French Place Names

French names are used in France and other French-speaking regions. See also about French names.
type
usage
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.
Afrique (Region) French
French form of Africa.
Albanie (Country) French
French form of Albania.
Alger (Settlement) French, Romanian
French and Romanian form of Algiers.
Algérie (Country) French
French form of Algeria.
Allemagne (Country) French
French form of Alemannia, used as the French name of Germany.
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.
Amérique (Region & Country) French
French form of America.
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.
Angleterre (Country) French
French form of Anglae Terra, used as the French name of England.
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.
Antarctique (Region) French
French form of Antarctica.
Anvers (Settlement) French
French form of Antwerp.
Arabie (Region) French
French form of Arabia.
Arabie Saoudite (Country) French
French form of Saudi Arabia.
Argentine (Country) French
French form of Argentina.
Arménie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Armenia.
Asie (Region) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Asia.
Assise (Settlement) French
French form of Assisi.
Assyrie (Region) French
French form of Assyria.
Athènes (Settlement) French
French form of Athens.
Aubigny (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Albinus. This is the name of several French communes.
Australie (Region & Country) French
French form of Australia.
Autriche (Country) French
French form of Austria.
Babylone (Settlement) French
French form of Babylon.
Bahreïn (Country & Island) French
French form of Bahrain.
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.
Bélarus (Country) French
French form of Belarus.
Belgique (Country) French
French 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.
Bénin (Settlement, Body of Water & Country) French
French form of Benin.
Berlin (Settlement) German, English, French, Polish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish
City in Germany, the name of which is of uncertain meaning. It is possibly derived from an Old Slavic stem berl- meaning "swamp".
Bethléem (Settlement) French
French form of Bethlehem.
Birmanie (Country) French
French form of Burma.
Bohême (Region) French
French form of Bohemia.
Bohon (Settlement) French
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in Manche, France.
Bolivie (Country) French
French form of Bolivia.
Bologne (Settlement) French
French form of Bologna.
Bombay (Settlement) French, Spanish, English (Rare)
From Portuguese Bombaim, probably derived from Marathi Mumbai, possibly with influence from Portuguese bom bain meaning "good little bay". This is an older English name for Mumbai, officially used until 1995. It is also the form still commonly used in French and Spanish.
Bornéo (Island) French
French form of Borneo.
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.
Brésil (Country) French
French 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.
Brunéi (Country) Spanish, Javanese, Sundanese, French
Spanish, Javanese and Sundanese form of Brunei, as well as a French variant.
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]
Budapest (Settlement) Hungarian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Combination of Buda and Pest, two cities that merged in 1873. This is the name of the capital city of Hungary.
Bulgarie (Country) French
French form of Bulgaria.
Californie (Political Subdivision) French
French form of California.
Cameroun (Country) French, Danish
French and Danish form of Cameroon.
Canaan (Region) English, French, Biblical
From Hebrew ךְּנַעַן (Kenaʿan), possibly from a root meaning "low, humble". This was the name of an ancient region, the home of the biblical Canaanites, in what is now Palestine and Israel.
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.
Castille (Region) French
French form of Castile.
Catalogne (Region & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Catalonia.
Chécagou (Settlement) French (Archaic)
Older French form of Chicago.
Chicago (Settlement) English, French
From French Chécagou, derived from Algonquian šikaakwa meaning "wild garlic" referring to a plant (species Allium tricoccum) that grew there in abundance.... [more]
Chili (Country) French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Greek, Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Mongolian, Indonesian, Thai
Form of Chile in several languages.
Chine (Country) French
French form of Chin.
Chypre (Island & Country) French
French form of Cyprus.
Cologne (Settlement) French, English
French form of Latin Colonia, shortened from Colonia Agrippina meaning "colony of Agrippina", named after the wife of Emperor Claudius. This is the name of a city in western Germany.
Colombie (Country & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Colombia and sometimes of Columbia (for example Colombie-Britannique for British Columbia).
Comores (Country) French, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan
French, Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan form of Comoros.
Congo (River & Country) English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Danish
From Kongo, of uncertain origin, the name of a kingdom in central Africa that existed from the 14th to 19th century. The Congo River (also called the Zaire River) was named after the kingdom. Belgian and French colonies were established in the 19th century, named after the river, which eventually led to two African countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo.
Corée (Country) French
French form of Korea.
Corinthe (Settlement) French
French form of Corinth.
Courtenay (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Curtenus, derived from Latin curtus "short". This is the name of a few French communes.
Cracovie (Settlement) French
French form of Kraków.
Croatie (Country) French
French form of Croatia.
Cuinchy (Settlement) French
From older Quintiacum, derived from the personal name Quintus plus the local suffix -acum. This is the name of a village in France.
