American Place Names

Olympus (Mountain) English, Dutch, Greek Mythology
Latinized form of Olympos.

Oman (Country) English, French, Italian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Mongolian, Hindi, Bengali, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Korean, Tagalog
From Arabic عمان (ʿUmān), probably from the name of an ancient town called Omana by the Roman author Pliny the Elder in the 1st century. It can probably be identified with the modern city of Suhar, and is from an Arabic root meaning "to settle, to remain, to dwell". This is the name of a country on the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula.

Orleans (Settlement) English
English form of Orléans. This is the name of several towns in the Americas, notably the city of New Orleans in Louisiana.

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.

Oz 2 (Country) English
Informal short form of Australia.

Pacific (Body of Water) English
From Portuguese Pacífico meaning "peaceful", from Latin pacificus, a derivative of pax "peace". This name was coined by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 because he encountered relatively calm seas while sailing it.

Padua (Settlement) English, German, Spanish, Dutch
From Italian Padova, Latin Patavium, of unknown meaning. This is the name of a city in northern Italy.

Pakistan (Country) Urdu, Punjabi, English, Italian, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Slovak, Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian
From Persian پاک (pāk) meaning "pure" and the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". The name was coined in 1933 by the Pakistani nationalist Choudhry Rahmat Ali who justified it as an acronym of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir and Sindh, plus the final three letters of Baluchistan.

Palestine (Country & Region) English, French
From Latin Palaestina, derived from Greek Παλαιστίνη (Palaistine), from a Semitic source such as Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת (Pelesheṯ) meaning "land of the Philistines". This is the name of a historical region between the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. In modern times it is the name of a partially recognized country located in a portion of the region (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with the remainder being the country of Israel).

Panama (Country & Settlement) English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Russian, Belarusian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Burmese, Thai, Lao, Khmer, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog, Japanese, Korean
From Spanish Panamá, of uncertain meaning. It may be derived from the name of a tree commonly found in the area (species Sterculia apetala). Alternatively it could be related to Guaraní panambi meaning "butterfly" or Kuna bannaba meaning "distant, far away". This is the name of a country in Central America. It is also the name of its capital, usually called Panama City in English.

Pangaea (Region) English
Created by the German geologist Alfred Wegener in 1915 to refer to a supercontinent that existed over 200 million years ago. He called it in German Pangäa, from Greek πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and γαῖα (gaia) meaning "earth".

Pangea (Region) Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, English
Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Polish form of Pangaea, as well as an English variant.

Paraguay (Country, River & Settlement) Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, 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.

Paris (Settlement) French, English, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Turkish, Persian, Hausa
From the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii. This is the capital city of France.

Pavia (Settlement) Italian, English
From Late Latin Papia, of unknown meaning. This is the name of a city in northern Italy. In classical Latin it was called Ticinum.

Peking (Settlement) German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, English (Archaic)
Form of Beijing in various languages, as well as an older English form.

Persia (Country) Ancient Roman, English, Spanish, Italian
Latin form of Greek Περσίς (Persis), from Old Persian Parsa. This is the name used in the West for a region in western Asia, as well as several empires that were based there, including the Achaemenid Empire, Parthian Empire, and Sasanian Empire. This was the Western name for the country of Iran until 1935, when the king requested that the native name Iran be used instead.

Peru (Country) English, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Hindi
From Spanish Perú, older Birú, which was possibly derived from the name of a chieftain (who nevertheless resided in modern-day Panama).

Pesaro (Settlement) Italian, English
From Latin Pisaurum, of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a city in central Italy.

Petra (Settlement) Ancient Greek, English
From Greek πέτρα (petra) meaning "rock". This was the Greek name of the capital city of the Nabataeans, which may have been known as Raqmu to its Semitic inhabitants. Its ruins lie in Jordan.

Peyton (Settlement) English
Means "Pæga's town". This is the name of a town in Sussex.

Philadelphia (Settlement) Biblical, English
Means "brotherly love" from Greek φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love" and ἀδελφός (adelphos) meaning "brother". This was the name of a city in Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation in the New Testament. It is now known as Alaşehir (in Turkey). It is also the name of a city in the United States.

Philippines (Country) English, French
From Spanish Filipinas, which was derived from the given name Felipe, bestowed in 1543 in honour of the crown prince Philip (later king Philip II) of Spain by the explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, who originally used it only to refer to the islands of Leyte and Samar. It now refers to the entire archipelago and nation of the Philippines in southeastern Asia. In English it is usually referred to using the definite article, the.

