Dutch Place Names

Dutch names are used in the Netherlands and Flanders. See also about Dutch names.
type
usage
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.
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.
Afghanistan (Country) Pashto, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Malay
From Pashto افغانستان (Afghānistān), from the Persian ethnic name افغان (Afghān) meaning "Afghan, Pashtun" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Algerije (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Algeria.
Algiers (Settlement) English, Dutch
From Arabic الجزائر (al-Jazāʾir) 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.
Amazonas (River & Political Subdivision) Portuguese, Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Slovak
Portuguese, 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.
Amazone (River) French, Dutch
French and Dutch form of Amazon, referring to the river.
Amersfoort (Settlement) Dutch
Means "ford of the Amer (Eem) River" in Dutch. This is the name of a city in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Amstel (River) Dutch
Means "water place" in Dutch. This is the name of a river in the Netherlands, which lent its name to Amsterdam.
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.
Angola (Country) Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Georgian, Armenian, Indonesian, Malay
Portuguese form of Ngola, the royal title of the kings of Ndongo, an African kingdom that was conquered by the Portuguese in the 17th-century. It was a Portuguese colony until 1975, when it became an independent country.
Antarctica (Region) English, Dutch, Romanian, Late Roman
From the Greek prefix ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, opposed to" and the adjective ἀρκτικός (arktikos) meaning "north" (referring to the northerly position of the Great Bear constellation). This is the name of the earth's southernmost continent.
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.
Apeldoorn (Settlement) Dutch
Means "apple tree" in Dutch. This is the name of a city in the Netherlands.
Arabië (Region) Dutch
Dutch form of Arabia.
Arendonk (Settlement) Dutch
Derived from Dutch arend "eagle" and donk "hill". This is the name of a city in northern Belgium.
Argentinië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Argentina.
Armenië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Armenia.
Asch (Settlement) Dutch
From Old Dutch ask meaning "ash tree". This is the name of a town in the Netherlands.
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.
Athene (Settlement) Dutch, Afrikaans
Dutch and Afrikaans form of Athens.
Australië (Region & Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Australia.
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.
Bahrein (Country & Island) Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Estonian
Form of Bahrain in several languages.
Bangladesh (Country) Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Mongolian, Armenian, Hebrew, Persian, Indonesian, Malay
From Bengali বাংলাদেশ (Bānglādesh) meaning "country of the Bengali people", from the name of the Bengali people বাংলা (Bānglā) combined with দেশ (desh) "country, state". The ethnic name is derived from that of the ancient kingdom of Vanga. This is the name of a country in south Asia.
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).
België (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Belgium.
Belize (Country & River) English, Italian, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay
From Spanish Belice, earlier Balis, from the name of the Belize River, which may itself be from Mayan beliz meaning "muddy water". This is the name of a country on the Atlantic coast of Central America.
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).
Berlijn (Settlement) Dutch
Dutch form of Berlin.
Bethlehem (Settlement) English, German, Dutch, Biblical
Means "house of bread" in Hebrew, from the roots בַּיִת (bayiṯ) meaning "house" and לֶחֶם (leḥem) 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.
Bolivia (Country) Spanish, English, Italian, Dutch, Georgian, Indonesian, Malay
From the surname Bolívar, in honour of the revolutionary Simón Bolívar. This is the name of a country in South America.
Borneo (Island) Malay, English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Archaic)
From a European (probably Portuguese) rendering of the name of the Sultanate of Brunei. This is an island in southeastern Asia divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is called Kalimantan in Indonesian.
Botswana (Country) Tswana, English, Shona, German, French, Italian, Catalan, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian
Means "place of the Tswana people" in the Tswana language, from the locative prefix bo- combined with the name of Tswana people, itself of uncertain origin, possibly from tswa "to go out" or tshwana "to resemble". This is the name of a country in the south of Africa. During the British colonial period the region was called Bechuanaland, which was more accurately rendered as Botswana when the country achieved independence in 1966.
Brazilië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Brazil.
Bretagne (Region & Island) French, German, Dutch
French form of Britannia (see Britain). In French this typically refers to the region known as Brittany, while Great Britain is called Grande-Bretagne.
