Swiss Place Names

Louisiane (Region & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Louisiana.

Lussemburgo (Country, Settlement & Political Subdivision) Italian
Italian form of Luxembourg.

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]

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).

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.

Macedonia (Region, Country & Political Subdivision) Ancient Greek (Latinized), English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Polish
Derived from Greek Μακεδονία (Makedonia), the name of an ancient kingdom and region that was named after the ancient Macedonian people. Their name was derived from Greek μακεδνός (makednos) meaning "tall, thin", which was descriptive of the people or perhaps of where they lived in the highlands.... [more]

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 (Majrit), of uncertain meaning. It may be derived from Arabic مجرى (majra) 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.

Mailand (Settlement) German
German form of Milan.

Makedonien (Region, Political Subdivision & Country) German, Danish, Swedish
German, Danish and Swedish form of Macedonia. In German this refers only to the region, while the modern country is called Mazedonien or Nordmazedonien.

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 Southern 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.

Malaysia (Country) Malay, English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, Romanian, Indonesian, Tagalog
From the name of the Malay people, of uncertain origin. It is possibly from the name of a river, itself derived from Malay melaju or Javanese mlayu meaning "to run, to go fast". This is the name of a country in Asia.

Malesia (Country) Finnish, Greek, Thai, Italian
Finnish, Greek and Thai form of Malaysia, as well as an older Italian variant.

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 Western 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.

Manfredonia (Settlement) Italian
From the given name Manfredi, referring to a 13th-century king of Sicily. This is the name of a town in Apulia, Italy, founded by King Manfred on the site of the Roman city of Sipontum.

Marche (Political Subdivision) Italian, English
From the plural of Late Latin marca meaning "borderland, march", of Germanic origin. This is the name of a region in central Italy, named for the March of Ancona, a frontier region in the Carolingian Empire.

Marches (Political Subdivision) French
French form of Marche.

Marken (Political Subdivision) German
German form of Marche.

Maroc (Country) French, Vietnamese
French and Vietnamese form of Morocco.

Marocco (Country) Italian
Italian form of Morocco.

Marokko (Country) German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Mongolian
Form of Morocco in several languages.

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).

Marrakesch (Settlement) German
German 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.

Mazedonien (Country) German
German form of Macedonia (referring to the country of North Macedonia).

Medina (Settlement) English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Croatian, Serbian
Form of Arabic المدينة (al-Madinah) 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.

Médine (Settlement) French
French form of Medina.

Meißen (Settlement) German
Probably of Slavic origin. This is the name of a town in eastern Germany.

Meissen (Settlement) German, English, French
Form of Meißen.

Messico (Country & Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Mexico.

Messina (Settlement) Italian, English
Later form of Messana, the Latin form of Messene. This is the name of a city on Sicily. Founded by Greek settlers as Zankle, it was renamed in honour of the Greek city of Messene in the 5th century BC.

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.

Mexiko (Country & Settlement) German, Swedish, Czech, Slovak, Greek
German, Swedish, Czech, Slovak and Greek form of Mexico. In Swedish it refers only to the country, not the capital city.

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.

Milano (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Milan.

Mongolei (Country, Political Subdivision & Region) German
German form of Mongolia.

Mongolia (Country, Political Subdivision & Region) English, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Romanian, Polish, Finnish, Norwegian, Indonesian, Malay
From Mongolian монгол (mongol), the name for the Mongolian people, possibly from монг (mong) meaning "brave". This the name of a region in eastern Asia, now divided between the country of Mongolia (historically called Outer Mongolia) and the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.

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.

Mosambik (Island & Country) German, Norwegian
German and Norwegian form of Mozambique.

Mosca (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Moscow.

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.

Moscova (River) Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Moskva (the river).

Moskau (Settlement) German
German form of Moscow.

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.

Moskwa (Settlement & River) Polish, German
Polish and German form of Moskva. In Polish it refers to both the city and the river, while in German it only refers to the river.

Mozambico (Island & Country) Italian
Italian form of Mozambique.

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 (Musa bin Bik). 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.

Mumbai (Settlement) Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, English, German, Russian
From Marathi मुंबा (Mumba), the name of an incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess Devi, combined with आई (ai) meaning "mother". This is the name of a city in Maharashtra, India, formerly called Bombay.

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.

Naggio (Settlement) Italian
Meaning uncertain, the name of a small town in Lombardy.

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.

Namibia (Country) English, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Albanian, Georgian, Armenian, Swahili, Indonesian, Malay, Japanese, Korean
From the name of the Namib Desert, meaning "desert, vast place" in Khoekhoe. This is a country in southwestern Africa.

Namibie (Country) Czech, French
Czech and French form of Namibia.

Napoli (Settlement) Italian, Greek
Italian form of Naples, as well as the modern Greek form.

Nazaret (Settlement) Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Czech, Greek, Armenian, Croatian, Serbian, Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek
Form of Nazareth in various languages.

Nazareth (Settlement) English, French, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Possibly from Hebrew נֵצֶר (netzer) meaning "branch, shoot" or נָצַר (natzar) 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.

