Alabama (Political Subdivision & River) EnglishThe 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".
Amazonas (River & Political Subdivision) Portuguese, Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Czech, SlovakPortuguese, Spanish and German form of
Amazon (the river). This is also the name of states and departments within
Brazil,
Venezuela,
Colombia and
Peru. Other languages such as English and French have different names for the river but use
Amazonas to refer to the regions.
Arizona (Political Subdivision) EnglishThe name of an American state. It is derived from Spanish
Arizonac, possibly from a local O'odham name meaning
"small spring" (
ʼali "small, child" and
ṣon "water spring"). Alternatively it derive from Basque meaning
"good oak" (
haritz "oak" and
ona "good").
Asturias (Political Subdivision) SpanishPossibly derived from Basque
asta "rock" and
ur "water". This was the name of an 8th to 10th-century kingdom of northern Iberia. It is now the name of a Spanish province.
Bavaria (Political Subdivision) English, Late RomanFrom Late Latin
Baiovarii, the name of a Germanic tribe, named after an earlier Gaulish tribe the
Boii. This is the name of a state in
Germany (called
Bayern in German).
Belgica (Region & Political Subdivision) Ancient RomanDerived from the
Belgae, a Celtic-Germanic confederation of tribes that inhabited northern Gaul (modern
Belgium). Their name is probably derived from a Celtic root meaning "to swell with anger".
Bengal (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Persian
بنگاله (Bangāleh), probably from the name of the ancient kingdom of
Vanga. This is a region in south
Asia, now divided between the country of
Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
Buganda (Region & Political Subdivision) GandaThe name of a region within Uganda and also the root of the country's name (see
Uganda).
California (Political Subdivision & Island) English, Spanish, Italian, LiteratureFrom the name of a fictional utopian island populated only by women in the 16th-century novel
The Adventures of Esplandián by the Spanish author Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The name comes from the island's queen, Calafia, itself probably derived from Arabic
خليفة (khalīfa), an Islamic title meaning "successor". This is the name of an American state as well as two states of
Mexico (Baja California and Baja California Sur).
Catalonia (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Catalan
Catalunya, of uncertain meaning, possibly from Latin
castellum "castle" or
Gauthia Launia "land of the Goths". This is the name of a region in eastern
Spain.
Cavan (Political Subdivision) IrishDerived from Irish
cabhán meaning
"hollow". This is the name of an Irish county.
Cheshire (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishShortened form of
Chestershire, a combination of
Chester and
shire.
Colombie (Country & Political Subdivision) FrenchFrench form of
Colombia and sometimes of
Columbia (for example
Colombie-Britannique for
British Columbia).
Columbia (Region, Settlement, Political Subdivision & River) English, Italian, Spanish, Late RomanNamed 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.
Cremona (Settlement & Political Subdivision) ItalianProbably 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.
Devon (Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom the name of the Dumnonii, a Celtic tribe. This is the name of a county in
England.
Dibai (Settlement & Political Subdivision) ChineseChinese variant of
Dubai, used primarily in mainland China.
Dubai (Settlement & Political Subdivision) English, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Romanian, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Turkish, Hindi, Bengali, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog, ChineseFrom Arabic
دبيّ (Dubayy), of uncertain meaning, possibly related to Arabic
دبّ (dabba) meaning
"to creep, to crawl", referring to the slow flow of a creek in the area. This is the name of an emirate and city in the United Arab Emirates.
Florida (Political Subdivision) English, Spanish, German, ItalianA state of the
United States, meaning
"flowery, ornate" in Spanish, so called because in 1513 the explorer Juan Ponce de León landed there during the
Pascua Florida (meaning "flowery Easter", a Spanish name for Palm Sunday).
Gallia (Region, Political Subdivision & Country) Ancient Roman, Italian, GreekLatin name for the historical region of
Gaul. It is derived from the Latin ethnic word
Gallus, referring to the Gauls (Celts of continental Europe), probably ultimately derived from the Celtic root *
galn- "be able".