Brittannië (Island) Dutch
Dutch form of Britain.
Brunei (Country) Malay, Indonesian, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Georgian, Turkish, Hindi, Tagalog
Possibly from Sanskrit वरुण, the Hindu god Varuna or figuratively meaning "water, ocean". However, according to tradition, Brunei was from the Malay phrase baru nah meaning "there!" or "that's it!", which was supposedly declared by Brunei's first sultan Muhammad Shah when he discovered it in the 14th century.... [more]
Bulgarije (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Bulgaria.
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.
Canada (Country) English, French, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Derived from the Iroquoian word kanata meaning "village". This word was used by Native Americans to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to Stadacona. Cartier used the word to refer to the region.
Chili (Country) French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Mongolian, Indonesian, Thai
Form of Chile in several languages.
China (Country) English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Malay, Sanskrit
From Persian چین (Chīn), probably derived via Sanskrit चीन (Cīna) from Qin, the name of a dynasty that ruled in China in the 3rd century BC. In China the name Zhongguo is used to refer to the country.
Comoren (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Comoros.
Cyprus (Island & Country) English, Dutch
From Greek Κύπρος (Kypros), which may get its name from the cypress tree (Greek κυπάρισσος). This is the name of an island country in the eastern Mediterranean. Although considered one nation by most other countries, the northern part of the island is occupied by Turkish forces and claims independence.
Denemarken (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Denmark.
Donau (River) German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
German form of Danube, also used in several other languages.
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, Chinese
From 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.
Duitsland (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Deutschland.
Egypte (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Aegyptus (see Egypt).
Engeland (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of England.
Estland (Country) German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish form of Estonia.
Ethiopië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Aethiopia (see Ethiopia).
Finland (Country) English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Malay
From Old Norse Finnr, which referred to the Finn and Sami peoples, combined with land. This is the name of a country in Northern Europe, called Suomi in Finnish.
Franken (Region) German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
German form of Franconia.
Frankrijk (Country) Dutch
Dutch cognate of Frankreich. This is the Dutch name for France.
Friesland (Region) Dutch
Dutch form of Frisia (using the suffix land).
Gabon (Country) English, French, Italian, Romanian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay
Derived from Portuguese gabão meaning "cloak, overcoat", referring to the shape of the Gabon Estuary. This is the name of a country on the western coast of central Africa.
Genua (Settlement) Ancient Roman, German, Dutch
Latin, German and Dutch form of Genoa.
Georgia 2 (Political Subdivision) English, Spanish, Italian, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch
From the given name George, named in honour of the British king George II. This was the name of an American colony, later a state.
Georgië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Georgia 1.
Ghana (Country) English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Arabic, Indonesian, Malay
From the name of the Ghana Empire, which was located in the southwestern Sahara and existed up to the 13th century. Ghana, meaning "warrior" in Mande, was actually the title of the rulers, while the empire itself was more properly known as Awkar. In 1957 this was adopted as the name of the newly independent country of Ghana, formerly the British colony Gold Coast, despite the fact that the country lies outside the empire's territory.
Griekenland (Country) Dutch
From Dutch Griek "Greek" and land. This is the Dutch name for Greece.
Guatemala (Country) Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Italian, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Turkish
From Nahuatl Cuauhtemallan meaning "place of the woodpile". This is the name of a country in Central America.
Guinee (Region, Country & Island) Dutch
Dutch form of Guinea.
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.
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 1 (Political Subdivision & Country) Dutch, English, German, Danish, Icelandic
From 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.
Holstein (Political Subdivision & Region) German, English, Dutch
From 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.
Hongarije (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Hungary.
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.
Ierland (Country & Island) Dutch
Dutch form of Ireland.
India (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Estonian, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian, Greek, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Tagalog, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek
Derived from the name of the Indus River. In many languages of India, the name Bharat is used to refer to the country. However, some southern Indian languages use spellings based on English India.
Indonesië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Indonesia.