Nepal (Country) Nepali, Hindi, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Indonesian, Malay, Sanskrit
From Sanskrit नेपाल (Nepal), of unknown meaning. This is the name of a landlocked country in south Asia.

Neuville (Settlement) French
Means "new town" in French. This is the name of various towns in France.

Niederlande (Country) German
German cognate of Netherlands. It is usually referred to using the definite article, die.

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 Western 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 Western 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-Nil).

Nilo (River) Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of Nilus (see Nile).

Ninive (Settlement) French, Italian, German
French, Italian and German form of Nineveh.

Norvège (Country) French
French form of Norway.

Norvegia (Country) Italian, Georgian
Italian and Georgian form of Norway.

Norwegen (Country) German
German cognate of Norway.

Ochtrup (Settlement) German
The name of a town in Germany, of uncertain meaning.

Olanda (Political Subdivision & Country) Italian
Italian form of Holland 1, referring to the provinces and sometimes the entire country.

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 ('Uman), 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.

Österreich (Country) German
German 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.

Ouganda (Country) French
French form of Uganda.

Ouzbékistan (Country) French
French form of Uzbekistan.

Padoue (Settlement) French
French form of Padua.

Padova (Settlement) Italian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian
Italian, Romanian, Croatian and Serbian form of Padua.

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

Paesi Bassi (Country) Italian
Italian cognate of Pays-Bas, used as the Italian name for the Netherlands.

Pakistan (Country) Urdu, Punjabi, English, Italian, French, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Slovak, Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian
From Persian پاک (pak) meaning "pure" and the suffix ستان (stan) 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.

Pangäa (Region) German
German form of Pangaea.

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

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.

Parigi (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Paris.

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

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

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).

Pechino (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Beijing.

Pékin (Settlement) French
French form of Beijing.

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.

Penzig (Settlement) German
German form of Pieńsk.

Pérou (Country) French
French form of Peru.

Perse (Country) French
French form of Persia.

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

Persien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Persia.

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).

Perù (Country) Italian
Italian form of Peru.

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

Philippinen (Country) German
German form of Philippines.

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.

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

Pontecorvo (Settlement) Italian
From Italian ponte "bridge" and curvo "curved". This is the name of a town in central Italy.

Portogallo (Country) Italian
Italian form of Portugal.

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

Prag (Settlement) German, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Luxembourgish, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish
German, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Luxembourgish, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Turkish form of Praha (see Prague).

Praga (Settlement) Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Slovene, Russian, Bulgarian, Greek
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Slovene, Russian, Bulgarian and Greek 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.

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.

Provenza (Region) Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Provence.

Québec (Settlement & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Quebec.

Ravenna (Settlement) Italian
Meaning unknown, probably of Etruscan origin. This is the name of a city in Italy.

Regno Unito (Country) Italian
Italian calque of United Kingdom, written with the definite article il.

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.

Rom (Settlement) German
German form of Rome.

Roma (Settlement) Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Ancient Roman
Latinate form of Rome.

Romagna (Region & Political Subdivision) Italian, English, German
From Latin Romania, in this case the name of a historic region on the Adriatic coast of Italy (part of the modern administrative region of Emilia-Romagna).

Romagne (Region & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Romagna.

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

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

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 Brunei in several languages, as well as a variant spelling in other languages.

Rumänien (Country) German, Swedish
German and Swedish form of Romania.

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

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

Russie (Country) French
French form of Russia.

Russland (Country) German, Norwegian
Derived from the medieval state of Rus and land meaning "country, state". This is the German and Norwegian name for 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.

Sachsen (Region & Political Subdivision) German
German form of Saxony.

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.

Sambia (Country) German, Finnish
German and Finnish form of Zambia.

Saudi-Arabien (Country) German, Danish
German and Danish form of Saudi Arabia.

Schanghai (Settlement) German
German variant of Shanghai.

Schlesien (Region) German
German form of Silesia.

Schottland (Country) German
German form of Scotland.

Schweden (Country) German
German form of Sweden.

Schweiz (Country) German, Swedish
From the name of the town and canton of Schwyz. This is the German and Swedish name of Switzerland.

Schwytz (Settlement & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Schwyz.

Schwyz (Settlement & Political Subdivision) German, English, Spanish
Meaning uncertain, possibly related to Old High German suedan "to burn" or possibly of Celtic origin. This is the name of a town (and a canton named for it) in central Switzerland.

Sciacca (Settlement) Italian
Meaning uncertain, perhaps of Arabic origin. This is the name of a town on Sicily.

Scozia (Country) Italian
Italian form of Scotland.

Seeland (Political Subdivision & Country) German
German form of Zealand.

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 Western Africa, and a country named after it. It gained independence from France in 1960.

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

Serbie (Country) French
French form of Serbia.

Serbien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Serbia.

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

Shanghaï (Settlement) French
French variant of Shanghai.

Sicile (Island & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Sicily.

Sicilia (Island & Political Subdivision) Italian, Spanish, Ancient Roman
Latinate form of Sicily.

Silésie (Region) French
French form of Silesia.