Damas (Settlement) French
French form of Damascus.
Danemark (Country) French
French form of Denmark.
Danube (River) English, French
From Latin Danubius, from Old Celtic *Danowyos, from an Indo-European root meaning "river". This is the name of a river that flows east through Europe to the Black Sea.
Dubaï (Settlement & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Dubai.
Écosse (Country) French
French form of Scotland.
Égée (Body of Water) French
French form of Aegean.
Égypte (Country) French
French form of Aegyptus (see Egypt).
Espagne (Country) French
French form of Hispania (see Spain).
États-Unis (Country) French
French calque of United States, written with the definite article les.
Éthiopie (Country) French
French form of Aethiopia (see Ethiopia).
Eurasie (Region) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Eurasia.
Europe (Region) English, French, Ancient Greek
From Greek Εὐρώπη (see Europa). The name of the mythological princess is from that of the continent.
Fidji (Country) French
French form of Fiji.
Finlande (Country) French
French form of Finnland (see Finland).
Flandre (Region) French
French form of Flanders.
Fleury (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Florus. This is the name of several French communes.
Floride (Political Subdivision) French
French form of Florida.
France (Country) French, English
From Latin Francia meaning "land of the Franks". The Franks were the Germanic tribe who settled in the region in the 3rd century. They derived their tribal name from the name of a type of spear that they used.
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.
Galice (Region) French
French form of Galicia 1.
Galicie (Region) French
French form of Galicia 2.
Galles (Country) French, Italian
French and Italian form of Wales.
Gange (River) French, Italian, Romanian
French, Italian and Romanian form of Ganges.
Gaule (Region) French
French form of Gaul.
Gênes (Settlement) French
French form of Genoa.
Géorgie (Country & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Georgia 1 or Georgia 2.
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.
Grainville (Settlement) French
Means "Guarin's town" in Old French. This is the name of various towns in Normandy.
Grèce (Country) French
French form of Graecia (see 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.
Guinée (Region, Country & Island) French
French form of Guinea.
Hollande (Political Subdivision & Country) French
French form of Holland 1, referring to the provinces and sometimes the entire country.
Hong Kong (Political Subdivision, Settlement & Island) English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Turkish, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog
From Cantonese 香港 (Hoenggong), a compound of (hoeng) meaning "fragrant" and (gong) meaning "port, harbour". This is the name of a city, island and special administrative region of southeastern China.
Hongrie (Country) French
French form of Hungary.
Inde (Country) French
French form of India.
Indonésie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech 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.
Irlande (Country & Island) French
French form of Ireland.
Israël (Country) Dutch, French
Dutch and French form of Israel.
Italie (Country) French
French 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.
Japon (Country) French
French form of Japão (see Japan).
Jérusalem (Settlement) French
French form of Jerusalem.
Jordanie (Country) French
French form of Jordan (the country).
Jourdain (River) French
French form of Jordan (the river).
Kazakhstan (Country) English, Russian, Ukrainian, French
From Kazakh Қазақстан (Qazaqstan), from the ethnic name қазақ (qazaq), which is probably of Turkic origin, combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of a country in central Asia.
Kenya (Country & Mountain) English, Kikuyu, Swahili, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Greek, Turkish
The country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called Kĩrĩnyaga meaning "the one having stripes".
Kirghizistan (Country) French, Italian
French and Italian form of Kyrgyzstan.
Kirghizstan (Country) French
Variant form of Kirghizistan.
Kurdistan (Region) Kurdish, Arabic, English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Russian
From Kurdish کوردستان (Kurdistan), from the Persian ethnic name کرد (Kord) meaning "Kurd" combined with the Persian suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of". This is the name of the region in the midst of Iran, Iraq and Turkey that is primarily inhabited by the Kurdish people.
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.
Lassy (Settlement) French
Derived from Lascius, a Gallo-Roman name of unknown meaning. This is the name of a commune in Calvados, France.
Libéria (Country) French, Portuguese, Hungarian, Slovak
French, Portuguese, Hungarian and Slovak form of Liberia.
Libye (Country & Region) French, Czech, Ancient Greek
French and Czech form of Libya, as well as the Ancient Greek transcription.
Lituanie (Country) French
French form of Lithuania.
Livet (Settlement) French
Possibly of Gaulish origin. This is the name of several communes in France (especially Normandy).
Londres (Settlement) French, Spanish, Portuguese
French, Spanish and Portuguese form of London.
Lorette (Settlement) French
French form of Loreto.
Lorraine (Political Subdivision) French, English
Ultimately from Latin Lothari regnum meaning "kingdom of Lothar". Lothar was a Frankish king, the great-grandson of Charlemagne, whose realm was in the part of France now called Lorraine, or in German Lothringen.