Iran (Country) Persian, Arabic, English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Greek, Hebrew, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Urdu, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Burmese, Thai, Tagalog, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian
Derived from Middle Persian Eran, related to Old Iranian Arya meaning "Iranian, Aryan". This is the name of a country in western Asia, formerly called Persia in the West.
Israël (Country) Dutch, French
Dutch and French form of Israel.
Italië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Italia (see Italy).
Jakarta (Settlement) Indonesian, Malay, Javanese, Acehnese, Balinese, Minangkabau, Sundanese, English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Arabic, Hindi
From Sanskrit जयकर्ता (Jayakartā) meaning "victory accomplished", from जय (jaya) meaning "victory, conquest" and कृत (kṛta) meaning "done, accomplished". This is the name of the capital city of Indonesia. It was known as Batavia during the colonial (Dutch) era.
Japan (Country) English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Hindi, Burmese
From Portuguese Japão, which was derived from a Malay form of Riben, the Chinese reading of Nippon.
Jeruzalem (Settlement) Dutch, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian
Dutch, Slovak, Slovene and Croatian form of Jerusalem.
Jordaan (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Jordan (the river).
Jordanië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Jordan (the country).
Kameroen (Country) Dutch, Afrikaans
Dutch and Afrikaans form of Cameroon.
Kanne (Settlement) Dutch
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in the province of Limburg in Belgium.
Kazachstan (Country) Dutch, Polish, Slovak
Dutch, Polish and Slovak form of Kazakh Қазақстан (see Kazakhstan).
Kenia (Country & Mountain) German, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Polish, Italian
Form of Kenya in several languages, as well as an Italian variant.
Korea (Country) English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Czech, Greek, Georgian, Armenian, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From medieval Latin Corea, itself derived from Goryeo, the name of a kingdom that ruled most of the Korean Peninsula from the 10th to 14th centuries. This is the name of two countries, North and South Korea. Hanguk and Joseon are the Korean names for the countries.
Krakau (Settlement) German, Dutch
German and Dutch form of Kraków.
Kroatië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Croatia.
Laos (Country) French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Greek, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Hebrew, Hindi, Nepali, Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog
The name of a country in southeastern Asia, derived from the Lao people, the majority ethnic group. Their name may be derived from an Austroasiatic root meaning "human". The name Laos was originally applied to the region by France, who established it as a colony in 1893. It achieved independence in 1953.
Liberia (Country) English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Derived from Latin liber meaning "free". This was the name of a colony established in West Africa by free African Americans in the 1820s. It declared its independence in 1847, and was one of only two independent countries in Africa in the early 20th century (along with Ethiopia).
Libië (Country) Dutch, Afrikaans
Dutch and Afrikaans form of Libya.
Litouwen (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Lithuania.
Londen (Settlement) Dutch
Dutch form of London.
Luxemburg (Country, Settlement & Political Subdivision) German, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Romanian, Catalan, Hungarian, Slovak
Form of Luxembourg used in several languages. In Hungarian this is the name of the country only (Luxembourg is the city), while in Slovak this is the name of the city only (Luxembursko is the country).
Macedonië (Region, Country & Political Subdivision) Dutch
Dutch form of Macedonia.
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, Tagalog
From 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.
Malawi (Country) Chewa, English, Swahili, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Turkmen, Arabic
Possibly from Chewa malawi meaning "flame, fire". This is the name of a landlocked country in the south of Africa. It was renamed from Nyasaland when the country gained independence from Britain in 1964. Hastings Banda, the country's first president and the man who chose the name, claimed to have seen it on an old map in the form Maravi, referring to a lake.
Maleisië (Country) Dutch, Afrikaans
Dutch and Afrikaans form of Malaysia.
Mali (Country) Manding, Fula, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Hungarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Greek, Hebrew, Armenian, Georgian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Persian, Urdu, Sinhalese, Hindi, Chinese, Mongolian, Burmese, Thai, Lao, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
A landlocked country in West Africa, named after an empire that lasted until the 17th century. The empire's name is possibly from a dialectal variant of the name of the Mande peoples. Alternatively, it could be from the name of the empire's capital (which has not been located) or from a Mande word meaning "hippopotamus".