... [more] Georgia 2 (Political Subdivision) English, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, DutchFrom the given name
George, named in honour of the British king George II. This was the name of an American colony, later a state.
Holland 1 (Political Subdivision & Country) Dutch, English, German, Danish, IcelandicFrom Old Dutch
holt "forest" and
lant "land". This is the name of two provinces (North and South Holland) in the Netherlands. It is sometimes informally used to refer to the entire country of the
Netherlands.
Hollande (Political Subdivision & Country) FrenchFrench form of
Holland 1, referring to the provinces and sometimes the entire country.
Holstein (Political Subdivision & Region) German, English, DutchFrom the name of a Saxon tribe, derived from Old Saxon
holt meaning "wood" and the suffix
-setio meaning "inhabitant". This is the name of a historical region in
Germany, near the Danish border. It forms part of the name of the modern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Hong Kong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Turkish, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, TagalogFrom 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, KhmerForm of
Hong Kong used in various languages.
Indiana (Political Subdivision) EnglishMeans
"land of the Indians". This is the name of an American state.
Judea (Region & Political Subdivision) Biblical, English, Spanish, PolishFrom
Iudaea, the Latin form of
Judah. This was the name of a Roman province, the location of many of the events of the New Testament.
Kent (Political Subdivision & River) EnglishPossibly 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.
Kerry (Political Subdivision) IrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Ciarraí meaning
"Ciar's people". This is the name of an Irish county.
Kolumbija (Country, Region, Settlement & Political Subdivision) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, LithuanianSerbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian and Lithuanian form of
Columbia and
Colombia.
Lecce (Settlement & Political Subdivision) ItalianFrom Latin
Licea or
Litium, earlier
Lupiae. This is the name of a city in southern
Italy, as well as a province named for it.
León (Settlement & Political Subdivision) SpanishDerived from Latin
legio (genitive
legionis) meaning
"legion", so named because the Roman 7th Legion Gemina was stationed there. This is the name of a city and province in northern
Spain.
Lombardy (Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Italian
Lombardia, from Late Latin
Langobardia, the name of a region in northern
Italy, which was named after the Germanic Langobards (or
Lombards as they are more often called), a people who invaded and occupied Italy in the 6th century. The Lombards' name is derived from
lang "long" and
bart "beard". In modern Italy this is now an administrative region, with a capital at
Milan.
Lorraine (Political Subdivision) French, EnglishUltimately from Latin
Lothari regnum meaning
"kingdom of Lothar". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of
France now called
Lorraine, or in German
Lothringen.
Lothian (Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Latin
Leudonia, of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a region in
Scotland, around Edinburgh.
Louisiana (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom French
Louisiane, named after King
Louis XIV of France by the explorer René-Robert Cavelier in 1682. It originally referred to a large territory in the middle of North
America. It was sold by
France to the
United States in 1803, and the southern tip became the American state of Louisiana in 1812.
Luxembourg (Country, Settlement & Political Subdivision) English, French, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Croatian, EstonianFrom Old High German
Lucilinburhuc, derived from
luzil "small" and
burg "castle". This was the name of a castle built by Count Siegfried in the 10th century. The city of Luxembourg and the surrounding territory became a duchy in the 14th century, and it is now a small landlocked country between
Germany,
France and
Belgium. This is also the name of a province of southern Belgium.
... [more] Madrid (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Spanish, Asturian, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, French, Italian, English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Mongolian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, TagalogFrom Old Spanish
Magerit, itself from Arabic
مجريط (Majrīṭ), of uncertain meaning. It may be derived from Arabic
مجرى (majrā) meaning
"watercourse, channel" or from Latin
matrix meaning
"source, origin (of a river)". This is the name of the capital city of
Spain as well as an autonomous community surrounding it.
Makedonien (Region, Political Subdivision & Country) German, Danish, SwedishGerman, Danish and Swedish form of
Macedonia. In German this refers only to the region, while the modern country is called
Mazedonien or
Nordmazedonien.
