Italian
Probably from the name of the Celtic tribe the Cenomani, or possibly from a pre-Latin word meaning "stone". This is the name of a city and province in northern Italy.

Cuinchy (Settlement) French
From older Quintiacum, derived from the personal name Quintus plus the local suffix -acum. This is the name of a village in France.

Czajków (Settlement) Polish
Derived from Polish czajka meaning "lapwing (bird)". This is the name of several towns in Poland.

Dallas (Settlement) English
Several of the places bearing this name, including probably the city in Texas, were named for the American vice president George M. Dallas (1792-1864). His surname is of Old English origin meaning "valley house".

Damas (Settlement) French
French form of Damascus.

Damasco (Settlement) Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Damascus.

Damascus (Settlement) Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, English
Meaning unknown, probably of Semitic origin. It is first mentioned in Egyptian records from the 15th century BC under the name Tmsq. It is now the capital city of Syria.

Damaskos (Settlement) Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek
Greek form of Damascus.

Dameshq (Settlement) Persian
Persian form of Damascus.

Dammeseq (Settlement) Ancient Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew
Aramaic and Hebrew form of Damascus.

Debenham (Settlement) English
From the Old English river name Deben combined with ham meaning "home, homestead". This is the name of a town in Suffolk, on the River Deben.

Deighton (Settlement) English
From Old English dic "ditch" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of various towns in England.

Delfoi (Settlement) Greek
Modern Greek transcription of Delphoi.

Delhi (Settlement) English
From Sanskrit दिल्ली (Dilli), possibly from देहली (dehali) meaning "threshold", or possibly from the name of a 1st-century BC king. This is the name of a large city in northern India, which includes the district of New Delhi, the Indian capital.

Delphi (Settlement) Ancient Roman, English
Latinized form of Greek Δελφοί (Delphoi), from δελφύς (delphys) meaning "womb". This was the name of an ancient Greek city, the site of an oracle of Apollo.

Delphoi (Settlement) Ancient Greek
Greek form of Delphi.

Derby (Settlement) English
Means "deer farm" in Old Norse. This is the name of a city in England.

Dilli (Settlement) Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Sanskrit
Form of Delhi used in several Indian languages.

Dimashq (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Damascus.

Donggyeong (Settlement) Korean
Korean form of Tokyo.

Dongjing (Settlement) Chinese
Chinese form of Tokyo.

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.

Dudley (Settlement) English
Means "Dudda's clearing" in Old English. This is the name of a city in the West Midlands, England.

Džakarta (Settlement) Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene
Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Serbian and Slovene form of Jakarta.

Dżakarta (Settlement) Polish
Polish form of Jakarta.

Dzhakarta (Settlement) Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Kazakh
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian and Kazakh form of Jakarta.

Eaton (Settlement) English
Derived from Old English ea "river" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.

Eboracum (Settlement) Old Celtic (Latinized)
Latinized form of York.

Emerita Augusta (Settlement) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Mérida.

Erech (Settlement) Biblical
Form of Uruk used in the English Old Testament.

Erekh (Settlement) Biblical Hebrew
Form of Uruk used in the Hebrew Bible.

Essen (Settlement) German, English
From older Astnide, possibly a derivative of Old High German asc meaning "ash tree". This is the name of a city in Germany, founded in the 9th century.

Estocolmo (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Stockholm.

Etxeberria (Settlement) Basque
Means "the new house", from Basque etxe "house" and berri "new". This was the name of a village (and castle) in Navarre where the saint Francis Xavier was born.

Ewart (Settlement) English
From Old English ea "river" and worþ "enclosure". This is the name of a town in Northumberland, England.

Farnham (Settlement) English
From Old English fearn "fern" and ham "home" or ham "water meadow, enclosure". This is the name of several towns in England, notably in Surrey.

Fátima (Settlement) Portuguese
Derived from the Arabic feminine name Fatimah, apparently after a Moorish princess who converted to Christianity during the Reconquista. This is the name of a town in Portugal, which became an important Christian pilgrimage center after 1917 when three local children reported witnessing repeated apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Filadelfia (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Philadelphia.

Filipów (Settlement) Polish
Derived from the given name Filip. This is the name of a town in Poland.

Forum Iulii (Settlement & Region) Ancient Roman
Latin form of Friuli, the name of both the region and the town.

Foulden (Settlement) English
From Old English fugol meaning "bird" and dun meaning "hill". This is the name of a town in Norfolk.

Frankenstein (Settlement) German
From German Franken, the name of the Germanic tribe of the Franks, and Steinn meaning "stone". This is the name of a few small towns in Germany.