Louisiane (Region & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Louisiana.
Luxembourg (Country, Settlement & Political Subdivision) English, French, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Croatian, Estonian
From Old High German Lucilinburhuc, derived from luzil "small" and burg "castle". This was the name of a castle built by Count Siegfried in the 10th century. The city of Luxembourg and the surrounding territory became a duchy in the 14th century, and it is now a small landlocked country between Germany, France and Belgium. This is also the name of a province of southern Belgium.... [more]
Lyon (Settlement) French, English, German
From Latin Lugdunum, derived from the name of the Celtic god Lugus combined with Gaulish dunon meaning "hill fort, citadel". This is the name of a city in central France.
Macédoine (Region, Country & Political Subdivision) French
French 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.
Malaisie (Country) French
French form of Malaysia.
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.
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".
Malleville (Settlement) French
Means "bad town" in Norman French. This is the name of communes in Normandy, France.
Marches (Political Subdivision) French
French form of Marche.
Maroc (Country) French, Vietnamese
French and Vietnamese form of Morocco.
Marrakech (Settlement) French, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Croatian
French, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Croatian form of Arabic مرّاكش (see Marrakesh).
Massy (Settlement) French
Derived from Maccius, a Gallo-Roman name of unknown meaning. This is the name of several communes in France.
Maylis (Settlement) French
Meaning uncertain, though said to derive from Occitan mair "mother" and French lys "lily". This is the name of a commune in southern France.
Médine (Settlement) French
French form of Medina.
Meissen (Settlement) German, English, French
Form of Meißen.
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.
Mexique (Country) French
French form of Mexico (referring only to the country, not the capital city).
Milan (Settlement) English, French
From Latin Mediolanum, perhaps derived from Celtic elements meaning "middle of the plain". This is the name of a major city in Italy.
Mongolie (Country, Political Subdivision & Region) French
French form of Mongolia.
Montgomery (Settlement) French
Means "Gumarich's mountain" in Norman French. This is the name of communes in Calvados, France.
Moscou (Settlement & River) French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Catalan
French, Brazilian Portuguese and Catalan form of Moscow. In Portuguese it refers to both the city and the river, while in French and Catalan it only refers to the city.
Moskova (River & Settlement) French, Finnish, Turkish
French form of Moskva (the river), Finnish form of Moscow (the city), and Turkish form of both the city and the river.
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.
Namibie (Country) Czech, French
Czech and French form of Namibia.
Nazareth (Settlement) English, French, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Possibly from Hebrew נֵצֶר (netser) meaning "branch, shoot" or נָצַר (natsar) meaning "watch, guard". This is the name of a town in Galilee in Israel. It was the home town of Jesus.
Népal (Country) French
French form of Nepal.
Neuville (Settlement) French
Means "new town" in French. This is the name of various towns in France.
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.
Nil (River) Arabic, French, German, Luxembourgish, Catalan, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish, Azerbaijani
Form of Nile in various languages. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: النيل (al-Nīl).
Ninive (Settlement) French, Italian, German
French, Italian and German form of Nineveh.
Norvège (Country) French
French form of Norway.
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.
Orléans (Settlement) French
French form of Aurelianum, the name of a city in central France. The city in Louisiana, La Nouvelle-Orléans or New Orleans, was named after Philippe II, the Duke of Orléans.
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.
Ouganda (Country) French
French form of Uganda.
Ouzbékistan (Country) French
French form of Uzbekistan.
Padoue (Settlement) French
French form of Padua.
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.
Pangée (Region) French
French form of Pangaea.
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.
Pays-Bas (Country) French
From French pays "country, land" and bas "low". This is the French name for the Netherlands (for which it is also a translation).
Pékin (Settlement) French
French form of Beijing.
Pérou (Country) French
French form of Peru.
Perse (Country) French
French form of Persia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Schwytz (Settlement & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Schwyz.
Sénégal (River & Country) French
French form of Senegal.
Serbie (Country) French
French 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.
Singapour (Country, Settlement & Island) French
French form of Singapore.
Slovaquie (Country) French
French form of Slovakia.
Slovénie (Country) French
French form of Slovenia.
Somalie (Country) French
French form of Somalia.
Soudan (Country) French, Greek
French and Greek form of Sudan.
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.
Tadjikistan (Country) French, Catalan, Romanian, Afrikaans
French, Catalan, Romanian and Afrikaan form of Tajikistan.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yémen (Country) French
French form of Yemen.
Zaïre (River & Country) French, Dutch
French and Dutch form of Zaire.
Zambie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Zambia.
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.