Belgian Place Names

Belgian names are used in the country of Belgium in western Europe.
type
usage
Pey (Settlement) Dutch
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in Limburg in the Netherlands.
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.
Poix (Settlement) French
Possibly from Old French peis meaning "fish". This is the name of a town in Picardy, France.
Polen (Country) German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian form of Poland.
Pologne (Country) French
French form of Poland.
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.
Praag (Settlement) Dutch
Dutch form of Praha (see Prague).
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.
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.
Québec (Settlement & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Quebec.
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.
Rhin (River) French
French form of Rhine.
Rijn (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Rhine.
Roemenië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Romania.
Roes (Region) Dutch
Dutch form of Rus.
Romagne (Region & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Romagna.
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.
Romilly (Settlement) French
From the Latin name Romilius, a derivative of Romulus. This is the name of several communes in northern France.
Rossum (Settlement) Dutch
From the older Rotheheim, derived from Dutch rothe "cleared area in a forest" and heim "home". This is the name of a town in Gelderland in the Netherlands.
Roumanie (Country) French
French form of Romania.
Royaume-Uni (Country) French
French calque of United Kingdom, written with the definite article le.
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.
Rusland (Country) Dutch, Danish
Dutch and Danish cognate of Russland.
Russie (Country) French
French form of Russia.
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.
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".
Saint Clair (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Clair. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Denis (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Denis. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Martin (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Martin. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Maur (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Maurus. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Pierre (Settlement & Island) French
Name commemorating Saint Peter. This is the name of several communes in France as well as a French island near Newfoundland.
Salvador (Country & Settlement) Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Mongolian
Means "saviour" in Spanish, referring to Jesus. This is the name of a country in Central America. Since 1915 its official name has been El Salvador, with the definite article. Many languages also include the Spanish article at the front of the name.... [more]
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.
Saudi-Arabië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Saudi Arabia.
Schoorl (Settlement) Dutch
From older Scoronlo, meaning "forest by the shore" in Dutch. This is the name of a town in the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands.
Schotland (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Scotland.
Schwytz (Settlement & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Schwyz.
Sénégal (River & Country) French
French form of Senegal.
Senegal (River & Country) Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Turkish, Armenian, Persian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Mongolian, 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.
Serbie (Country) French
French form of Serbia.
Servië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Serbia.
Shanghai (Settlement) Chinese, English, German, French
Means "upon the sea" in Chinese, from (shàng) meaning "above" and (hǎi) meaning "sea, ocean". This is the name of the largest city in China.
Shanghaï (Settlement) French
French variant of Shanghai.
Sicile (Island & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Sicily.
Silésie (Region) French
French form of Silesia.
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.
Singapour (Country, Settlement & Island) French
French form of Singapore.
Slovaquie (Country) French
French form of Slovakia.
Slovénie (Country) French
French form of Slovenia.
Slovenië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Slovenia.
Slowakije (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Slovakia.
Soedan (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Sudan.
Somalie (Country) French
French form of Somalia.
Somalië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Somalia.
Soudan (Country) French, Greek
French and Greek form of Sudan.
Spanje (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Hispania (see Spain).
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.
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.
Suède (Country) French
French form of Sweden.
Suisse (Country) French
French cognate of Schweiz, used as the French name for Switzerland.
Syrie (Country) French
French form of Syria.
Syrië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Syria.
Tadjikistan (Country) French, Catalan, Romanian, Afrikaans
French, Catalan, Romanian and Afrikaan form of Tajikistan.
Tadzjikistan (Country) Dutch, Swedish
Dutch and Swedish form of Tajikistan.
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.
Tanzanie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Tanzania.
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.
Tchad (Body of Water & Country) French, Danish, Swedish
French, Danish and Swedish form of Chad.
Tchécoslovaquie (Country) French
French form of Czechoslovakia.
Tchéquie (Country) French
French form of Čechy, used as a name for the Czech Republic.
Téhéran (Settlement) French
French form of Tehran.
Teheran (Settlement) German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian
Form of Tehran in several languages.
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.
Thaïlande (Country) French
French form of Thailand (probably via English).
Tokyo (Settlement) Japanese, English, French, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Estonian, Turkish, Hindi, Indonesian
From Japanese () meaning "east" and (kyō) meaning "capital city". This is the name of the capital of Japan.
Tombouctou (Settlement) French
French form of Timbuktu.
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]
Tracy (Settlement) French
Derived from the given name Thracius. This is the name of communes in Calvados, France.
Troie (Settlement) French
French form of Troy.
Troje (Settlement) Dutch
Dutch form of Troy.
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.
Tsjaad (Body of Water & Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Arabic تشاد (see Chad).
Tsjechië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Čechy, used as a name for the Czech Republic.
Turkije (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Turcia (see Turkey).
Turquie (Country) French
French form of Turcia (see Turkey).
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 (u) meaning "at, from" and краи (krai) meaning "edge, end, rim". This is the name of a country in Eastern Europe.
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".
Valence (Settlement & Region) French
French form of Valencia.
Varsovie (Settlement) French
French form of Warszawa (see Warsaw).
Vénétie (Political Subdivision) French
French form of Veneto.
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.
Venise (Settlement) French
French form of Venice.
Verenigde Staten (Country) Dutch
Dutch calque of United States (using the adjective verenigd meaning "united"). It is written with the definite article de.
Vérone (Settlement) French
French form of Verona.
Vienne (Settlement) French
French form of Vienna.
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 (việt), referring to the Yue people, and (nam) meaning "south". This is the name of a country in southeastern Asia.
Vlaanderen (Region) Dutch
Dutch form of Flanders.
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.
Warschau (Settlement) German, Dutch
German and Dutch form of Warszawa (see Warsaw).
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.
Wieren (Settlement) Dutch
Means "seaweed" in Dutch. This is the name of towns in Frisia and other parts of the Netherlands.
Wit-Rusland (Country) Dutch
Means "white Russia", a Dutch calque of Belarus.
Yémen (Country) French
French form of Yemen.
Zaïre (River & Country) French, Dutch
French and Dutch form of Zaire.
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.
Zambie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Zambia.
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).
Zélande (Political Subdivision & Country) French
French form of 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.
Zweden (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Sweden.
Zwitserland (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Switzerland.