Sydney (Settlement) EnglishCity in
Australia that was named after Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733-1800). His title originally came from the name of its first holder, Robert
Sidney (1563-1626).
Tarah (Settlement) BiblicalA place name (an encampment) used in some versions of the Old Testament. It is identical to the personal name
Terah.
Tataouine (Settlement) French, EnglishFrom Tamazight
Tittawin, possibly from
tit meaning
"eye". This is a city in Tunisia. It is the source of the name of the desert planet
Tatooine from the fictional Star Wars universe.
Tatham (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Tata combined with
ham meaning "homestead". This is the name of a town in Lancashire.
Tatton (Settlement) EnglishFrom the Old English given name
Tata combined with
tun meaning "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of a town in Cheshire.
Teheran (Settlement) German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, SerbianForm of
Tehran in several languages.
Teman (Settlement) Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"right hand" or
"south" in Hebrew. This is an Edomite town in the Old Testament, supposedly named for a grandson of Esau.
Thornton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
þorn "thorn" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of several English towns.
Timbuktu (Settlement) English, Arabic, BamilekeMeaning uncertain. It could be derived from Songhai meaning
"hollow, hole", or from Berber meaning
"place of small dunes". This is the name of a city in central
Mali. Descriptions of the city's wealth and remoteness first reached
Europe from the 16th-century Berber author Leo Africanus. Since then the city has been used in Western Culture as a symbol for a distant, mysterious place.
Tokio (Settlement) Spanish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian, Greek, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, MongolianForm of
Tokyo used in various languages.
Tokyo (Settlement) Japanese, English, French, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Estonian, Turkish, Hindi, IndonesianFrom Japanese
東 (tō) meaning "east" and
京 (kyō) meaning "capital city". This is the name of the capital of
Japan.
Toronto (Settlement) English, FrenchPossibly derived from Mohawk
tkaronto meaning
"place where trees stand in the water". It has also been explained as meaning
"plenty" in the Huron language.
... [more] Trefor (Settlement) WelshMeans
"big village" from Middle Welsh
tref "village" and
maur "large". This is the name of a few towns in
Wales.
Trento (Settlement) ItalianDerived from Latin
Tridentum meaning
"three teeth", a reference to three surrounding hills. This is the name of a city in Trentino,
Italy.
Trenton (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Trent's town". This is the name of a New Jersey city established in the 17th century by William Trent.
Troy (Settlement) Greek Mythology, EnglishFrom Greek
Τροία (Troia), said to derive from its mythical founder
Τρώς (Tros), but more likely of Luwian or Hittite origin. In Greek mythology (most notably in
Homer's
Iliad) this was the name of a city, also called
Ilium, that was besieged by the Greeks after
Helen was abducted by
Paris 1.
Upton (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
upp "up" and
tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of various towns in
England.
Uruk (Settlement) Akkadian, EnglishFrom Sumerian
𒌷 (uru) meaning
"city". This was the name of a city-state of ancient Sumer (later Akkad and Babylonia). It was inhabited until the time of the Islamic conquest of the area.
Valencia (Settlement & Region) Spanish, Italian, English, GermanThe name of a city and surrounding region in eastern
Spain, originally named in Latin
Valentia (Edetanorum) meaning
"strength (of the Edetani people)", and derived from Latin
valentius "strength, vigour", from
valens "strong, vigorous". Besides the city in Spain, this is also the name of a city in Venezuela.
Venetia (Region & Settlement) Ancient Roman, Late Roman, GreekFrom the name of the Veneti people who inhabited northeastern
Italy in ancient times. Their tribal name possibly meant something like "kinfolk" or "friendly". This was the Latin name for the region now called
Veneto, and later the Latin name for the city of
Venice (which did not exist in the classical period).
Venice (Settlement) EnglishFrom Italian
Venezia, derived from Latin
Venetia. This is the name of a city of northeastern
Italy, the capital of the Veneto region, famous for its canals.