Philistia (Region) English, Biblical
English form of Hebrew פְּלֶשֶׁת (Pelesheṯ) meaning "land of the Philistines". This was the name of a confederation of cities in Canaan inhabited by the Philistines. It was conquered by the Babylonians in the 7th century BC.

Poland (Country) English
From the name of the Slavic tribe of the Poles, derived from the medieval Slavic word polje meaning "field", combined with land. This is the name of a country in Eastern Europe.

Porto (Settlement) Portuguese, English
Modern form of Portus Cale. This is the name of a city in Portugal.

Portugal (Country) Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, Galician, Catalan, German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Indonesian, Malay
From Portugale, which was derived from Portus Cale, the old name of the city of Porto. The name of the city was later applied to the entire country.

Prague (Settlement) English, French
From Czech Praha, possibly from the Slavic root práh meaning "ford". This is the name of the capital city of the Czech Republic.

Pretoria (Settlement) Afrikaans, Dutch, English
From the surname Pretorius. This is the name of a city in South Africa, named after the 19th-century Boer leader Andries Pretorius.

Priestley (Settlement) English
From Old English preost "priest" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a few small towns in England.

Princeton (Settlement) English
The name of a town in New Jersey, originally called Princetown when it was established in the early 18th century. It is said to have been named for William III, the Prince of Orange.

Provence (Region) French, English, German
From Latin provincia meaning "province", a Roman territorial division. This is the name a region in southern France, originally acquiring its name because it was the first Roman province beyond the Alps.

Quebec (Settlement & Political Subdivision) English
English 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.

Ramsey (Settlement) English
Means "garlic island", derived from Old English hramsa "garlic" and eg "island". This is the name of villages in England.

Rayne (Settlement) English
Possibly from an Old English word meaning "shelter". This is the name of a town in Essex.

Rennes (Settlement) French, English
From Latin (Condate) Riedonum, derived from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones. This is the name of a town in Brittany, France.

Rhine (River) English
Ultimately from Gaulish Renos, derived from a Celtic root meaning "expanse of water, waterway". This is the name of a European river that runs from Switzerland to the Netherlands, emptying into the North Sea.

Rhodesia (Region) English
From the surname Rhodes. This was a British-controlled region of the south of Africa, named after the politician and imperialist Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902). It is now the independent countries of Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Romagna (Region & Political Subdivision) Italian, English, German
From 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).

Romania (Country & Region) English, Italian, Ancient Roman
From Latin meaning "land of the Romans" (see Rome). This is the name of a country in Eastern Europe, so named in the 16th century because of its historic and linguistic connections to the Roman Empire.... [more]

Rome (Settlement) English, French, Dutch
Meaning uncertain, from Latin Roma. It is possibly of Etruscan origin. This is the name of the capital city of Italy, formerly the capital of the Roman Kingdom, Republic and Empire. According to legend the city was named for Romulus.

Romiley (Settlement) English
From Old English rum "roomy, spacious" and leah "woodland, clearing". This was the name of a town that is now part of Greater Manchester.

Royston (Settlement) English
Means "Royse's town" in Old English. The given name Royse was a medieval variant of Rose. This is the name of a town in Hertfordshire.

Ruanda (Country) German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Turkish, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, English, French
Form of Rwanda in several languages, as well as a variant spelling in other languages.

Rus (Region) Russian, Ukrainian, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Probably of Old Norse origin, possibly from róðr meaning "rowing", referring to the Norse Varangians and their main mode of transportation. This was the name of a medieval Slavic state of Eastern Europe (around Belarus, Ukraine and western Russia), originally founded by the Varangians in the 9th century.

Russia (Country) English, Italian, Late Roman
Derived from the name of the medieval state of Rus. The modern country of Russia includes the eastern portions of Rus, and has also expanded far to the east across Asia.

Rwanda (Country) Rwandan, English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Swahili
Of Kinyarwanda origin, of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a small landlocked country in central Africa.

Ryley (Settlement) English
From Old English ryge "rye" and leah "woodland, clearing". This is the name of a town in Lancashire, England.