Maldwyn (Political Subdivision) WelshFrom Welsh
Trefaldwyn, misinterpreting it as if meaning "town of Maldwyn". In fact it means "town of
Baldwin" (in Welsh both
m and
b mutate to
f). This is another name of the old county of Montgomeryshire.
Marche (Political Subdivision) Italian, EnglishFrom the plural of Late Latin
marca meaning
"borderland, march", of Germanic origin. This is the name of a region in central
Italy, named for the March of Ancona, a frontier region in the Carolingian Empire.
Meirionnydd (Political Subdivision) WelshProbably from the Roman name
Marianus. This is the name of a Welsh county (Anglicized as
Merioneth).
Miranda (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Spanish, PortuguesePossibly a derivative of Latin
mirandus "admirable, wonderful". This is the name of several towns in
Spain,
Portugal and the Americas. It is also the name of a Venezuelan state.
Mississippi (River & Political Subdivision) EnglishDerived from Ojibwe
misi-ziibi meaning
"great river". This is the name of a large river in the
United States, as well as an American state named after it.
Mongolia (Country, Political Subdivision & Region) English, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Romanian, Polish, Finnish, Norwegian, Indonesian, MalayFrom Mongolian
монгол (mongol), the name for the Mongolian people, possibly from
монг (mong) meaning "brave". This the name of a region in eastern
Asia, now divided between the country of Mongolia (historically called Outer Mongolia) and the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.
Mongolija (Country, Political Subdivision & Region) Latvian, Lithuanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, SloveneLatvian, Lithuanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian and Slovene form of
Mongolia.
Montana (Political Subdivision) EnglishDerived from Latin
montanus "mountainous". This is the name of an American state.
Moray (Region & Political Subdivision) ScottishFrom Scottish Gaelic
Moireabh, possibly of Pictish origin, meaning
"seashore, coast". This is the name of a historical region in
Scotland, as well as a modern council area.
Mouko (Country, Political Subdivision & Region) JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
蒙古 (see
Mōko).
Mumhain (Region & Political Subdivision) IrishFrom Old Irish
Mumu, possibly from the name of a goddess Mór Muman. This is the name of one of the four Irish provinces, formerly a kingdom. It is Anglicized as
Munster.
Olanda (Political Subdivision & Country) ItalianItalian form of
Holland 1, referring to the provinces and sometimes the entire country.
Quebec (Settlement & Political Subdivision) EnglishEnglish form of French
Québec, derived from the Algonquin word
kepec meaning
"narrows", referring to the Saint Lawrence River near Quebec City. This is the name of a Canadian province and also the capital city of that province.
Romagna (Region & Political Subdivision) Italian, English, GermanFrom Latin
Romania, in this case the name of a historic region on the Adriatic coast of
Italy (part of the modern administrative region of Emilia-Romagna).
Saxony (Region & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom 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.
Schwyz (Settlement & Political Subdivision) German, English, SpanishMeaning uncertain, possibly related to Old High German
suedan "to burn" or possibly of Celtic origin. This is the name of a town (and a canton named for it) in central
Switzerland.
Sicily (Island & Political Subdivision) EnglishFrom Latin
Sicilia, itself from Greek
Σικελία (Sikelia), named for the ancient tribe of the Sicels (
Σικελοί). They were probably of Italic origin, but the meaning of their tribal name is unknown. This is the name of a large island in the Mediterranean, part of
Italy.
Suriye (Political Subdivision & Country) TurkishTurkish form of
Syria. This was the name of a province of the Ottoman Empire.
Tennessee (Political Subdivision & River) EnglishFrom 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.
Tyrone (Political Subdivision) IrishFrom Irish Gaelic
Tir Eoghain meaning
"land of Eoghan". This is the name of a county in Northern
Ireland.
Veneto (Political Subdivision) Italian, EnglishThe name of a region in northeastern
Italy, called
Venetia in Latin, named after the Veneti people who lived there in ancient times.
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.
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.
Yahuda (Region & Political Subdivision) ArabicArabic form of
Judah (referring to the Roman province).
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]