Late Roman Place Names

Albania (Region & Country) Late Roman, English, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Indonesian, Malay
Medieval Latin name for the region that was once occupied by the Illyrian tribe called Albanoi. This is the name of a country in the Balkans.

America (Region & Country) English, Italian, Romanian, Late Roman
From the name of the explorer Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512). This is the name of two continents (North and South America). As well, it is commonly used to refer to the United States of America.

Anatolia (Region) Late Roman, English
Latin form of Greek ἀνατολή (anatole) meaning "sunrise", a term used by the Greeks to refer to the peninsula to the east (modern Turkey).

Anglae Terra (Country) Late Roman
Late Latin form of England (a translation, meaning "land of the Angles").

Anglia (Country & Region) Late Roman, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Greek, Albanian, Armenian
Late Latin form of England (and also of Angel).

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.

Bavaria (Political Subdivision) English, Late Roman
From Late Latin Baiovarii, the name of a Germanic tribe, named after an earlier Gaulish tribe the Boii. This is the name of a state in Germany (called Bayern in German).

Bohemia (Region) English, Spanish, Late Roman
From Latin Boiohaemum, from the name of the Gaulish tribe the Boii combined with Old German heim "home". This is the name of a historical region within the Czech Republic. The region is called Čechy in Czech, while the country is called Česko.

Bulgaria (Country) Late Roman, English, Spanish, Italian, Indonesian, Malay
From the name of the Turkic tribe of the Bulgars, possibly from a Turkic root meaning "mixed". This is the name of a country in southeastern Europe.

Columbia (Region, Settlement, Political Subdivision & River) English, Italian, Spanish, Late Roman
Named after the explorer Christopher Columbus, called Cristoforo Colombo in Italian (see the surname Colombo). This is the name of several cities in the Americas (including the District of Columbia, also called Washington D.C.), and a river in Canada and the United States. It is also a name used historically to refer to the New World.

Corea (Country) Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Late Roman
Italian, Spanish and Catalan form of Korea, as well as the Latin form.

Croatia (Country) English, Late Roman
From Croatian Hrvatska, from Old Slavic *xŭrvatŭ, of unknown meaning. This is the name of a country in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe.

Estonia (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian, Malay, Late Roman
From Estonian eesti meaning "Estonian", a word borrowed from Low German in the 17th century. It is of uncertain origin. It could be from a Germanic rendering of the Baltic tribe of the Aesti, mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus.

Francia (Country) Late Roman, Italian, Spanish
Latin form of France.

Franconia (Region) Late Roman, English, Italian, Spanish
Latin name derived from Frank, the name of a Germanic tribe. This is the name of a region in southern Germany.

Frisia (Region) English, Late Roman
From the name of the West Germanic Frisian people, called the Frisii in Latin, possibly from Germanic *frisaz meaning "curly". This is the name of an area along the coast of the North Sea stretching from the Netherlands to Germany.

Galicia 2 (Region) English, Late Roman
From the name of the Ukrainian city of Halych. This is the name of a region in southern Poland and western Ukraine. It was historically a principality within Kievan Rus and later an independent kingdom, before being annexed by Poland in the 14th century.

Georgia 1 (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Late Roman
Possibly of Persian origin, maybe from Middle Persian gurg meaning "wolf". In Europe the name was long explained as derived from the given name George. This is the name of a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It is called Sakartvelo in Georgian.

Hungaria (Country) Late Roman, Albanian, Armenian, Indonesian
Latin, Albanian, Armenian and Indonesian form of Hungary.

Langobardia (Region) Late Roman
Late Latin name for the realms of the Lombards in Italy (see Lombardy).

Leudonia (Political Subdivision) Late Roman
Latin form of Lothian.

Lituania (Country) Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Indonesian, Late Roman
Latin form of Lietuva (see Lithuania).

Lothari Regnum (Political Subdivision) Late Roman
Latin form of Lorraine.

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).

Nubia (Region) English, Late Roman
Possibly derives from the Egyptian word nbw meaning "gold". This was the name of an ancient region and kingdom in Africa, south of Egypt.

Papia (Settlement) Late Roman
Late Latin form of Pavia.

Polonia (Country) Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek, Late Roman
Latin form of Poland, as well as the form used in Italian, Spanish, Romanian and Greek.

Portugale (Region) Late Roman
Later form of Portus Cale, referring to the area around the city.

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

Suecia (Country) Spanish, Late Roman
Spanish and Latin form of Sweden.

Turcia (Country) Late Roman
Latin form of Turkey.

Venetia (Region & Settlement) Ancient Roman, Late Roman, Greek
From the name of the Veneti people who inhabited northeastern Italy in ancient times. Their tribal name possibly meant something like "kinfolk" or "friendly". This was the Latin name for the region now called Veneto, and later the Latin name for the city of Venice (which did not exist in the classical period).