Sahara (Region) English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch
From Arabic‎ صحارى (ṣaḥārā) meaning "deserts", the plural of صحراء (ṣaḥrāʾ) meaning "desert". This is the name of a desert in North Africa. In Arabic it is called الصحراء الكبرى (al-Ṣaḥrāʾ al-Kubrā) meaning "the great desert".

Salem (Settlement) English, Biblical
From Hebrew שָׁלֵם (shalem) meaning "complete, safe, peaceful". This is the name of a town in the Old Testament where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with Jerusalem. Several places are named after the biblical town, mostly in America.

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.

Samarra (Settlement) Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, German
This is the name of a city in Iraq, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 9th century. It was possibly built at the site of the ancient Assyrian city of Surmarrati, which is of uncertain meaning.

Sandford (Settlement) English
From Old English sand "sand" and ford "ford, river crossing". This is the name of several towns in England.

Saudi Arabia (Country) English
From the family name Al Su'ud combined with Arabia, referring to the Arabian Peninsula. This is a kingdom in the Middle East on the Arabian Peninsula. It was named by its founder Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1932.

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.

Schwyz (Settlement & Political Subdivision) German, English, Spanish
Meaning 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.

Scotland (Country) English
Means "land of the Scots", from Latin Scoti meaning "Gaelic speaker". This is the name of a country (part of the United Kingdom) in the north of the island of Great Britain.

Seabrook (Settlement) English
From the old name of a river combined with Old English broc "stream". This is the name of a town in Buckinghamshire, England.

Selby (Settlement) English
From Old Norse selja "willow, sallow" and býr "farm, settlement". This is the name of a city near York in England.

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, Hindi, Bengali, Korean, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From Portuguese, possibly from the name of the Berber Zenaga people of northern Senegal. This is the name of a river in West Africa, and a country named after it. It gained independence from France in 1960.

Serbia (Country) English, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish
From Serbian Србија (Srbija), of uncertain meaning. This is the name of a Balkan country in southeastern Europe.

Shanghai (Settlement) Chinese, English, German, French
Means "upon the sea" in Chinese, from 上 (shàng) meaning "above" and 海 (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean". This is the name of the largest city in China.

Shenandoah (River) English, Iroquois
Meaning uncertain, possibly of Iroquois origin. This is the name of a river in the eastern United States.

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.

Sicily (Island & Political Subdivision) English
From 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.

Sidney (Island) English
Means "wide island", from Old English sid "wide" and eg "island". This is the name of a place in Surrey.

Silesia (Region) English, Spanish, Ancient Roman
From Mount Ślęża or the River Ślęza. This is the name of a historical region in southern Poland, with portions in the Czech Republic and Germany.

Singapore (Country, Settlement & Island) English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Romanian
From Malay Singapura meaning "lion city", derived from Sanskrit siṃha "lion" and pura "city". This is the name of a city-state situated on an island (of the same name) at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula.

Slovakia (Country) English, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek
From Slovák, the Slovak form of Old Slavic slověne, referring to the tribe of the Slavs. This is the name of a country in central Europe. Note that the name of this country is closely related to that of Slovenia.

Slovenia (Country) English, Italian, Romanian, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Georgian
From Slovene, the language of the Slovenes, derived from the Old Slavic tribal name slověne meaning "Slavs". This is the name of a country in central Europe. Note that the name of this country is closely related to that of Slovakia.

Somalia (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Albanian, Indonesian, Malay
From the ethnic name Somali, of uncertain meaning. The Somali people connect it to their mythical ancestor Samaale. Italian and British colonists applied the ethnic name to the Horn of Africa region in the 19th century. It became an independent country in 1960.

Spain (Country) English
Derived from Hispania, the Latin name of the Iberian Peninsula, which is of uncertain origin. It could be derived from Punic I-Shaphan meaning "land of the rabbits".

Sri Lanka (Country & Island) English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Greek, Turkish, Malay, Indonesian
From Sinhalese ශ්‍රී ලංකා (Shrī Lankā), derived from the Sanskrit honorific श्री (śrī) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with the name of the legendary island of Lanka. This is an island nation in southern Asia. Formerly known as Ceylon when it was a colony of the Portuguese, Dutch and English, the country adopted the name Sri Lanka when it became a republic in 1972.

Stirling (Settlement) English
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a city in Scotland.

St John (Settlement) English
Name commemorating Saint John. This is the name of several towns in England.