Gary (Settlement) English
City in Indiana that was named after businessman Elbert Henry Gary (1846-1927), the founder of U.S. Steel.

Gênes (Settlement) French
French form of Genoa.

Genoa (Settlement) English
From Latin Genua, probably derived from genu meaning "knee". This is the name of a port city in northwestern Italy. It is called Genova in Italian.

Génova (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Genoa.

Genova (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Genoa.

Genua (Settlement) Ancient Roman, German, Dutch
Latin, German and Dutch form of Genoa.

Gerusalemme (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Jerusalem.

Giacarta (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Jakarta.

Glympton (Settlement) English
Derived from the name of the river Glyme and Old English tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of small town in Oxfordshire, England.

Gonkong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen
Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Russian and Turkmen form of Hong Kong.

Górka (Settlement) Polish
From Polish góra meaning "mountain". This is the name of various towns in Poland.

Gotham (Settlement) English, Popular Culture
From Old English gat "goat" and ham "home". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire, famous for folk tales about its inhabitants pretending to be imbeciles in order to avoid a visit from the king. Based on this tale, writer Washington Irving applied the name to New York City in his satirical periodical Salmagundi (1807). Subsequently, Gotham or Gotham City was used as the setting of the Batman comics, starting 1940.

Grainville (Settlement) French
Means "Guarin's town" in Old French. This is the name of various towns in Normandy.

Grantham (Settlement) English
From Old English grand meaning "gravel" and ham meaning "home, estate, settlement". This is the name of a town in Lincolnshire.

Haanrade (Settlement) Dutch
From Dutch haan "rooster" and raad "advice". This is the name of a small village in the south of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Hailey (Settlement) English
From Old English heg "hay" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Oxfordshire, England.

Hamilton (Settlement) English
Means "crooked hill" from Old English hamel "crooked, mutilated" and dun "hill". This was the name of a town in Leicestershire, England (which no longer exists). After the town name became a surname, it was used for several other cities, including ones in Scotland, Canada, Australia and the United States.

Harden (Settlement) English
From Old English hara "hare" and denu "valley". This is the name of a town in West Yorkshire.

Harford (Settlement) English
From Old English heorot "hart, male deer" or here "army" combined with ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of towns in England.

Harimathaia (Settlement) Biblical Greek
Greek form of Arimathea.

Harley (Settlement) English
From Old English hara "hare" or hær "rock, heap of stones" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of towns in England.

Hase (Settlement) Japanese
Etymologically from Japanese 泊 (hatsu) meaning "anchorage" and 瀬 (se) meaning "shallows". The spelling of 長谷 is from a shortening of 長谷 の 泊瀬 (nagatani no hatsuse) meaning "long valley of Hatsuse". This is the name of a place in Sakurai, Japan.

Hierousalem (Settlement) Biblical Greek
Biblical Greek form of Jerusalem.

Hierusalem (Settlement) Biblical Latin
Biblical Latin form of Jerusalem.

Hoeng Gong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) Chinese (Cantonese)
Cantonese form of Hong Kong.

Hofwegen (Settlement) Dutch
From Dutch hof meaning "yard, court" and weg meaning "way, path, road". This is the name of a town in the Netherlands.

Holland 2 (Settlement) English
From Old English hoh "point of land, heel" and land "land". This is the name of several towns in England.

Hong Kong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Turkish, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From Cantonese 香港 (Hoenggong), a compound of 香 (hoeng) meaning "fragrant" and 香 (gong) meaning "port, harbour". This is the name of a city, island and special administrative region of southeastern China.

Hongkong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovene, Macedonian, Korean, Khmer
Form of Hong Kong used in various languages.

Honkon (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) Japanese
Japanese form of Hong Kong.

Honkonh (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) Ukrainian
Ukrainian form of Hong Kong.

Hořovice (Settlement) Czech
From Czech hora meaning "mountain". This is the name of a town in the Czech Republic.

Horowitz (Settlement) German
German form of Hořovice.

Houston (Settlement) Scottish, English
Means "Hugh's town", from the given name Hugh and Old English tun meaning "enclosure, town". This is the name of a town in Scotland. The American city of Houston is named after the Texas president Sam Houston (1793-1863), whose surname is derived from the Scottish town.

Huashengdun (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Chinese
Chinese form of Washington.

Hungh Kungh (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) Arabic
Arabic form of Hong Kong.

Hunnacott (Settlement) English
From Old English hunig "honey" or the given name Huna combined with cot "cottage". This is the name of a small town in Devon, England.

Huxley (Settlement) English
From Old English hux "insult, scorn" (possibly) and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Cheshire, England.