Victoria (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water) EnglishFrom the given name
Victoria. It has generally been bestowed in honour of Queen Victoria (1819-1901). This is the name of many places in the former British Empire, including an Australian state and a Canadian city.
Vienna (Settlement) English, ItalianMeaning uncertain. It could be from Celtic
vedunia meaning
"forest stream", or possibly from the name of an earlier Roman settlement
Vindobona. This is the name of the capital of
Austria.
Vindobona (Settlement) Ancient RomanFrom Celtic
windos "white" and
bona "foundation, fort". This was a Roman military town on the site of the Austrian city of
Vienna.
Wakefield (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
wacu "wake, vigil" and
feld "field". This is the name of a city in
England.
Walmersley (Settlement) EnglishMeaning 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.
Warsaw (Settlement) EnglishFrom Polish
Warszawa, derived from the given name
Warsz, a short form of
Warcisław. This is the name of the capital city of
Poland.
Washington (Settlement & Political Subdivision) English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"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.
Wembley (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Wemba's clearing" in Old English. This was the name of a town that is now part of Greater London.
Westley (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
west "west" and
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few small English towns.
Whitney (Settlement) EnglishProbably from Old English
hwit "white" and
ieg "island". This is the name of a small town in Herefordshire.
Wickham (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
wic "village, town" (of Latin origin) and
ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a few towns in
England.
Wieren (Settlement) DutchMeans
"seaweed" in Dutch. This is the name of towns in Frisia and other parts of the
Netherlands.
Willey (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
welig "willow" or
weoh "idol, image" combined with
leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few towns in
England.
Wilton (Settlement) EnglishFrom 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.
Winchester (Settlement) EnglishDerived from
Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin
castrum meaning "camp, fortress". This is the name of a city in southern
England.
Winslow (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"Wine's hill" in Old English. This is the name of a town in Buckinghamshire.
Winthrope 1 (Settlement) EnglishMeans
"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) EnglishMeans
"Wigmund's village", from the given name
Wigmund and Old English
þrop "village". This is the name of a town in Nottinghamshire.
Wiśniewo (Settlement) PolishDerived from Polish
wiśnia meaning
"sour cherry". This is the name of several towns in
Poland.
Wortham (Settlement) EnglishFrom Old English
worþ "enclosure" and
ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a town in Suffolk.
Wymondham (Settlement) EnglishFrom the given name
Wigmund combined with Old English
ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a town in Norfolk.
Wyrzyki (Settlement) PolishMeaning uncertain, possibly from the Polish prefix
wy "away from" and
rzek "river". This is the name of a few small Polish towns.
Xanadu (Settlement) EnglishAnglicized form of Chinese
上都 (Shangdu), derived from
上 (shàng) meaning "above, upper" and
都 (dū) meaning "city". This was the summer capital of the 13th-century Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, located in Inner
Mongolia,
China. It became known to English speakers after it appeared in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem
Kubla Khan (1816), and it has been used figuratively to refer to a paradise since then.
York (Settlement & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom
Jórvík, the Norse form of Old English
Eoforwic, which was from the Brythonic name
Eburacon meaning
"yew". The Old English form
Eoforwic was altered based on
eofor "boar" and
wic "village".
... [more] Yoxall (Settlement) EnglishDerived from Old English
geoc "oxen yoke" and
halh "nook, recess". This is the name of a town in Staffordshire.
Zabala (Settlement) BasqueFrom Basque
zabal meaning
"large, wide". This is the name of a district within the city of Bilbao in
Spain.
Zimbabwe (Country & Settlement) Shona, Ndebele, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, RomanianFrom the Shona language, possibly from
dzimba "houses" and
ibwe "stone". Great Zimbabwe was an ancient city, falling into ruin in the 15th century. It was located in the country of Zimbabwe, which was named after the ancient city in 1980 when it gained independence from the United Kingdom. It was formerly called Southern
Rhodesia by the British.