Marokko (Country) German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Mongolian
Form of Morocco in several languages.
Marrakesh (Settlement) English, Dutch
From Arabic مرّاكش (Marrākush), possibly from Berber Murt n Akush meaning "land of God". This is the name of a city in Morocco.
Medina (Settlement) English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Croatian, Serbian
Form of Arabic المدينة (al-Madīna) meaning "the city". This is the name of a city in Saudi Arabia, considered a holy site in Islam because the Prophet Muhammad was based there for a period.
Mexico (Country & Settlement) English, French, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
From Spanish México, itself derived from Nahuatl Mehxico. There are many theories regarding the ultimate origin, including Nahuatl metztli meaning "moon" combined with xictli meaning "navel". This is the name of a country in North America, as well as its capital city (the country is named after the city). In French and Swedish Mexico is the name of the capital city, while the country is called Mexique in French and Mexiko in Swedish.
Mongolië (Country, Political Subdivision & Region) Dutch
Dutch form of Mongolia.
Mozambique (Island & Country) English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish
From the name of an island off the southeastern coast of Africa, named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the 15th-century local sultan موسى بن بيك (Mūsā bin Bīk). This island became the region's Portuguese colonial capital in the 16th century, and the name was eventually applied to a large area of mainland Africa. Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1974.
Myanmar (Country) English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch, French, Czech, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Turkish, Hindi
From Burmese မြန်မာ (Myanma), the name of the main Burmese ethnic group (also called the Bamar), which is of unknown origin. This is the name of a country in southeastern Asia. It was formerly called Burma, derived from a variant of this term.
Nairobi (Settlement) English, Swahili, Kikuyu, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Turkish, Japanese, Korean
From Maasai enkare nyrobi meaning "cold water", referencing a nearby river. This is the name of the capital city of Kenya. It was founded in 1899 by the British colonial authorities.
Namibië (Country) Dutch, Afrikaans
Dutch and Afrikaans form of Namibia.
Nederland (Country) Dutch, Norwegian
Dutch and Norwegian cognate of Netherlands.
Niftrik (Settlement) Dutch
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.
Niger (River & Country) English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, Serbian, Late Roman
Meaning unknown, possibly of Berber origin, though influenced by Latin niger "black". This is the name of a river in West Africa (and a country that is named after it).
Nigeria (Country) English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Georgian
From the name of the Niger River, applied in the 19th century to the British colonial territory in West Africa. It continued to be used after the territory became an independent country in 1960.
Nijl (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Nile.
Noorwegen (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Norway.
Oeganda (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Uganda.
Oekraïne (Country) Dutch, Afrikaans
Dutch and Afrikaans form of Ukraine.
Oezbekistan (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Uzbek Ўзбекистон (see Uzbekistan).
Oirschot (Settlement) Dutch
Possibly from Dutch oeros meaning "aurochs" and schoot meaning "projection (of land)". This is the name of a town in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands.
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.
Oostenrijk (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Austria.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Parijs (Settlement) Dutch
Dutch form of Paris.
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.
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).
Perzië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Persia.
Pey (Settlement) Dutch
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in Limburg in the Netherlands.
Polen (Country) German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian 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).
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.
Rijn (River) Dutch
Dutch form of Rhine.
Roemenië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Romania.
Roes (Region) Dutch
Dutch form of Rus.
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.
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.
Rusland (Country) Dutch, Danish
Dutch and Danish cognate of Russland.
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.
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.
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.
Servië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Serbia.
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.
Slovenië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Slovenia.
Slowakije (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Slovakia.
Soedan (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Sudan.
Somalië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Somalia.
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.
Syrië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Syria.
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.
Teheran (Settlement) German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian
Form of Tehran in several languages.
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.
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).
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".
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.
Verenigde Staten (Country) Dutch
Dutch calque of United States (using the adjective verenigd meaning "united"). It is written with the definite article de.
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.
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.
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.
Zweden (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Sweden.
Zwitserland (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Switzerland.