Hyanghang (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) Korean
Korean variant form of Hong Kong.

Ibarra (Settlement) Basque, Spanish
Derived from Basque ibar meaning "meadow". This is the name of a few Basque towns.

Ierousalim (Settlement) Greek
Modern Greek form of Jerusalem.

Ilion (Settlement) Ancient Greek
Greek form of Ilium.

Ilium (Settlement) Ancient Greek (Latinized)
From Greek Ἴλιον (Ilion), probably of Luwian or Hittite origin. This was another name for the ancient city of Troy.

Irvine (River & Settlement) Scottish
Derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water". This is a river and city in North Ayrshire, Scotland.

Isin (Settlement) Sumerian
Meaning unknown. This was the name of a city-state in Mesopotamia, originally Sumerian.

Iskandariyah (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Alexandria, usually written with the definite article: الإسكندرية (al-Iskandariyah).

Jacarta (Settlement) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Jakarta.

Jakarta (Settlement) Indonesian, Malay, Javanese, Acehnese, Balinese, Minangkabau, Sundanese, English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Arabic, Hindi
From Sanskrit जयकर्ता (Jayakarta) meaning "victory accomplished", from जय (jaya) meaning "victory, conquest" and कृत (krta) meaning "done, accomplished". This is the name of the capital city of Indonesia. It was known as Batavia during the colonial (Dutch) era.

Jakaruta (Settlement) Japanese
Japanese form of Jakarta.

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.

Jaskółki (Settlement) Polish
Derived from Polish jaskółka meaning "swallow (bird)". This is the name of multiple Polish towns.

Javier (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Etxeberria.

Jaza'ir (Settlement & Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Algiers and Algeria, usually written with the definite article: الجزائر (al-Jaza'ir).

Jericho (Settlement) English, Biblical
Meaning uncertain, possibly related to the Hebrew word יָרֵחַ (yareach) meaning "moon", or otherwise to the Hebrew word רֵיחַ (reyach) meaning "fragrant". This is the name of a city in Palestine, mentioned several times in the Old Testament.

Jerozolima (Settlement) Polish
Polish form of Jerusalem.

Jérusalem (Settlement) French
French form of Jerusalem.

Jerusalém (Settlement) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem (Settlement) English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Luxembourgish, Afrikaans, Catalan, Bosnian, Biblical
From Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim), from an earlier Canaanite form like Urushalim, probably meaning "established by (the god) Shalim". This is the name of a city in Israel and Palestine. Originally a Canaanite city, it was conquered by the Israelites under King David at the beginning of the 10th century BC. It is now regarded as a holy city by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Jerusalén (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Jerusalem.

Jerusalim (Settlement) Serbian
Serbian form of Jerusalem.

Jeruzalem (Settlement) Dutch, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian
Dutch, Slovak, Slovene and Croatian form of Jerusalem.

Kanne (Settlement) Dutch
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in the province of Limburg in Belgium.

Kashi (Settlement) Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit
From Sanskrit काशि (kashi) meaning "shining". This is the name of a holy city in India, also called Varanasi.

Kendal (Settlement) English
From the name of the river Kent combined with Old English dæl meaning "valley, dale". This is the name of a town in Cumbria.

Kimberley (Settlement) English
Means either "Cyneburga's field", "Cynebald's field" or "Cynemær's field". This is the name of towns in Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and Norfolk. In the case of the city in South Africa, it was named after John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (1826-1902). His title was taken from the name of the town in Norfolk.

Kingsley (Settlement) English
From Old English cyning "king" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of several towns in England.

Kingston (Settlement) English
From Old English cyning "king" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of many towns in England, as well as other parts of the English-speaking world (including the capital of Jamaica).

Kōbe (Settlement) Japanese
Possibly means "shrine supporters", in reference to the families who tended the local Ikuta Shrine. This is the name of a city in Japan.

Kobe (Settlement) Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 神戸 (see Kōbe).

Köln (Settlement) German
German form of Cologne.

Kolumbija (Country, Region, Settlement & Political Subdivision) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian
Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian and Lithuanian form of Columbia and Colombia.

Kolumbiya (Country, Region, Settlement & Political Subdivision) Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian
Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian form of Columbia and Colombia.

Korinthos (Settlement) Ancient Greek, Greek
Greek form of Corinth.

Koube (Settlement) Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 神戸 (see Kōbe).

Kozłów (Settlement) Polish
From Polish kozioł meaning "male goat". This is the name of several Polish towns.

Kozłowo (Settlement) Polish
From Polish kozioł meaning "male goat". This is the name of several towns in Poland.

Krakau (Settlement) German, Dutch
German and Dutch form of Kraków.