Stockholm (Settlement) Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, German, Dutch, French
From Swedish stock "log" and holme "islet". The islet probably referred to Helgeandsholmen in central Stockholm. This is the name of the capital city of Sweden. The first written mention of the name occurs in 1252.

Sudan (Country) English, Arabic, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Indonesian, Malay, Chinese, Thai
From Arabic سود (sūd) meaning "black", referring to the darker skin of the inhabitants. This is the name of a country in Africa. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: السودان (al-Sūdān).

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.

Switzerland (Country) English
From Switzer, a word meaning "Swiss", ultimately derived from the name of the Swiss town and canton of Schwyz, plus land. This is the name of a country in central Europe.

Sydney (Settlement) English
City 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).

Syria (Country & Region) English, Polish, Norwegian, Greek, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek
From Greek Συρία (Syria), which was probably a variant of Assyria, used in an expanded sense to refer to the northern Levant. This was the name of a province of the Roman Empire. It is now the name of a country in western Asia, having gained independence from the Ottoman Empire early in the 20th century.

Tajikistan (Country) English, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From Tajik Тоҷикистон (Tojikiston), which is derived from the name of the Tajik people combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". The ethnic name is of debated origin, but it is generally believed to be from Persian تازیک (tāzīk) meaning "Arab". This is the name of a country in central Asia.

Tanganyika (Region & Country) Swahili, English
From Swahili tanga "sail" and nyika "wilderness". This is the name of a region in East Africa. It was a German then British colony until 1961 when it gained independence. In 1964 it united with the island of Zanzibar to create the new country of Tanzania.

Tanzania (Country) Swahili, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Armenian, Georgian, Indonesian, Malay
From a combination of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the names of the two countries that were united to create the East African country of Tanzania in 1964.

Tataouine (Settlement) French, English
From 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) 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.

Tehran (Settlement) Persian, English
From Persian تهران (Tehrān), meaning unknown. This is the name of the capital city of Iran.

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.

Texas (Political Subdivision) English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese
A state of the United States, from Spanish Texas or Tejas, originally an ethnic name used by the Spanish for the Caddo. It was derived from the Caddo word taysha meaning "friends, allies".

Thailand (Country) English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Combination of Thai and land. This is the name of a country in southeastern Asia, formerly called Siam.

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.

Timbuktu (Settlement) English, Arabic, Bamileke
Meaning 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.

Tokyo (Settlement) Japanese, English, French, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Estonian, Turkish, Hindi, Indonesian
From Japanese 東 (tō) meaning "east" and 京 (kyō) meaning "capital city". This is the name of the capital of Japan.

Toronto (Settlement) English, French
Possibly 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]

Trent 1 (River) English
River in England, possibly from the Celtic elements tri "across" and sant "travel", a reference to its frequent floods.

Trent 2 (Settlement) English
English form of Trento.

Trenton (Settlement) English
Means "Trent's town". This is the name of a New Jersey city established in the 17th century by William Trent.

Troy (Settlement) Greek Mythology, English
From 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.

Troyes (Settlement) French, English, German, Dutch
The name of a city in France, called in Latin (Augustobona) Tricassium, which was named after the Gallic tribe of the Tricasses.

Turkey (Country) English
From Latin Turcia, derived from the ethnonym Turk, which is from Old Turkic possibly meaning "ancestry". This is the name of a country situated on the Anatolian peninsula. It is called Türkiye in Turkish.

Uganda (Country) English, Ganda, Swahili, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Hebrew, Persian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay
From Buganda, the name of a kingdom within Uganda, which means "land of the Ganda" in the Luganda language. The Ganda are an ethnic group, their name possibly deriving from a Bantu word meaning "family". Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa.

Ukraine (Country) English, French, German, Danish, Malay
From Ukrainian Україна (Ukrayina), which is probably from Old East Slavic ꙋкраина (ukraina) meaning "boundary, borderland", derived from ꙋ (u) meaning "at, from" and краи (krai) meaning "edge, end, rim". This is the name of a country in Eastern Europe.

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.

United States (Country) English
The name of a country in North America, almost always written with the definite article the. The country is officially named the United States of America, and is also commonly called America or the USA. It was selected in 1776 when 13 British colonies on the eastern coast united to declare their independence from Britain. Etymologically, the English words in the name are both of Latin origin (unitus and status).

Upton (Settlement) English
From Old English upp "up" and tun "enclosure, yard, town". This is the name of various towns in England.