Simbabwe (Country) German
German form of Zimbabwe.

Singapore (Country, Settlement & Island) English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Romanian
From Malay Singapura meaning "lion city", derived from Sanskrit sinha "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.

Singapur (Country, Settlement & Island) Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, German, Estonian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Turkish, Armenian
Form of Singapore in several languages.

Siria (Country) Italian, Spanish, Albanian, Georgian, Armenian, Thai, Korean
Form of Syria in various languages.

Sizilien (Island & Political Subdivision) German
German form of Sicily.

Slovacchia (Country) Italian
Italian form of Slovakia.

Slovaquie (Country) French
French form of Slovakia.

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

Slovénie (Country) French
French form of Slovenia.

Slowakei (Country) German
German form of Slovakia.

Slowenien (Country) German
German form of Slovenia.

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

Somalie (Country) French
French form of Somalia.

Soudan (Country) French, Greek
French and Greek form of Sudan.

Spagna (Country) Italian
Italian form of Hispania (see Spain).

Spanien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Hispania (see Spain).

Stati Uniti (Country) Italian
Italian calque of United States, written with the definite article gli.

Stoccolma (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Stockholm.

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

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

Suède (Country) French
French form of Sweden.

Suisse (Country) French
French cognate of Schweiz, used as the French name for Switzerland.

Svezia (Country) Italian
Italian form of Sweden.

Svitto (Settlement & Political Subdivision) Italian
Italian form of Schwyz.

Svizzera (Country) Italian
Italian cognate of Schweiz, used as the Italian name for Switzerland.

Syrie (Country) French
French form of Syria.

Syrien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Syria.

Tailandia (Country) Spanish, Italian
Spanish form and Italian variant of Thailand (probably via English).

Tansania (Country) German, Finnish
German and Finnish form of Tanzania.

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

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).

Thailandia (Country) Italian
Italian form of Thailand (probably via English).

Tokio (Settlement) Spanish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian, Greek, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Mongolian
Form of Tokyo used in various languages.

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

Tombouctou (Settlement) French
French form of Timbuktu.

Tracy (Settlement) French
Derived from the given name Thracius. This is the name of communes in Calvados, France.

Trento (Settlement) Italian
Derived from Latin Tridentum meaning "three teeth", a reference to three surrounding hills. This is the name of a city in Trentino, Italy.

Troie (Settlement) French
French form of Troy.

Troja (Settlement) German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Croatian, Serbian
Form of Troy in several languages.

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.

Tschad (Body of Water & Country) German
German form of Arabic تشاد (see Chad).

Tschechien (Country) German
German form of Čechy, used as a name for the Czech Republic.

Tschechoslowakei (Country) German
German form of Czechoslovakia.

Turchia (Country) Italian
Italian form of Turcia (see Turkey).

Türkei (Country) German
German form of Turcia (see Turkey).

Turquie (Country) French
French form of Turcia (see Turkey).

Ucraina (Country) Italian, Romanian
Italian and Romanian form of Ukraine.

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

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

Ungarn (Country) German, Danish, Norwegian
German, Danish and Norwegian form of Hungary.

Ungheria (Country) Italian
Italian form of Hungary.

Ural (Region & River) Russian, English, German, Turkish, Bashkir
Meaning unknown, possibly from Turkic aral meaning "island, boundary". This is the name of a mountain range and a river in western Russia.

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.

Valencia (Settlement & Region) Spanish, Italian, English, German
The name of a city and surrounding region in eastern Spain, originally named in Latin Valentia (Edetanorum) meaning "strength (of the Edetani people)", and derived from Latin valentius "strength, vigour", from valens "strong, vigorous". Besides the city in Spain, this is also the name of a city in Venezuala.

Varsavia (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Warszawa (see Warsaw).

Varsovie (Settlement) French
French form of Warszawa (see Warsaw).

Venedig (Settlement) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Venice.

Vénétie (Political Subdivision) French
French form of Veneto.

Venetien (Political Subdivision) German
German form of Veneto.

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

Venezia (Settlement) Italian, Norwegian
Italian form of Venetia, referring to the city of Venice.

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.

Vereinigtes Königreich (Country) German
German calque of United Kingdom (using the adjective vereinigt meaning "united"). It is written with the definite article das.

Vereinigte Staaten (Country) German
German calque of United States (using the adjective vereinigt meaning "united"). It is written with the definite article die.

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

Vérone (Settlement) French
French form of Verona.

Vienna (Settlement) English, Italian
Meaning uncertain. It could be from Celtic vedunia meaning "forest stream", or possibly from the name of an earlier Roman settlement Vindobona. This is the name of the capital of Austria.

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 越 (việt), referring to the Yue people, and 南 (nam) meaning "south". This is the name of a country in southeastern Asia.

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.

Weißrussland (Country) German
Means "white Russia", a German calque of Belarus.

Wien (Settlement) German
German form of Vienna.

Yémen (Country) French
French form of Yemen.

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

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.

Zelanda (Political Subdivision & Country) Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of 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.

Zypern (Island & Country) German
German form of Cyprus.