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.

Urartu (Region) Akkadian, Armenian, English
From Akkadian 𒆳𒌨𒌒𒂅 (Urartu), meaning unknown, possibly of Old Armenian origin. This was the name of an ancient kingdom that existed between the 9th and 6th centuries BC in eastern Anatolia (modern Armenia and Turkey).

Uruguay (Country & River) Spanish, English, French, Italian, Romanian, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Turkish
The name of a country in South America, derived from a river of the same name. It is possibly from Guaraní uruguá, referring to a type of water snail. Alternatively it could come from uru "quail", gua "from" and y "water".

Uruk (Settlement) Akkadian, English
From 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.

Uzbekistan (Country) English, Russian, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Swedish
From Uzbek O'zbekiston, derived from the ethnic name O'zbek (which is probably in part from Turkic beg meaning "chieftain, master") combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.

Valencia (Settlement & Region) Spanish, Italian, English, German
The 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.

Veneto (Political Subdivision) Italian, English
The name of a region in northeastern Italy, called Venetia in Latin, named after the Veneti people who lived there in ancient times.

Venezuela (Country) Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Albanian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay
Possibly from Italian Veneziola meaning "little Venice". This is the name of a country on the northern coast of South America. The region was supposedly named this in 1499 by a Spanish expedition (which included Amerigo Vespucci) because an indigenous town on Lake Maracaibo was built on stilts over the water, reminiscent of the Italian city. Another theory suggests that the country's name comes from Veneciuela, the name of a local people.

Venice (Settlement) English
From 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.

Verona (Settlement) Italian, Spanish, English, Ancient Roman
Meaning unknown, possibly of Latin, Gallic or Etruscan origin. This is the name of a city in northern Italy.

Victoria (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Body of Water) English
From 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, Italian
Meaning 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.

Vietnam (Country) English, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Indonesian, Malay
From Việt Nam, meaning "southern Yue", derived from Sino-Vietnamese 越 (việt), referring to the Yue people, and 南 (nam) meaning "south". This is the name of a country in southeastern Asia.

Viti (Country & Island) Fijian, English
Fijian form of Fiji. This name is also used in English (and other languages) to refer to the main Fijian island of Viti Levu.

Wakefield (Settlement) English
From Old English wacu "wake, vigil" and feld "field". This is the name of a city in England.

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.

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.

Warsaw (Settlement) English
From Polish Warszawa, derived from the given name Warsz, a short form of Warcisław. This is the name of the capital city of Poland.

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.

Wembley (Settlement) English
Means "Wemba's clearing" in Old English. This was the name of a town that is now part of Greater London.

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.

Winchester (Settlement) English
Derived from Venta, of Celtic origin, and Latin castrum meaning "camp, fortress". This is the name of a city in southern England.

Winona (Settlement) English
From the legendary figure of Winona. This is the name of several towns in the United States.

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.

Wortham (Settlement) English
From Old English worþ "enclosure" and ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a town in Suffolk.

Wylye (River) English
Possibly from a Celtic word meaning "tricky". This is the name of a river in southern England.

Wymondham (Settlement) English
From the given name Wigmund combined with Old English ham "home, settlement". This is the name of a town in Norfolk.

Xanadu (Settlement) English
Anglicized 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.

Yemen (Country) English, Danish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Turkish, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Tagalog
From Arabic يمن (Yaman), probably derived from يمين (yamīn) meaning "right hand, south". This is the name of a country at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula.

York (Settlement & Political Subdivision) English
From 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) English
Derived from Old English geoc "oxen yoke" and halh "nook, recess". This is the name of a town in Staffordshire.

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) Chewa, Bemba, Tonga, Shona, English
The name of a river in the south of 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".

Zambia (Country) Chewa, Bemba, Tonga, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian
From the name of the Zambezi River. It was adopted as the name of the African country of Zambia, formerly called Northern Rhodesia, when it became independent of the United Kingdom in 1964.

Zanzibar (Island) Swahili, English
From Arabic زنجبار (Zanjibār), from Persian زنگبار (Zangibār), derived from زنگی (zangī) meaning "black, dark-skinned" and بار (bār) meaning "shore, coast". This is the name of an island, part of Tanzania.

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).

Zimbabwe (Country & Settlement) Shona, Ndebele, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian
From 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.